'^f^^
^^:^'^^^i^^'
%^f
\\')'i Ct r'',f7/;y/1^
S<1C
•--^'■■•■;«- -- ■■■H«
*W*
'/ /
l^fe-:^;^^
Dhf
/n
/Jn'/i'vP-f-y^^-
AN -;,M .. ; i.y>
^"^S/C/LSBi^Vi^
E s s ^ Y ;
O N T H E
Scheme and Conduct,
Procedure and Extent
O F
MAN'S REDEMPTION.
Wherein is fliewn, from the Holy Scriptures, that
This great Work is to be acco?7JpIified by a
gradual Rejioration of Ma?! and Nature
to their primitive State,
To which is annexed
A Dissertation on the Defigii and
Argumentation of the Book of JOB.
■ - - ■ ■- I - - ■ - - I ■ . _L
The Second 'Edition improved and enlarged.
By William vvorthington, M.A.
Yicar of Llanrhaiadr in Mochnant, in the County
5wt / 70 5 -lit). i77P.'^'^ 'Denbigh. ^^
xj X^oXti) >^ «T» fA£fa?" CJem. Alex. Strom, lib. 7.
i think I fee plainly a gradual workiyig of Providence towards the i?^-
demption of the World from the Curfe of the Pall.
BiOiop Sherlock's Prophecy.
LONDON:
Printed for Edward Cave, at St John\ Cats,
M.DCC.XLVIII.
THE
PREFACE.
THERE being fo many writings daily
publiflied with a manifeft deiign of
vilifying and degrading Chriftianity,
it is to be hoped that an attempt to give
men more honourable and exalted notions
of it will not need any long Apology.
The chief advantage which the writers on
the iide of InJideUfy have had, and which
they have well underflood how to ufe for the
fervice of their caufe, has been drawn from
what unguarded expreffions, and injudicious
and unfavourable reprefentations they could
pick up, out of the writings of its Friends^
which they turned as arguments agalnft Re-
ligion itfelf. This hath occaiioned feveral
points to be reconfidered of late, by which
means they have been fet in a better light,
and explained with greater accuracy. But
it is prefumed that this work hath net been
fo fully and completely executed, with re-
gard to the whole and every part of Religion ;
but that it may be ftill farther carried on, and
admit of farther improvements.
The following EJjdy pretends to no more
than to fuggeft fome hints of this kind, the
Author being of opinion that the mofl ef-
feftual method of filencing Infidelity will be
to
ii 7X^ P R E F A C E.
to aim at fuch Improvements in the Explana-
tion of Chriilianity, that the moft induflrious
malice of its advcrfaries will be at a lofs to
find out ought againfl: it.
It is true, their inventions of late have been
fo fertile of Objedions, that their quiver hath
been full of them j but they have fo plentifully
fr2ot cut their arrows^ which have generally
been none other than bitter -uDords^ and ground-
lefs inved:ives, that v/e may reafonably con-
clude they begin by this time to be exhaufted :
Nor has their fuccefs been any better than to
have procured fuch Anfvvers, as have retorted
them upon themfelves, and given fatisfadtion
to all candid and unprejudiced minds.
But tho' it ihould be granted that difficul-
ties might be raifed which could not be rea-
dily folved on our prefent fyllems, or under
the prefent ftate of Chriftianity j yet if Chri-
fiiianity be in its nature progreffive towards
a fiate of greater Perfedion, with regard both
to Knowledge and Pradice, as it is prefumed
it will, from the following Eilay, appear to be ;
a fair examiner will make fuitabie allowances
in this refped — will not look for that from an
imperfeB^ which belongs to a perfect ^2Xt -^
and tho' he does not fee all his fcruples re-
moved at prefent, yet he will not from hence
peremptorily conclude that they are unfur-
mountable, and that they may not poffibly be
all cleared up hereafter.
Nor will it be thought any imputation up-
on Chriftianity, that all its myflerics and doc-
trines
The PREFACE. vii
trines have not been as yet fully difcovered and
underftood, if it be confidered, that no human
fcience hath been brought to fuch perfection
as not to admit of farther improvements, many
of which began to be cultivated long before
the commencement of Chriflianity. Nay,
what proficiency hath been made in our idoi-
reafon itfelf, notwithftanding fuch fufficiency
is attributed to it ! Tho' it was reduced to rules
of art, fome ages before Chrift, yet have its
improvements been but very inconilderable till
of late years. And what do its attainments a-
mount to at prefent ? Alas ! juft to fo much as
ferves to puff it up with pride and conceit, a
certain iign of its weaknefs and imperfection !
And if this boailed Light 'within us, be fo faint
and glimmering, that it is, indeed, compara-
tively, but 'Darhiefsj why fhould it be ex-
pelled that the great myfleries of the Gofpel
fhould be clearly {^(^"[1 thro' by us ? Is it not
rather an argument of its divine original,
that its depth and height is fuch as not to be
fathomed by our fhort line ? It has from the
beginning been fufliciently intelligible to all ca-
pacities, with regard to the great and moft ne-
celTary purpofcs of prad:ice and filvation, tho'
all its doctrines may not yet be fo clearly ex-
plained, as to filence the cavils of gain-fayers ;
to fatisfy the curiofity, and overcome the pre-
judices of thofe whofe lulls prompt them to
feek out objedions againfl it, as they tempt
them to wifli it were falfe.
Notwithftanding fo many ages have pa fled
fince
iv TX^ PREFACE.
lince Chrift, yet Chriflianlty hath not been
confidered in all its views ; though it hath in
fo many, as have not a little contributed to
the illuftration of it. In the firft ages of the
Gofpel, the Apologifts and Advocates of the
Chriftian caufe were enga'ged in combating
Heathenifm and Judaifm on the one hand,
and the many Herejies that fprang up within
the Church itfelf, on the other. It had fcarce
been well eftablifhed before it began to be
woefully rent with fchiftns ; and foon after this,
all learning, divine and human, were, in a
manner, banifhed the world ; and men's
fludies, from this time downwards, were em-
ployed only in perverting and corrupting our
moft holy religion ; till at length the divine
providence brought about the Reformation,
the natural and neceifary buiinefs of which,
was to confute and purge off thefe errors a-
gain, and to vindicate the Protellant Faith.
Soon after this, Sectaries began to fpring up
among us, and men's labours were then
fpent in difputing modes of worilnp and dif-
cipline, and other particulars, fome of which
were idle enough. And the reafonablenefs
and excellence of our moft holy. Religion,
having never been called in queftion, was ta-
ken for granted by all -, and, therefore, not
much confidered till Socinianifm firft, and
Infidelity afterwards, began to try their
ftrength with it, to ftrike at its foundation,
and iliake the main pillars of it j wherein
they have hitherto fucceeded no better, than
in
r/je TREF ACE. >
in caufing it to ftrike the deeper root, and more
firmly to eftablifli itfelf, having given occailon
to many excellent treatifes w^hich have greatly
contributed to its honour and advancement, but
of which the world had other wife been deprived.
The promoting of the fame great end, viz.
the honour and advancement of Chriflianity,
is the deiign aimed at in the following Iheets,
which if, ill any meafure, they anfwer in the
main, it is to be hoped, that whatever lefTer
flips or errors may have efcaped the Author's
diligence, will be pardoned and overlook'd
by the reader.
I have only to add, That the Di/Jerf/ifion
on the Book of Jol^, having a near Relatioi!
to the fubjedt of the EJJ'ay, and a tendency
to illuftrate it, is not improperly annexed to
it. If the Hypothecs I go upon be right,
it will, moreover, be of no fmall fervice for
the underftanding of that difficult Book j and
tho' it fhould prove wrong, yet will it not af-
fect the argument of the EJJay, the truth
of which does not depend upon it. Both the
one and the other are offered with that fub-
miffion to the judgment of the publick, which
ought to attend do6trines that carry the ap-
pearance of novelty or lingularity.
With regard to this fecond Edition, the
reader will find fome few Improvements and
Additions both' in the Text and Notes ; the
moft confiderable of which are, i . An attempt
to account for the hiftory of the firft four
day's work of the Creation in the firft Chap-
ter
vi r/5e PREFACE.
ter of Genejis, on the principles of true philo-
fophy. /». no. 2. The true grounds of Mo^
fes's filence concerning the dodrine of a fu-
ture ftate. /. 93, and 366. 3. 1 have been ob-
liged to add notes on fome particular palTages
in the Diflertation, in order to vindicate them
againft the Objections of the Rev, Dr Richard
Grey in his Anfwer to Mr Warbiirton^ vi^hich
I hope the reader will find done to his fatif-
fadion.
A SUM^
^Summary o//^^ CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
THE State of the Queftion propofed to be
difcLiiTed in the enfuing Treatife p. 3,
Apology for it p. 4. The Ufefulnefs and
Expediency of the Enquiry, p. 5.
C H A P. I.
0/ the State of Man before the Fall -, particularly, of
the Nature, Improvement, and Decay of Man's
Perfection in it, together with a Conjecture concern-
ing the Duration of this State -, whereby fonie Cir-
cumfiances relating to the Mofaic Account of it are
cleared up, and vindicated p. 7.
Different Opinions concerning the firft State of Man
p. 8. The Nature of his Perfeclion /^. Meafure
of it 10. Confident with fome Failings /i*. Na-
ture and Defign of the Tree of Life 12. Man's
Faculties gradually impair'd, and by what Means
13. Duration of the paradifiacal State 15. Eve
excited to eat of the forbidden Fruit by her Long-
ing ib. Her Eating occafioned an Abortion 16.
Objedlions anfwered on the foregoing Hypothefis
17. Adam how furnifhed with Ideas 20. And
Language ib. Author of Chrifiianity as Old ^c.
cenfured ib. Adam not immediately placed in Pa-
radife 21. His naming the Creatures accounted
for in a natural Way 22. Another Objection of
the above Author's removed ib. Original Excel-
lence of Man vindicated 23. Adain and Chrift
compared 25. Happinefs of the primitive State 26.
CHAP.
The CONTENTS.
CHAP. 11.
Gf the Fall, the Confequences, and Permijfion of ii. i
wherein the principal Difficulties relating to thefe
Subje^s are attempted to be removed p. 27.
The Fail of Man accounted for ih. The Devil per-
fonating a Seraph impofcs uponEw 28. HisDif-
courfe with her 29. Wherein her Crime confift-
ed 30. Illuftrated by a parallel Cafe 3 1 . Origi-
nal Sin. Confequences of it, with regard to Adam
and Eve in their own Perfons. 32. To the Brute
'^■^. And inanimate Creation 34. And to Po-
fterity ib, Explain'd and vindicated with Regard
to the Guilt 35. Propagation ib. And Impu-
tation of it 38. And other odious Confequences
charged upon it by Mr 'Taylor 40. Permiffion of
Evil demonftratively cleared and vindicated 42.
Corollaries deduced from the foregoing Demon-
ftration afcertaining the Laws of Grace and Li-
berty 45. The Heads propofed to be difcuff^d
in the remaining Part of the Treatife 4^.
C H A P. m.
CdHtaining Remarks on the State of Mankind after
the Fall in the Antediluvian World : JVhence it
will appear that God, in all his Difpenfations du-
ring this Period, had a View to their Amendment
and Reformation p. 50.
Favourable Circumftances in the Sentence of our firft
Parents ib. The "VVickednefs of Men, and the
Curfe on the Ground increafed gradually e^c^.
Caufcs of it e^G. ^/Zo^r^^'sTrandation, what it ty-
pified 57, Longevity of the Antediluvians ac-
counted for 58. Other Accounts of it examined
';8. Dcftruction of the old World unavoidable
62.
The CONTENTS.
6i. Deluge typical of the future State of the
Church 6^.
CHAP. IV.
Remarks 07i the State of Man and Nature after thn
Flood ; particularly concerning the Removal of the
Cur fe from off the Ground p. 6^.
Bifhop Sherlock's Notion concerning the Removal of
the Ciirfe on the Ground examined 66. The Au-
thor's Notion of it 72. Stated and confirmed 73.
Noah's Drunkennefs apologized for 78.
CHAP. V.
Containing fome farther Remarks on the State of the
JVorld in the early Ages of it^ particularly with re-
gard to the Caiifes which retarded its Reformation
during this Period p- 79.
Difadvantages of Mankind in the early Ages So.
To which God's Dealings with them were
fuited 8 1 . His Preference of the Ifraelites ac-
counted for 83. And vindicated from the Abufes
of the moral Philofopher 85. State of Morality
in thefe Ages 86. Caufes of the Slownefs of Re-
formation in thefe Periods 92. The true Reafon
why a future State is not more infilled upon in
. the Mofaic Difpenfation 93.
CHAP. VI.
Of the Reformation wrought in the IVorld in the Jges
preceding the Gofpel p. 95.
Good Effeds of the Confufion and Difperfion of
Babel for this Purpofc 96. Regard had hereto
in the Divifion of the Nations 97. The Call of
b yir
rhe CONTENTS.
Abraham ferviccable to this End 98. What the
Mofaic Difpenfation contributed to it. 1. With
regard to the Jews themfelves 102. 2. To Man-
kind in general 103. The Heathen Religions im-
proved by the Jcwijh, and their Philofophy in a
great meafiire borrowed from Mofes 107. The
Philofophicalnefs of Mofes* Account of the Crea-
tion fliewn with regard to that of the firft four
Days Work of it 108. The World pre-difpoied
for the Coming of the Mejfiah 121.
CHAP. VII.
Concerning the Reformation wrought in the TVcrld by
means of Chrijlianity p. 123.
Small Extent and Influence of Chriftianity apolo-
gized for, I. From a Comparifon of it with the
true Religion in the preceding Ages 124. 2. The
Oppofition of its Enemies 125. 3. Difficulties of
the Warfare we maintain 127. 4. Antichriji by
perverting the Gofpel helps to confirm it, by fur-
nifhing an Evidence of its Truth 128. 5. Bene-
fits of the Reformation from Popery 131. ^ery
from the fuppofed better Lives of Infidels, whe-
ther the World is really bettered by Chriftianity
137. Anfwcred iji in general ib. idly particu-
larly 141.
CHAP. VIII,
Containing fome general Obfervations on the Improve-
ment of the Worlds in its civil Capacity 143.
The firft State of Nature and the prefent compared
144. Advantages of Traffick 146. Improve-
ments in civil Government ib. Common Preju-
*lice that theWorld grows worfe andworfe, remo-
ved
The CONTENTS.
vedi50. Improvements in Learning 1 54. Benefits
of the Invention of Letters 155. Mr Sbuckford's
Account of their Invention ib. And Mr fVar-
burton^s difprov'd 157. Proved to have been
tauglit by God to Mofes 158- .An Argument that
the Egyptians borrowed their Cuftoms from the
Ifraelites^ not thefe latter from them 168. Pro-
pagation, Decay, and Revival of Learning 169.
Its fuccecding Progrefs 171. The two laft Ages
compared 173.
CHAP. IX.
Containing fame Account of Notices given to^ and of
the Notions and ExpeUations which prevailed among
the Antients, Jews, Heathens^ and ChrifianSy
with regard to the future Rejloration and Renova-
tion of the World 175.
Traditions among the Jeios^ and Allufions in their
Law to a renovated State ih. Notions of a reno-
vated State among the Heathens 179. Inferred
I . From the profeffed End of their Philofophy and
Religions ih. 2. The Do6lrine of two Principles
180. 3. The Golden Age 18:5. The Renova-
tion of the World held by Plato^ and others 184.
And like wife by the primitive Fathers under the
Notion of a Milk?inium 186.
CHAP. X.
Ul)erein it is fJjcwn, that this Hypothefis^ which
'maintains the Rejloration of the World to its original
PerfecJion before its final Dijfolution^ is agreeable to
our Notions of the Attributes of God, to thr Na-
ture of Man, and Reafons of Things p. 187.
Firft, this Notion is lliewn to be agreeable to the
di-
The CONTENTS.
divine Wifdom, Power, Juftice, Honour, Good-
nefs 1 8 8. And to the Nature of Things 189.
An Objeflion anfwered ib. Another Objedion
taken from the Shortnefs of the paradifiacal State,
anfwer'd 193. This Notion agreeable to the Na-
ture of Man 194.
CHAP. XL . ■
Wherein is Jhewn^ that the Chrijlian Religion^ in the
general Deftgn and 'Tendency of it^ is calculated for
the Recovery of fallen Man to his primitive State 199.
This fhewn firft from the Nature and Defign of
Chriflianity in general ih. From its being repre-
fented as a State of Perfection 107^. True No-
tion of Perfeftion dated, and the Attainablenefs
of it 208. Chriilian Perfedion equal to original
Perfedion proved sjl from the Chara6ler and Of-
fice of our Saviour, as Redeemer 210,. The
common Notion of Redemption examined 211.
Definition of perfonal Redemption in general, and
of Chriftian Redemption 214. Socinian Objec-
tions anfwered 2 1 5. Our Saviour's Life and Ex-
ample a Proof that Man (liall regain his original
Ferfeftion 219. Proved likewife from the Nature
and Tendency of Chrifl's Laws 223. From the
Means of Grace 227. From God's Concern for
the Honour and Succcfs of his Religion 230.
And from the Afliftances of his Holy Spirit 2 3 1 .
CHAP. XII.
Containing particular Proofs from Scripture of Man''s
future Recovery of his primitive State 237.
Texts relating to the Enlargement and Amplitude
of ChrilPs Kingdom w. Nature of ChrilP«
King-
TJoe CONTENTS.
Kingdom occafionally explained 241- That it is
to be an univerfal Theocracy 244. Prophecies
concerning the Converfion of all Nations 245.
Gentiles; and Jews^ their Reftoration, and re-
building of their Temple and City 247. Return
and Settlement of the ten Tribes 249. Holinefs
of the future State of the Church 253. Inferred
from fome Gofpel- Precepts which fuit only fuch
a State 260. From the Promife'of the peculiar
Prefence of God, and plentiful Effufion of the
Holy Ghoft 261. Increafe of Knowledge in the
latter Ages 263. Objedions anlwer'd2 65. Pro-
phecies of the flourifhing and peaceable State of
the Church 270.
CHAP. XIII.
Of the MILLENNIAL State, and that which ts repre-
fented by new Heavens and a new Earth :
Wherein fome Errors relating to thefe States are at-
tempted to be r edified, and the true Notions of them
explained 278.
I . Of the Millennium, miftaken Opinion of the An-
tients concerning it 279. Accounted and apolo-
gized for 280. Dr Whitby' % Notion of it efpoufed
281. The Fall of Antichrifl calculated 283.
And the Commencement of the millennial State
285. And of the Reftoration and P».e-eftabliPa-
ment of the Jews 287. State of the new Hea-
vens and Earth e^jplained 293. Diftinft from the
millennial State 294. Notwithftanding it is none
other than an earthly State 29;. Dr 5?ir«^;'s No-
tion of the new Fleavens and. Earth examined and
difproved 298. His Argument from 2 Pet. iii.
13. particularly confidered 301, 307. The lafl:
Generation of Men all Rigliteous 310. Matt.
xxiv.
The CONTENTS.
xxiv. examined and explained ib. Dr Burnefs
Argument from there being no Sea in the new
Heaven, i^c. refuted. That Paffage in Rev. xxi.
1. explained 314. The remaining Characters of
this State explained, i. The divine Prefence 318.
2. Tlie Removal of natural and moral Evil 320.
3. Reftoration of the paradifiacal State 321. 4.
And Removal of t]\Q Curfe 3 2 3.
CHAP. XIV.
Concerning the Removal of the natural Evils of Life
in general, and. in their fever al Kinds 326.
*] he Removal of natural Evil in general proved
from Reafon ih. and Scripture 328. A Re-
demption of the whole natural Creation.
Prophecies relating to the future Fertility of the
Earth 331. Reftoration of the brute Creation 33-3.
A confiderable Clafs of Evils removed by thefe
Means 335. Recovery of human Nature with
regard to Health 337. The Woman's Sentence
repealed 339. Recovery of long Life 343. Ex-
emption from Death, and an immediate Tranfla-
tion into Heaven 350. Objections anfwered 354.
Proved to be the Reward of perfe6t Obedience
364. Apology for the whole 372.
The Conclufion, by way of Application to three
Sorts of Men, Jcuos^ Deifis^ and Chrijiians 375.
Contents of the Dissertation.
Mr Warburton*s Hypothefis concerning this Book
examined, anci proved to be without Foundation.
Some previous Matters to be difcuffed. i. Dif-
ficulties in the Book of Job according to the
com-
rhe CONTENTS.
common Interpretation of it 394. 2. The Age,
Family, and Religion of Joby and his Friends,
and the Author of the Book ,of Job enquired
into 405, 3. 'J he Fhilofophy tiien in Vogue 400.
4. Defign of the Book 412. viz'. To reprefenc
in thePerfon o^Job the various Revohitions of hu-
man Nature 41 3. 5. The Controverfial Part of ic
defigned againll the Do6lrine of the Mcte:npfy-
chcjis /\.i'j. Proved from feveral Expreffions in
the Speeches of Job and his Friends 422. Elihn
moderates in the Difpute44i. Equity of God's
Decifion of it 442. Dignity of the Subjecl of this
Poem according to this View of it ib. How ir
removes the foregoing Difficukies 443,
ERRATA.
PAGE 1 8. line 35, for it is necejfary, read // is
not necejfary. p. 94. note 1. 15. for f crip t^€,
Y. fcriptd. p. 143. Ch. 8. for the running title to
p. 162. r. Improvement of the World in its civil Ca-
pacity, p. 152. 1. 18. for fecuring^ r. to fecure.
p. 165. 1. 23. for they, r. thy. p. 170. 1. 13. for
Room, r. Rome. p. 185. 1. 3. for believe, x. believed.
p. 294. for the running title to p. 321. r. State of
the new Heavens and Earth explained. p. 317. 1.
9. for required r. requireth. p. 320. 1. 27. dele the.
p. 337. 1. 8. for heaven, r. health. p. 398. n. 1.
27. iov gnaviter, x.graviter. p. 210. 1. 4 and 5.
for or, r. to. ib. I. 28. for in, r. on. p. 211. 1.
29. for there, r. thereby. p. 238. 1. 26. for/o r.
at the end of &c. p. 251. 1. 9. deje late. p.
371. 1. 4. for through, r. thought.
ESSAY
ON THE
Sche77te and ConcluEl^ &c. of Mans
Redemptio?i.
The INTRODUCTION.
IN the hiftory of the Creation we are informed,
that God in the beginning of time fpake all
things into being ; and that the whole world,
with all that is in it, was the produ6t of his almigh-
ty power. And as it is impoffible for the great
Architedl of the univerfe to be the Author of any
thing that hath the lead flaw or blemifh in it, or
that is not completely perfect in its kind j fo we
are told, that as well upon a particular review of
every day's work, as a general furvey of the whole,
he pronounced his judgment of approbation upon
all and every part of it. And God Jaw every thing
that he had made^ and behold, it was very good.
Gtn. i. 31.
But it could not be long after this great work
of the Creation had been finifhed,, and every thing
relating to it adjufted and let in order, when all was
in a manner fpoiled and. ruined : For, the very
next thing we have an account of is, that much
dilbrder and confufion was introduced into the
world i the beautiful fcene foon difappear'd, and
the face of things underwent a remarkable change
for the worfe ; infomuch that the ill effeds of it
are but too vifible even to this day.
It ill becomes us to enquire why God almighty
had not better fecured his v/orks againit the at-
B tempts
2 "The INTRODUCTION,
tempts of inferior beings, but fuffer'd them to be
abufed and defaced almoft as foon as they came out
of his hands. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. Ad;s xv. t8. And
he giveth not account of any of his matters. Job
xxxiii. 1 3. He that made was undoubtedly able to
preferve, and to baffle all the efforts of his enemies.
But if it tended to the more glorious difplay of the
divine Attributes, and was better upon the whole to
bring Good out of Evil, than to have prevented it;
the bare pofTibility of the truth of fuch a fuppofi-
tion, tho* it could not clearly be proved, ought to
make us more modeft in ourcenfures of the ways
of Providence, and filcnce our complaints againft
xkit pe rmiffion of Evil, tho* to the caufing of fo
much inconvenience as it brought along with it into
the world.
Neverthelefs, the origin of Evil is a problem,
than which there is not any that men have in all
ages exercifed their curiofity and rack'd their wits-
more about ; nor concerning which their difquifi-
tions have proved more unfuccefsful % having
tauglit us little elfe than that we ought to be con-
tent with our ignorance of fome things, and capti-
vate our reafon to the reafon of God.
And tho' I do not hereby m^eanto condemn the
endeavours of learned men to folve this difficulty,
having been made neceffary by the monftrous and
dangerous tenets to which it hath given birth ; yet
it is fomething ftrange that another quefcion, near-
ly allied to and naturally refulting from this, hath
hitherto been fo entirely overlook'd by all. A que-
ftion of fo much greater concern and importance
for us to be refolved in, as it is of greater ufe to
knov-', how any great cal.imity under which we la-
bour, is to be removed, tlian to be informed how
it happened,
L The
State of the ^ejlion, 3
The Queftion I mean is this :
Since it hath pleaCed God to permit Evil to
be introduced into the world, how long it fhall
prevail, — whether it will continue till the final
difTolution of all things, — or whether there be
not a poffibility of its being overcome fooner -,
and that mankind Ihall at length arrive atfuch a
pitch of proficiency under the gofpel difpenfa-
tion, that there fhall be no remains left of fin
or evil of any kind ; fo as that human nature,
as well as nature in general, Ihall recover the
Perfedions in which it was created ?
I muft iatreat the reader not to be furprized
at xht Jirangenefs and Jingularity of the quellioii. In
this inquifitive age a great many odd things are
ftarted, and fcarce any fubjeft efcapes the fcrutiny.
I am fenfiblc, that the general corruption which
ftill reigns in human nature — the prejudice which
men in all ages have againft their own times —
and the vulgar opinion, that the v/orld grows worfe
and worfe — mankind more degenerate — and the
feafons more unfavourable — have made men fo far
defpair of an univerfal Reformation and Recovery
from the ill confequenccs' of the Fall, that the pof-
fibiUty of it hath fcarce ever enter'd their thoughts.
And I am apprehenfive the fuppofition will b."
looked on as fuch a ftrange and extravagant para-
dox, that to oflvr anything in fupport of it, will
feem like the preaching of a new Gofpel.
The imputation of novelty, Jays a judicious au-
thor, ' is a terrible charge, amongfc thofe who
*■ can — allow of none to be right, but the received
* dodrines. Truth fcarce ever yet carried it by
* vote any where at its firft appearance. New opi-
* nions are always fufpefted, and ufially oppofcd
B 2 " without
4 Apology for its
' without any other reafon, but becaufe they are
' not ah'eady common. But truth, like gold, is
' not the lefs fo, for being newly brought out of
' the mine. 'Tis tryal and examination muft give
' it price, and not any antique fafhion : And tho'
' it be not yet current by the publick ftamp -, yet
' it may, for all that, be as old as nature, and is
' certainly not the lefs genuine.' * Scripture is a
rich and unexhauftible mine, which, no lefs than
nature, ever affords room for the difcovery of new
treafurcs : And tho' the mere affedlation of novel-
ty be jufdy culpable, and hath often led men into
dangerous errors, yet every attempt of this kind
ought not haflily to be condemn'd as fuch, becaufe
it may prove to be juft-ified by the fanction of our
Saviour Chrifi's own approbation ; who tells us,
that every f crib e which is injlrulfed wnto the kingdom
of Heaven^ is like imio a man that is an houfeholder^
which hringeth forth out of his treafure things new
/2}7d old. Mat. xiii. 52.
I lliall beg leave to offer but one finglc confide -
ration to incline the reader's candour towards the
opinion I am advancing, which is, that I think he
will find nothing in it that is any ways hurtful in itfelf,
or dangerous in its confequences ; it being meant —
not to derogate either fnjm the honour of God, of
the chrifliian Religion, or of human nature, but on
the contrary to do honour to them : And I am fa-
tisfied, tho' it Hiould not prove true, yet when it
comes to be confidered in its confequences, all good
men v/ill wifn it were fo. If this therefore be an
error, it is a well-meant, and therefore, I hope, a
pardoniible one. It is an error on the right fide ;
en the fide of charity. But I muft own withal,
tjiat it is a v<jry unfalliicnable one. It is an error in
favour
* Loik ^i epiflle dedicatory of his effiiy on human undtrfland-
^he TJfefulnefs and ^
favour of chriftianity and revealed religion j and
mifreprefents them, (if indeed it doth miir.-prefcnt
them,) by attributing /(?£> w/^f^ to them, v/hich, in
this age, I confels, is a great fmgul;'.rity.
But on the other hand, this opinion conceives no
lefs highly of human nature, the perfe6lion3 of
which, in its prefeht ftate, are greatly magnified
by a particular iett of men \ and to fuch, one v/ould
think, it could not be ftrange or difagreeable. And
yet I forefee it is likely to be difrelillied moft by
that very tribe \ becaufe, how great foever the
boafted lufficiency of their light and reafon be, they
would not ftand obliged to Jeftis Chrift for any of it.
The difculfionofthis queftion will perhaps con-
tribute fomething towards fettling the meafures of
our powers and faculties, a fubjed; which hath been
much controverted of late ; will fix the improve-
ment of them upon its true bottom, and difcover
the feveral degrees of our Itrength and weaknefs,
diilemper and cure, the lapfe and recovery of our
nature. It will give us a view not only of our own
microcofm, but likewife of the great world about
us, together with the various changes and revolu-
tions, which both of them have already futfjred, and
hereafter fhall undergo. Laftly, herein will be tra-
ced the feveral Ifeps of tiie divine fcheme, proce-
dure, andoeconomy, in contriving and accomplifh-
ing the recovery and reftoration of fallen man.
The great myilery of our Redemption indeed
contains fuch a wonderful train and fcries of wifdom
and policy •, and our faculties are fo difproportionate
to comprehend the length and breadth, depth and
height of it, that it is impoOible for us, v/ho fee
only thro' a glafs darkly, to have any other than a
narrow and imperfe(5l, dim and glimmering view
of it. And tho' our underftanclings were much
more enlarged than they are, tho' we had capicities
big enough to take in an adequate idea of it, yet
B 3 as
6. Expediency of this Enquiry.
as this great drama is at prefent but in 'the ading,
and many fcenes of it are Hill behind, many more
iperhaps than we are apt to imagine, and the plot
withal fo deeply laid in the great Counfel of God,
it were impoiTible for us at prefent wholly to unra-
vel it, and it were prefumption to pretend to it ;.
infomuch that probably it will not be fully com-
prehended by the higheft order of intelligences, till
fuch time as the whole comes to be wound up,
and this ' myjlery of God Jhall he finijhed.'' Rev. x. 17.
However, there being already fo much of it re-
vealed as is proper for us to know in this life, and
much more than Chriflians have been hitherto able
to collecSt from it, this being what the holy i^ngels
likewife make their ftudy, and defire to look intOy
(i. Pet. i. xii.) it becomes man more efpecialiy,
who is the proper, and, as far as appears to us, the
fole object of the great work of Redemption, to be
very diligent in his fearch into the divine oracles, in
order to inform, himfelf, fo far as his refearches can
carry him, of every thing relating to this great truth.
To proceed, therefore, the more methodically
and difcindliy in this enquiry, and to difcover the
extent and fulnefs, as well as nature and neceffity of
the Redemption wrought by Chrijt, it will be re-
quifite to conlider,
Firfi^ What the original ftate of man was. Second-
ly^ By what means, and how much it became alter'd
for the worfe. Thirdly^ how far the Redemption a-
fcribed to Jefus CZt//? v/illbeeffedtuai towards the re-
covery of that ftate.
This method the nature of my undertaking de-
termines me to chufe, becaufe the do6lrine of Re-
demption being founded upon the fuppofition of
yfi«?«'s Fall, wemuft firfl confiderwhat the fcrip-
tiire fhews we loll in Adam^ before we can under-
ftand what we are reilored to by Jefus Chriji.
C 11 A P-
CHAP. I.
Of the ji ate of man before the Fall -, particular^-
ly^ of the nature^ improvement^ and decay of.
maffs f erf eB ions in it-, together with a con-
jednre concerning the duration of this fate ;
whereby fome circumftances relating to the
Mofaic account of it, are cleared up a?id viji^
dicated Jrom the objeBions made againft them,
ON E of the Roman hiftorians, when he
fat down to write the hiilory of that ilkif-
trious people, confidered them as one
man •, and as fuch he points out the infancy, youth,
maturity, and old age of that ftateand nation. *
The following difcourie treats of the hiftory,
not of one people, but of the whole race of man-
kind ; and in order to prevent and remedy, as
much as may be, that diftradion and diffipation of
thought, which fo enlarged and extenfive a pro-
fpecft naturally occafions, and to relieve and ftreng-
then the eye of the mind by contraAing it, the rea-
der is here, once for all, defired to look upon the
human nature throughout this trcatife in the like
view ; that is, to confider it as one perfoii, or one
progreflive whole, wliich notv/ithllanding it has
greatly increafed and multiplied, and diitufcd itfeif
thro' an infinite number of individuals, yet origi-
nally was but one-, which as a common root or
ilock, like Nebuchadnezzar'' s tree, -f hath fprout-
ed out into innumerable branches, and fpread itfeif
into all the ends of the earth. And it is but natu-
ral to fuppofe, that there is Ibme refemblancc and
analogy between the growth and progrefs of the
fpccics in general, and that of its individuals. To
enter now upon the dcfign of this chapter.
B 4 Ther^
* L. Florus in Proo^mio, f Dan. iv.
8 State of Man
There is nothing wherein there have been wider
differences of opinion, than concerning the primi-
tive ftate of nian •, which fome have conceived fuch
extravagant and chimerical notions of, as if he had
been fometliing more than man, and placed, not
in an earthly, but heavenly, paradife ; whence it
v/as natural for them to conclude our Fall to have
been fo great, that we muft for ever defpair of a
recovery.
Others again have funk this ftate fo low, that
they allow Adam to have had no perfedlions fupe-
riour to other men •, that confequently we have
loft nothing, are not fallen or degenerated at all,
but as upright and perfect as ever -, which is flatter-
ing the diftemper, and making vis believe we are
well, and need not a phyfician, when at the fame
time we labour under all the fymptoms of difor-
der : And both ways men have been prevented
from entertaining any thoughts of the reftoration
or advancement of their natures.
In tracing, therefore, the perfections of Adam
in his ftate of innocence, we are not to regard the
reveries of Rabbins and others concerning them, on
the one hand, whereby they are extolled to fuch a
height as quite exceeds nature, and is no more cre-
dible than what fome have dreamt of his gigantic
ftature : And on the other, we are efpecially to be-
ware of the more dangerous fuggeftions oi Deijts
and Sodnians, who would fain reduce the firft man
to a level with his pofterity, and thereby deftroy
the neceflity of a Redeemer : Between both thefe
extremes I fhall endeavour to fteer the middle
courfe, and to follow nature, reafon and fcrii^ture
as my only guides.
That man was made upright^ i. e. in an exa(ft
rectitude of all his faculties, and endued with a ca-
pacity
before the Fall. g
pacity -f of knowledge and wifdom, and every other
intelledlual and moral perfedion fuitable to his flate
and nature, in an eminent degree, is what might
be imagined no man could doubt of, who believed
him formed by an Almighty hand, guided by infi-
nite wifdom and goodnefs •, whence he miift necef-
farily be endowed with all qualities perfeftive of his
nature, as well as eflential to it : 'For otherwife the
workmanlhip of God had been defeftive, which is
no lefs abfurd than impious to fuppofe. §
But fince we are moreover taught, ibat God
created man in his own image and liken efs^ Gen.
i. 26, 27, this muft greatly raife our conceptions,
and give us the nobleft idea of the original dignity
of the human nature -, it not being poflible to con-
ceive how it could be more emphatically fet forth.
For the compleating of this divine pi6i:ure a
concurrence of many lineaments muft be fuppofed
requifite -, and it argues too much narrownefs to
confine it to that one charafter of refemblance
pointed out in the context, viz. dominion over the
creatures -, efpecially as frripture hath given us fuf-
ficient intimations of other fignatures, no lefs ex-
preflive of the divine fimilitude ; it being explain'd
by St Paul to confift in a difpojition for knowledge,
and likewife in right ecufnefs and true holinefs. Col.
iii. 10. Eph. iv. 24. And, indeed, it is allowing
the words of Mofes no more than their due weight,
to underftand them in the utmoft extent the fubjeft
they are applied to is capable of, provided the idea
we ' conceive of the divine image doth not exceed
nature,
T Tf^nof (5 Ada/x) xxroi rilt xa,ra<TXivi» sx lytiuro, Wfoj Js to xvx-
CUm. AUx. Strom. Lib. VI.
5 Man was included in the charafler of 'very good, which
wKcn God pronounced, it was a. applicable to him as any other
of his works.
io Nature and Meafure
nature, nor impeach -what we are tol^, and the
event hath juftified, concerning the debafement of
it in the Fall. The perfedlions of Adam ^txt un-
doubtedly great, but ftill they were- the perfeftions
of a man •, and if we would conceive rationally of
them, they ought to be meafured according to the
meafure of a man. He was endowed with the fame
pov/er and faculties of mind, and the fame appetites
and inclinations of body with the reft of the fpecies.
He had the fame natural wants to fupply, and the
individual was to be fupported, * and the fpecies
propagated ■!■ by the fame means as at prefent.
And the employment of man, in the paradifiacal
ftate, was to have been much the fame in kind, as
it hath been ever fince. For, we are told, that the
Lord God took the man and put him into the garden
of Eden to drefs it and keep it. Gen. ii. 15. The
only difference was in the degree •, nature being then
fo kind and free in its produftions, that the culti-
vation of it was not a toil, but apleafure, of which
it might be faid. Labor ipfe Voluptas •, and which
■confifted more in pruning its luxuriances, and keep-
ing it from running into diforder, than in alTifting
its weaknefs, or repairing its decays. Farther,
Since Adam was created liable to the great offence
of eating the forbidden fruit, it is no abfurdity to
fuppofe him fubjed to leffer failings : If it was pof-
fible for him to tranfgrefs wilfully, much more fo
was it to falter in his duty through ignorance, in-
firmity, or furprize. And yet we do not find, that
he was to lofe paradife, but upon the commiffion
of that one particular tranfgreffion, to which alone
the denunciation of death likewife was confined.
Whence we may conclude, that the paradifiacal
ftate was not inconfiftent with fome failings of a lef-
fer
* Gerr.'ii. g, 16, 17, 21. f lb. 23, 24.
Of Man's Perfedficn, 1 1
lerand more venial nature. For let it be confider'd,
that all created perfection implies fome degrees,
more or lefs, of imperfeftion, there being none ab-
fblutely perfe6t but he who is infinitely fo, whofe
peculiar prerogative it is to be exempt from all im-
perfed:ion. The higheft order of Angels, even the
Seraphim that wait at the throne of God, out of a
conlcioufnefs of their defects, cover their faces in his
prefence, Ifa. vi. i . * And Eliphaz in Job pofitive-
ly fays, that He chargeth his Angels with folly, and
that the Heavens are not clean in his fight. Ch. iv.
1 8. XV. 15. Since God, therefore, if he were to
go to extremities, might mark fomething amifs,
even in the holy Angels, and Heaven itfelf is not
abfolutely pure and fpotlefs, it is no more contrary
to fcripture than reafon to fuppofe, that man might
not have been entirely faultlefs, and yet have conti-
nued in paradife, and kept his nrft eftate •, which
ftill might have been reckon' d a ftate of innocence,
notwithftanding thefe blemifhes, at leaft compara-
tively fo.
The Remonftrant Divines maintain, that our firfl:
parents in their original ftate were not exempt from
the firft motives of concupifcence, and that this
was very confiftent with the innocence of that ftate,
as they do not reckon the firft tendency of the af-
fections towards Evil to be finful : And herein they
feem to be countenanced by the Apoftle St James,
who perhaps had the firft tranfgrefllon in his eye,
when he thus defcribes the gradual formation, birth,
and product of fin. Every man is tempted, when*
he is drawn away by his own liifi, and enticed ; then
when hift hath conceived, it bringeth forth fin, and
fin, when it is finifjed, brijigeth forth death. Jam.
i. 15. Indeed, if ^^^w had not been liable to any
irregular
* Compare Col. i. 20.
12 Man*s Faculties
irregular defires, he had not been liable to fin, and
temptation would have had no efFeft upon him j
but as the event was a proof of his being obnoxious
to fin, he muft Ijave been fo likewife to all thoie
inclinations that led to it.
And that this was really the cafe feems probable
from the appointment of the Tree of Life, Gen.
ii. 9. of which if we form a judgment by the Tree
of Life mentioned in the Revelations, Ch. xxii. 2.
which is analogous and correfpondent to it, we may
perhaps be induced to think, from the variety of
fruit it bore, the conftant fupply of it, and the heal-
ing virtue of its leaves, that the defign of it was
to repair all the decays, natural and moral, both of
the outward and inward Man •, and that conftant
recourfe might be had to it for that purpofe upon
all occafions, as need required ; whereby at length
human nature had been advanced and improved
both in body and foul to fuch a degree of perfec-
tion, as to be qualified for being tranQated from a
terreftrial to a celeftial Paradife. But that this Tree
was defigned only for repairing bodily decays is
furely too low a notion of it : For as the infedtion
of the Tree of Knowledge extended to the Soul,
the fanative virtue of the Tree of Life, its oppofite,
muft have been defigned to have reached thither
likewife ; fo that the one was as falutary at leaft as
the other was mortiferous, whatever more fo ; for,
the Tree of Life feems to have been capable of con-
^ ferring Lnmortality even after eating of the Tree
^Vivi'i J /f^ftf Knowledge, Gen. iii. 22. The nature of it may
ow ?ioTM«perhaps be farther explained hereafter, when I come
rtcvM ^*^h> HQ confider its antitype, the evangelical Tree of
^i ;^'^!''''^ife, from which alone any farther light can be re-
)vt\ cf fleftedupon it.
^y<{.<i cf But whatever the nature of it was, our firft Pa-
afrci rents, we may ilippofe, growing fecure in their
r JyovKi^s^ioi, ^rC} cov^VcvvW* iio Innocence,
)crf [ItMsl H>c2i i^oO >cvc^ lo^Ha
imparted gradualy. 13
Innocence, and neglefting to improve and cultivate
their faculties, began by degrees to be impair'd in
them ; and difregarding to renew and invigorate
them by having recourfe to the Tree of Life, (which /
it is plain, from Gen. iii. 22. they never tailed of) P
they chofe rather to gratify and indulge their appe-
tites by eating of other fruit more inviting to the
eye -, which likewife proving delicious to the palate,
they gradually grew wanton in their plenty, andab-
iifed the bounty of Heaven to that degree, that
at length the Tempter found them ripe for his pur-
pofe, and was permitted to pra6life his wiles upon
them -, which yet we cannot fuppofe would have
been permiitted him, or, in cafe it had, they would
have been enabled to withftand the aflault, had they
not, previouQy to this, behaved in fome manner or
other difpleafing to God, whereby he was provo-
ked to withdraw his grace and prote6lion from
them. Thus the fuperior powers of the Soul being
impair'd by the faculties of fenfe, the plenty of
our firft Parents became a fnare to them, and an
occafion of fm ; which by the bye is an undeniable
proof of the expediency and wifdom of a Law to
lay a reftraint upon their appetites, and fhews with
how little reafon the inhibition to eat of the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil is cavill'd at.
I do not fee any ill confequences this opinion is
chargeable with •, on the contrary, the permifTioa
of the Fall feems moll capable of a folution on this
fuppofition ; for, the Attributes of God may be
better vindicated, and the great guilt and heinouf-
nefs of Adani's Tranfgrefiion is more conceivable
by fuppofing it, as is molt natural, to have been
contracted gradually, and introduced by a train of
preceding follies, levities, and flights of divine ad-
monitions.
The Reader may have obferved, that the con-
tinuance
14 Diiratioji of the
tinuance of our firft Parents in Paradife is here fup-
pofed to have been much longer than is generally
imagined j and therefore I remark in the next
place,
That the crouding of fo many things within the
compafs of one day (which is all the time allowed
by fome) looks more like fo many imaginary fcenes
or theatrical reprefentations than real tranfaftions.
' For when we read of Adam-, in the fame day that
* he was created (and that was not till God had
* made every beaft of the field) having a Garden
' planted for him, removing into it, and as we may
' well fuppofe, walking about and taking fome
' furvey of it \ receiving from God the prohibition
' of eating of the Tree of Knowledge, and there-
* upon ratifying the firft great Covenant with him:*
After that, havino; all the Creatures afTembled be-
fore him, making fome enquiry into the nature of
each kind, and impofing upon them proper names,
a work of time ! — Then ialhng into a deep fleep
' — his Wife taken out of his fide, and with fome
* formality, to be fure, received by him from the
' hand of God. When we read of all thefe things,
' I fay, we cannot but think, that fome time muft
' have been taken up in the doing of them. And
* therefore to fuppofe after this, that in the clofe
' of the fame day, the Woman wander' d from her
* Hulband, met with the Serpent, enter'd into a
' parley with him, was overcome by his inlinua-
' tions, did eat of the forbidden Fruit, did prevail
* v/ith her Hufband to do the fame, and thereupon
' perceiving themfeives naked, both did inftantly
' fall to work, and make themfeives aprons: — To
' fuppofe, that in the fame evening, God comes
' down, fummons the Criminals betore him, hears
' their excufes, decrees their punifhments, drives
' them out of Paradife, and places Cherubim to
' guard
Faradifiacal Jlate. 1 5
' guard all avenues againft tiicir return. — This is
' crouding too long a feries of bufineis into too
* Ihort a compafs of tiniej and thereby giving an
* handle to infidelity, when there is no manner of
' occafionfor it.' *
Nor does the fpace of eight or ten days, allowed
by others for yidam's continuance in Paradife, much
mend the matter. Indeed this opinion leems to be
the moft groundlefs of the two. The reafon why
the paradifiacal ftate is fuppol^ed to have been but of
one day's duration is, becaufe they who thought
fo, imagined ^dam muft not have had knowledge
of his Wife in Paradife •, either groundlefly believ-
ing it inconfiftent with that ftate of innocence, or
fuppofing he had known her, fli.; mull then have
conceived and borne ifllie in confequence of that
knowledge, and of the bieffing pronounced, be
fj-uiifid and multiply. Gen. i. 28. which IfTue would
riot then have been conceived in fin ; as we mufl:
maintain all Adam's. Chikiren were, to avoid the
confequences of the contrary opinion. But if we
allow them to have continued in Paradife for fuch
a number of days, we cannot well avoid fuppofing ^-
that they had knowledge of each other, as indeed
the antient Jews conclude they had, in obedience to
the command above-mention'd, he fruitful and mul-
tiply \ and therefore we may as well fuppofe they
continued there near feven months : And this, indeed,
^ feems to have been the cafe. Jdam knew his Wife,
and flie conceived ; but fome time before the term
of her pregnancy was fulhll'd, flie was tempted to
eat of the forbidden Fruit : And perhaps the condi-
tion fhe was in might have the more excited her -f
longing
• Siadhu/e'c hiftory of the bible. F'J. i. P. 30.
■f- Tho' IJay above, that £z'A pregnancy migl.t ha\-e contri-
buted to excite her longing to taile of the forbidden fruit ; ye; I
1 6 Durafio?i of the
longing for it ; when /he faw that the Tree was good
for food^ and that it was a dejtre to the eyes (as it is
in the margin of our bibles) and a 'Tree most desi-
rable to make one wife, (which is the full import
of the participle lon^ Gen. iii. 6.) than which what
can be a ftronger defcription of a Woman in a long-
ing condition ?
However, eat flie did : And the dreadfulnefs of
the Sentence denounced againft her, the horror of
mind excited in her by the fenfe of her guilt, and
her regret for the lofs of Paradife, threw her into
fuch a confternation as occafion'd an Abortion •, all
which caufes together muft be allowed to have been
more than fufficient to produce fuch an effed in
Eve, fince much lefs occafions every day the like
in her Daughters : And as much feems to be im-
plied in her Sentence. — / will greatly multiply thy
Sorrow, and thy Conception, Gen. iii. 1 6. / will
greatly multiply thy Conception, — That is, thou fhalt
conceive much oftner than otherwife had been ne-
cefiary, by reafon of the frequent mifcarriages to
which thou fhalt be liable. It is, therefore, natu-
ral to fuppofe, that this Sentence immediately took
place,
will not pretend to maintain, that it proceeds from any original
conftitution of nature, that pregnant Women are more fubjedl to
longings than others. I am rather inclined to believe, that in
Eve it was occafioned by the indulgence of her appetite in eating
immoderately of other Fruits ; which irregular paffion growing
upon her with her pregnancy, became daily more and more cra-
ving, till at length it was heighten'd to that degree, that fhe fell
an cafy prey to the Tempter, in tranfgreffing the limits prefcri-
bed by God.
If this account be allowed of, we here find the origin of thofe
longings which Women with child are (o liable to; which are fo
extravagantly eager and ungovernable, and likewife oftentimes fo
flrange and whimUcal, that Naturaliits are at a lofs how to account
for ihetn. What was at firR accidental to pregnancy, became by
degrees interwoven with it, and makes part of the Curfe entail'd
upon the Wom^n, having been derived down from Eve to her
Daughters, ever fmce.
State accounted for. 1 7
place, and hath continued as a part of the Woman's
Curfe ever fince.
And thus we have prolong'd the time of our firft
Parents continuance in Paradife to fuch a length as
fcems more worthy of God, as well as more a-
grceable to reafon. But we cannot extend it far-
ther, becaufe of the confequences of fuppofing E've
to have had time to bear ilTue in Paradife : Beiides,
the time here allotted is fufficient to anfvver all the
ends of their continuing there that we know of,
fince it allows a reafonable fpace for every tranfac-
tion recorded in the hiftory.
Moreover, this Hypothefis is particularly fer-
viceable for the removing of fome difficulties and
objedions which have been ftarted, and which have
their foundation merely in the confined light in
which Men have been accufl:om'd to view this mat-
ter, and the narrow limits allow'd to this important
Period.
The Author of Cbrijiianity as old as the creation
ridicules Mofes for reprefenting ' Adam as giving
' names to the Creatures as foon as he was created,
' p. 228. 2>vo. Ed — and Eve likewife, asentertain-
* ing a conference with the Serpent, even before
* confent had given any meaning to founds, ^.349.
' and feems to imagine^ that the Author of the
' book of Genefis, when he could be guilty of fuch
' an abfurd relation, muft have thought, that
' words had ideas naturally fixt to them, and not
* by confent : And asks how we can otherwife ac-
* count for this fuppofition ?*
The fuppofition that Jdam gave names to the
Creatures as foon as he was created, I prefume i';
founded upon Gen. i. 27. male and female created
he them, compared with Ch. ii. 22. whence, as it
appears trom the former text that Eve was formed
on the fame dav with Adam, and her formation in
C
•I 8 ObjeBiom anjwer'd^
the latter text being not mentioned till after the
naming of the Creatures, from a furvey of which
it appeared that there was not an help meet for Adam
to be found among them, to fupply which defedt
Eve was formed — hence, I fay, it is inferred that
Adam named the Creatures on the day he was crea-
ted. But this inference, however it may appear at
firft view, is far from being a necelTary one. That
Eve was formed on the fixth day cannot well be de-
nied becaufe Scripture fays it. After which it is
probable that God convey'd her away from y^dam
before he awoke out of his fl.eep, and for fome time
kept them in a flate of feparation, without their
knowing any thing of the being of each other. And
when he had continued them fo, long enough to
convince each of them how uncomfortable a fbate
of folitude was, God Almighty brings the creatures
before Adam to fee if he could chufe him a fuitable
Companion from among them •, but meeting here
with nothing but difappointment, to heighten the
value of the Help-mate God had provided for him,
he then and not before prefents Eve unto him ; on
which occafion, tho' the formation of £i;<?had been
juft mentioned before, yet the particular manner of
it is very properly defcribed here, where, if the
words were made to run in i\\t preterpluperfe£l tenfe,
as they very well might. And the Lord God had
caufdd a deep Jleep to fall upon Adarn^ ^c. this a-
lone would clear up both thefe texts, and fhew their
perfect confiflency with each other. And that
Eve was kept out of Adatn\ fight tor fome time
after flie was formed, is implied in the expreffion
.which tells us that God brought her unto the man,
whence it may be inferred that Ihe was abfent from
hin;} before. . Now if this account be admitted, it is
necellary to fuppofe that Adam named the creatures
on the day he was created, fince it from hence ap-
pears
On the Joregoi?7g Hypothejis, 19
pears that fcveral days might have pafTef^, before
he undertook that talk. Indeed, if that had been
the cafe, nothing hinders us from beUeving, that
it was in the power of the great Creator to have en-
dowed Man at the very inftant of his creation with
fuch a clear intuitive knowledge, and to have fur-
nifhed his mind with fo plentiful a flock of ideas ;
and likewife with the power of exprefling them,
and converfing intelligibly with others, as would
have been abundantly fufficient for this purpofe.
But there is no necefTity for fuppofing any extraor-
dinary provifion in the cafe.
It feems indeed more natural to conceive, that
Man did not at once ftart into being, having his
Mind ready furnifn'd with thefe and all other qua-
lifications and accomplifhments that are required by
Men of mature age, in the ordinary way of expe-
rience and application ; but that God in the crea-
tion of the firil Man, allowing for the peculiar cir-
cumflances he was created in, proceeded according
to the analogy of Nature cftablifhed and preferved
by him ever fince : For tho' he was not brought
into the world like an Infant, but in full maturity
of reafon, as well as bodily flrength and ftature •,
yet it is not eafy to conceive what knowledge he
could immediately have of the application of either
the one or the other. *
C 2 His
* " If we fuppofe a perfon brought into the world \vi:h both
*' thele (z'/z. underllanding and bodily flrength) in maturiiy, a;
" far as this is conceivable ; he would plainly at full be as luiqus-
*' lified for the human life of mature age, as an ideot. He would
•' be in a manner diliraded with aftonifliment and appreheifilion,
*• and curiofity and fufpenre : Nor can one guefs how long it
" would be before he would be familiarized to himfelf and the ob-
" jcdls about him, enough even to fet himfelf to any thing. It
'* may be qucllion'd too, whether the natural information of his
" fight and hearing would be of any ufe to him iu aflicg before
* experience."
Bifliop Butler's analogy of religion and nature, ire. p. 85.
20 ObjeBiom anfwer'd
His Mind did not open all at once •, but its Fa-
culties awoke, and its Capacities were enlarged by
degrees : And as the fenfes are the only inletts ot"
our ideas, his Mind was this way furnifh'd with
them, by means of its own reflex A6ls upon them.
His reafoning powers, however excellent, were
not to be brought forth, improved, and perfected
but by exercife and application, being form'd unto
knowledge^ as the Apoflle intimates. Col. iii. lo:
ei$ l7rly\(jo(r\,v i- e. unto the gradual attainment, but
not in the adual poffeflion of it. His Mind being
competently furnifh'd by this means, (which in a
ftate of maturity and perfeftion it foon might be)
God Almighty, in order to his exprefllng the con-
ceptions of it, inftrufted him in the ufe of Lan-
guage -, which, I am fatisfied, was originally the
gitt of God, * that it is not in Man by nature, and
that no Man, or number of Men, could ever have
acquired it of themfelves, otherwife than as they
had learnt it from others: For we find, that thofe
who are born deaf are likewife conftantly dumb ;
and Hiftory informs us of experiments that have
been tried on Children, by fecluding them from all
human converfe from their Infancy, in order to
find out what the Language of nature was, which
in thofe Inftances proved to have no Language at
all.
This Author is, therefore, as far miftaken in fup-
ponng Language to have been at firft inftituted by
confent, as he would perfuade us Mofes was, when
Jie makes him imagine, that words had ideas natu-
rally affix'd to them. Jdajji being competently
ilock'd with ideas, and inftrufted in Language, we
mayfuppofe, was thereupon advanced into Para-
dife : For on his being placed there, God, we are
told,
* See a late' trcatife entitled, The hnctcledge of divine things
from Reveltiiion, votfrom reafon or nature, p. 1 04.
071 the foregoz7ig Hypothejis. 2 r
told, made a Covenant with him. Now it is not
to be conceived, that God would make a Cove-
nant with him, before he could fufficiently under-
ftand the nature of it, any more than that he had
not fufficient abilities and afTiilance to perform it:
But a competent degree ot knowledge, as well as
fkill in Language, being neceffary to underftand
the terms of any Covenant, it is probable, that for
thefe purpofes fome confiderable time intervened
between Adam's Creation and advancement into
Paradife.
And this fuppofition beft agrees with the Scrip-
ture account, which informs us, that after the for-
mation of Man, the Lord God planted a Garden
eajiward in Eden, and that there^ it being firfl: pre-
pared for his reception, he pit the Man whom he
had form* d^ Gen. ii. 8. * Here it was that Adam,
by nature mortal, had the privilege of Immortality
conferr'd upon him, on performing the conditions
of it , was admitted to a more intimate intercourfe
with his Maker, and was vouchfafed the divine
afilftance for the enlightening of his Underllanding,
and maintaining the due regulation of his Will and
Atfe6tions, as far as was ncceffary for the preferva-
tion of his Innocence, and the gradual improve-
ment of his Faculties •, in which he had begun to
make confiderable proficiency, as appears from his
being endow'd v;ith the gift of Prophecy relating to
Eve and the marriage Hate, Gen. ii. 23, 24. and
likewife from this bufinefs of naming the Creatures :
C 3 For
* This fuppofition, that there was fome dillancc of time be-
tween the creation and planting of the Gaiden of Edi'?t, eafily
removes an objedlion infinuated by another writer, viz. " That
•' there was already a Tree whole fruit our unhappy Parents talt-
•' ed ; though in the famechapter, when God forbids it, 'tispo-
" fiiively faid, the plants of the held were not yet grown ; for
** God had not caufcd it to rain on the Earth."
Religio Meaici. />. 20.
22 Ohjedtiom anfwer'dy
For tho* it fhould not be granted, that this neceffa-
rily impUes an intimate knowledge of their natures,
as fome learned Men think -, yet it fhews at leaft-,
that he was not an iinattentive Obferver of their
outward qualities, to which he adapted their names,
having firft been taught the names of thofe feveral
qualities by God.
And thus this affair may be accounted for in a
natural way, and clear'd from thofe abfurdities
which this Author would fix upon it, even on his
own fuppofition, ' that the firft pair came into the
.' world in every fenfe naked, with regard to their
' minds as well as bodies.' And Eve\ conference
with the Serpent, having the fame objection made
againft it, admits of the fame vindication : But this
will come to be confider'd more particularly in an-
other place.
I now proceed to confider another of this Author's
objections, which is eafily folved on this Hypothe-
fis, tho' fcarcely on any other. The objeftion is,
* That God made unto Adam and Eve Coats of the
* fkins of Beafts newly created in pairs •,' wherein
is infinuated, that as there muft at leaft a pair of
Beafts have been flain for tlie making of thefe
Coats, one whole Species would be therein de-
ftroy'd and loft, almoft as foon as made, unlefs
God fupplied this lofs by a fecond Creation of them,
Nov/, fuppofing there was but one pair of a kind
made, as very probably was the cafe, with all as
well as the human race •, yet there are feveral Spe-
cies of Animals that might have propagated and
fupplied their kind, from the Creation to the fup-
pofcd time of our firft Parents expulfion out of Pa-
radife. To inftance in the Sheep, whofe fkins v/ere
the rnoft likely to be made ufe of, as being the
v/armeft, and in that refped: the moft fuitable for
cloathing of any other ^ this likewife being the
Creature
0?2 the foregoing Hypofbe/is, -^ j
Creature moil ufually {lain in Sacrifice, as probably
the Beails here mentioned were flain for th.:t piir-
pofe in atonement of our firft Parents Sin. Now
this Animal, which goes not c^\\ttfive months with
young, might, within the above fuppofed period,
have brought forth twins, as it frequently doth, and
fuckled them likewife till they were fit to be wean'd •,
after which the original pair might have been flain
for the purpofes above mention'd.
It is time now to proceed to a conclufion of this
charafler of Man in his firft eftate : He was upright,
but liable to fall -, and tho' made in the divine Image
and Similitude, yet we mufb allow, that the Copy
fell infinitely fhort of the Original ; and therefore
might well admit of the Hmitations and imperfec-
tions, to which, according to the above fuppofition,
and the neceffary laws of Creatures, it was liable.
Man even in his prefent fallen ftate is call'd the
Image of God^ i Cor. xi. 7. and is faid to be made
in his Similitude^ James iii. 9. tho' much defaced,
yet ftill retaining fome of the divine hneaments ; as
an abufed Pifture is ftill the Pidlure of the Perfon
it was drawn for, as long as the principal lines and
features of his Face may be traced in it.
But to fuppofe, with a late Writer, * that Man-
kind at prefent retains the divine Image in as emi-
nent a degree as our firfl Parents before the Fall,
and that our prefent powers to difcharge our duty
are equal to his original powers and perfections, is
an injurious reprefentation of the divine workman-
fhip in the original formation of Man, and con-
trary to his difpenfations ever fince, and may be
proved to be fo from his own princi[")les.
' For if every Man's powers are proportion'd to
' the duty requir'd of him,' as he himfelf allows
and argues in his fuppkvicnt^ §. 4 i tlien yldam^s
C 4 powar
• Ta;jlory in his fcripturc-dodlrine of Oi iginal Sin./. 1 68. & Stqq.
24 Original Excellence
powers muft have been fuperior to thofe of his poC-
terity -, becaufe, to ufe his own expreflion, ib. p.
125. ' Jdam in his innocent ftate was under the
' rigour of Law, which, as this Author conceives,
• promifed neither aid againft temptation, nor par-
* don when he was overcome by it.' The firft
Covenant made with him was eftabhlh'd upon
terms of perfect unfmning Obedience •, this do and
hve, tranfgrefs and die : ' Notwithftanding, Jdam
' had fufficient powers to do what God herein re-
' quired of him, and he required of him no more
' than what he had fufficient power to do,' p. 64.
But I fuppofe he will not fay, that Mankind now
have fufficient powers to fulfil the terms of fuch a
Covenant ; tho' it is not to be doubted, but that
they have fufficient at prcfent for what is at prefcnt
required of them : It is likewife very evident, that
Jdajn's powers v/cre greatly impair'd by the Fall,
and that he communicated the fame feeble nature
to his pofterity ; becaufe for this very reafon it was,
'VIZ. in pure condefcenfion to his and their weak-
nefs and inability, that God was pleafed to make
another Covenant with them upon eafier terms, and
fuch as were more adequate to this their degenerate
ftate.
If it be faid, that the Jews were placed under a
Law equally rigorous with that at firfl: given to
Admn^ even the fame Law renew'd, tho' their pow-
ers to perform it were not greater than thofe of
other people — To this it may be anfwer'd, that
therefore, as none of them ever livedo ever were
favcd by it, fo neither was it intended for that pur-
pofe i but only to convince them of this their ina-
bility, and of the difference between the two Cove- '
nants •, and fo to ferve as a Schcolmajler to bring
them to Chriji : And it was only in virtue of the fe-
jfond Covenant in his blood (to which the Law had
refpe(fc
of Man "oindieaUd. 25
refpeft as well as to the firft Covenant, and which
was typified by the Law) that they were to cxped
falvation.
Adam^ therefore, was an imperfeft Image of his
Maker j his Sons much more fo : Would we fee a
perfedl and exad refemblance of HIM ? we have
it in his only begotten Son : He^ and, He alone is
the exprefs image of his Perfon^ Heb. i. 3. tor in h:m
dwelkth all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily^ Col.
ii. 9.
As poflibly the trueft knowledge gf the attnbutes
of God may be colle6ted and inferr'd from the life
and charader of our Saviour, fo the fame divine
clue may, perhaps, be the bell help to lead us toi?
and illuftrate the original ftate of Man, and enable
us to form a right idea of the perfeftion which he
was capable of attaining, had he continued in his
Innocence.
And this feems to be not obfcurely hinted in
Scripture, where Adam is faid to be the figure or
type of him- that was to come, Rom. v. 14; and
iCor. XV. 45. they are exprefly call'd the firft and
laft Adam. Whence may be inferr'd, — not that
they were both endow'd with equal perfections —
far from it •, for the type is ever inferior to the an-
titype— but that the Man, Chrift Jefus, having
fuccefsfuUy undergone the probation, and pertorm'd
that perfeft obedience, which it was the capital
crime of the other to have fail'd in, has thereby ex-
hibited and characterized the attainments which hu-
man nature was capable of, had it, in the perfon
of Adam^ gone thro' its tryal with equal fuccefs,
and proceeded from ftrength to ftrength, fti 11 im-
proving in virtue during the v/holeterm ot his con-
tinuance in the terrcftrial Paradife, till at length he
fnould be received into a cclcftial on/ \ which
>vould be as foon as he ihould render hunfcif qua-
lified
26 Happinefs cf the primitive State.
lified for it. This gradual proficiency towards
perfeftion, and a tranflation to a heavenly Immorta-
lity, as a reward of it, is by Bifhop Bull fhewn to
have been the catholic doftrine of the primitive
Church, by numerous citations out of the antient
Fathers in proof of this truth. *
So happy was Man in his firft Eftate, could he
but have kept it ! created in perfeft innocence and
purity of Mind, with a juft harmony and regularity
of all his Faculties j made Head and Lord of a
World, in which every thing was very good ;
wherein there was no Evil of any kind, natural or
43ioral, and where no Evil could enter but through
his own fault — ^v/here all things were form'd to
give him delight, and nothing to grieve or incom-
mode him ; enjoying a full flow of health and
vigour, the air pure and ferene, the feafons tempe-
rate and regular, and the earth pleafant, whole-
fome and fruitful -, in the moft delightful fpot of
which he was placed by his Maker, where nothing
was wanting to complete his Happinefs.
Nor was this felicity intended for the firft happy
Pair only : It was to be continued and perpetuated
to their pofterity, who after innumerable ages and
fuccelTions, were, in their courfes, fooner or later,
in proportion to the quicknefs of their growth to
Perfedlion, to be taken up to a heavenly Paradife,
of which the earthly was but a Type.
This is what I thought proper, in profecutioh of
my principal defign, to obferve on the ftate of Man
before the Fall. I now proceed to confider the Fall
itfelf and its confequences.
C H A P.
* See Bifhop 5.v//'s State of Man before the Fall,
27
CHAP. II.
Of the Fall, the Coiifequences, and Fermtjjion
of it : JVherei?i the principal dificulties re-
latifig to thcfe fubjeSls are attempted to he re-
moved.
GREAT pains have been taken to expofethe
account given by Mofes of the Fall of our
firft Parents. As the Hiftoiy is fliort, it is
not without its difficulties, for the folving of which
Jeveral methods have been offered by learned men.
That which feems the moll fatisfaftory and unex-
ceptionable, and beft to anfwer the defign of the
whole, is as follows :
God almighty, as we have ground to believe
from feveral circumftances of this Story, had vouch-
fafed to our firft Parents in Paradife frequent mani-
feftations of his Glory, wherein he was attended
with a retinue of Angels, which always made a part
of the divine Shecinah. Of thefe Angels there were
principally two orders. Cherubim and Seraphim j
which, as we learn from other places of Scripture,
appear'd in the forms of certain Animals ; the Che-
rubim with faces rcfembling thofe of Oxen, as is in-
ferred frorn Ezek. i. lo. x. 14. compared ; the Se-
raphim affuming the likenefs of the moft eminent
fort of winged ferpents. That there were ferpents
of this kind we are informed both by facred * and
profane authors : But before they were degraded
from their original excellence by the curfe inflicted
upon them, they may well be fuppofed Co have
been, both for their outward luftre, and inward fa-
gacity, not. only greatly fuperior to what they are
at
* See Jftj. xiv. 29. xxx. 6.
28 7he Fall of Man
at prefent, but perhaps the chief and tlie moft glo-
rious of the whole brute Creation, and therefore the
more proper Symbol for the celeftial Inhabitants to
exhibit themfelves by.
Accordingly the fame name is common to both -,
the word ^"^E^, in the plural number DS^IJ'^ being
iifed in Scripture to denote, as well a fiery flying
Serpent, i. e. fhining like Fire when he flies, as an
Angel of this order. *
As thefe, the Seraphim efpecially, * were all mi-
nifiering Spirits fent forth to minifier for the Heirs
of Salvation. Heb. i. 14. they probably were often
difpatch'd on that errand to our firfl Parents in
Paradffe, and Eve might have frequently held fa-
miliar converfe with them under the fore-mention-
ed appearances.
The apoftate Angel perceiving this, the better
to cover his deceit, enters the body of one of thefe
Serpents. Indeed the name which the Serpent is
call'd by in Gen. iii. is not T16^', but l^'HJ f ; which
however is fynonymous with it, as appears from
Numb. xxi. 8, 9, where they are convertibly ufed
for each other. It is therefore mofl probable, that
it was a Serpent of this very kind which Satan made
life of, the natural fubtilty of this Creature difpof-
ing him to be the fitter Inftrument for his defign ;
and thus perfonating one of the glorious Seraphim.^
he transforms himfelf into an Angel of Light -, wiiich
the Scripture exprefsly alfures us he could do.
2 Cor. xi. 14. and therefore probably did do it on
this occafion, as we know not any more hkely.
And the context, if confider'd, will confirm us in
this perfuafion. For St Paul is here cautioning the
Corinthians againfl the fedu6lion of falfe Jpojlles,
deceitful
• See Archbifitep Tnirifon^ difcouiTe on idolatty, Ch. xjv.
■f In the tfelfh tranflation it is renda'd by Sarpk, which is
maniieilly a conuadlion o{ Saraph.
accounted for. 2.0
deceitful Worh&rs^ fransformhig themfehes into the
Apoftles of Chriit. Ayid no marvel^ fays he, for
Satan himfelf is transformed into an Angel of Light,
therefore it is no great things if his Minifters alfa
he transformed as the Minijlers of Righteoufnefs.
And thele tlilte Teachers he in die 3d verl'e of
tliis Chapter compares to the Serpent beguiling Eve
thro' his fubtilty ; fo that if the one part of the
context be explained by the other, this was tlie oc-
cafion, at leaft the principal one, on which Satan
is faid to have transformed himfelf into an Angel
of Light. V. 14.
Hence it is eafy to conceive how Eve might en-
tertain famihar difcourfe with the Serpent without
the leaft furprize or fufpicion of deceit, as fhe
might take him for a Seraph come, as ufual, on a
friendly vifit to her.
And we may be fure he on his part was not
vl^anting to confirm her in this perfuafion, pretend-
ing, we may fuppofe, a commifTion from God to
explain the command relating to the Tree of Know-
ledge. And therefore he thus accofts her. Tea,
hath Gou faid, ye fhall not eat of every Trse of the
Garden? Gen. iii. i. q. d.. ' How is it that you
underitand this matter ? Do you apprehend, that
God means to lay any reftraint upon your Liber-
ty, or that he forbids you the ufe of one Tree of
the Garden any more than another ?' , We are
fenfible, fays Eve, that we are allow'd the privi-
lege of eating freely of all the Trees of the Garden,
That one only excepted, which grows here in the
midft of it, and which he hath peremptorily for-
bidden us ib mu(*h as to touch, under the denun-
ciation of Death, if we tranfgrefs. — ' Now that
is your miftake, replies the D<ceiver : ' You
mull have been under fome great mifapprehenfion
concerning this matter ; Yuur redon was but be-
' ginuing
30 'the Fall of Man
«• ginning to dawn, when you imagined God gave
' you this command, whereby perhaps you were
< not fully capable of underflanding him. Be that
< as it will, there is no fuch penalty annexed as you
< imagine : I'ake my word for it you fhall not die.
« God never intended to prohibit the eating of this
' Fruit of all others : For is not this the Tree of
' Knowledge ? Whence you may conclude from
* the nature of it, that God defigns it for your ufe,
< who is too good, and too well knows the virtue of
* it, to reftrain you from it. For this is fo furpriz-
' ingly great and efficacious, that it will enlighten
« your underilanding to that degree, as to raife you
« to an equality in a manner wjth God himfelf, in
< the Knowledge of Good and Evil.'
By this impudent and fpecious Lye was the cre-
dulity of our Parent Eve impofed upon •, whence
we fee how juft that charadter is which our Saviour
gives us of the grand Deceiver. Jo. viii. 44. T'hat
there is no Truth in him^ but that he is a Lyar ayid
the Father of Lyes. And from hence, by the way,
it appears, if we may be allowed to interpret Scrip-
ture by Scripture, that the Devil was principally
concerned in this affair, and made ufe of the Ser-
pent as his inftrument -, for he is here called not on-
ly a Lyar, but a Murderer from the beginning \ and
in Rev.^ii. 9. xx. 2. the Dragon., that old Serpent ^
is exprefsly called and faid to be the Devil and Sa-
tan. To return.
This plaufible (lory of the pretended virtue of
the Tree, to which her own longing defire, exciteci
by the fairnefs of its fruit, incHn'd her to lend a will-'
ing ear, prevailed at length upon Eve to try the
experiment. And her great crime confided in this
— In believing any creature., how great or holy fo-
ever floe might think him to be., contrary to the ex-
p-efe
Accounted for and illufirated. 3 1
prefs command of God himfelf. Tho' a real Angel
from Heaven had told her any thing that contradidted
divine Authority, her own natural Reaibn, as well
as Religion fhould have dictated to her, with St
Paul^ Gal. i. 8. to pronounce him accurfed, and
to deteft him accordingly.
A learned Friend hath fuggefted to me another
cafe in Scripture parallel to tiiat of Ez-e^ which will
afford, a lively illuilration of her Tranfgreflion.
The cafe is that of the man of God, who was fent
to prophefy againft the Altar at Bethel, i Kings xiii.
and who was peremptorily charged by God neither
to cat nor drink at Beihel^ when he executed his
commiflion there : And this he had fo flrid: a re-
gard to, that he declined Jeroboam^ invitation to
refrefli himfelf at his houfe, tho' back'd with tlie
promife of a confiderable reward. If thou ivilt give
pte half thine houfe^ fays he to him, I zvill not go in
'with thee., neither will I eat bread nor drink water
in this place. For fo it was charged me by the
word of the Lord, faying^ Eat no bread, nor
drink water, nor turn again by the fame way that
thou cameji. v. 8, 9. Ncverthelefs, after he had
withftood tliis temptation, and fet out from the
place on his journey homewards, an old Prophet
pretending orders from an Angel to bring him back
to his houfe, and to make him eat and drink, pre-
vailed with him to return merely by this Itratagem ;
for he could have no profpc(5l of being entertained
or rewarded by him as well as he might have been
by Jeroboam. And this finful compliance he ato-
ned for with his life. — llad he afted as he ought
to have done herein, having received the command
from God, he fliould not have looked upon him-
felf as difcharged from it by any Autliority inferior
to that which enjoyn'd it. And thus ought Eve to
have reafon'd with herfelf likcv/ife. But the one
iiilen'd
32 The Conjequences of
liften'd to the fuggeftions of the old Serpent per-
fonating one of the holy Angels, and the other to
an old Prophet pretending a commiflion from an
Angel ; wherein the Text exprefsly fays^ he lyed
unto him v. i8. as the Devil his Father had done
before him in the former cafe. And as both the
one and the other yielded to thefe wicked fuggefti-
ons to gratify their appeties in dire6l contradi6lion
to the pofitive command of God, they were both
involved in the Urnie condemnation, and Death was
the wages of the Sin of both the one and the other.
Having obferved thus much concerning the Fall,
the Confequences of it prefent themfelves next to
our confideradon.
A late Author, in a Treatife * concerning this
fubjecl, feems to wifh ' that the do(ftrine of origi-
' nal Sin might be accounted for, in a manner con-
* fiftent with the divine Attributes, by the original
* law of Propagation only, without the fuppofition
' of a federal Head i' which he has recourfe to be-
caufe he thought it could not be accounted for in
the former way ; but fuppofing it could, he plain-
ly enough intimates his opinion, that it would be
the moft eligible and fatisfaftory of all others.
This is what the Reader will here find attempted ;
which if it lliould be attended with fuccefs, will
ferve to clear this dodlrine from the odious and
terrible confequences charged upon it by the above-
mentioned Author's -f- Adverfary, and might be
the happy means of reconciling all differences in o-
pinion concerning this dilEcult and long controvert-
ed point.
The plain account of tlie effedls of our firft Pa-
rents Tranfgreflion is this — that thereby thty loffc
their native Innocence and Integrity — were degrad-
ed
* Ruin and Recovery of Mankind, p. loi.
-f- Taylor's, Scrip. ure Dodrine of original Sin.
Adam* J T*ranfgreJjion. 33
cd from their happy fituation in Paradife — forfeit-
ed the favour of God, and their title to the Tree of
Life and Immortahty — and render'd themfelves ob-
noxious to miferies and evils of feveral kinds. The
Woman was condemn'd to a muItipHcity of forrows
in her pregnancy and delivery •, the Man to labour
and drudgery ; and both of them to Death) tempo-
ral, fpiritual, and eternal.
Moreover, the wife Creator^ in the original con-
ftitution of things, had eftablifhed fuch a necelTary
connexion between the feveral parts of the creation
and each other, that when the harmony which fub-
fifted throughout was broke but in one part, the
whole was thrown into difcord and diforder. Thus
the natural and moral world were fo interwoven to-
gether, that no change could be made in the one,
but the other Iliared its fate, and moral Evil being;
introduced into the world, drew after it a train of
natural Evils likewife. I'he ivhole Creation, at St
Prtz^/ teftines, Rom. viii. 20. was fubjected to the
fad effefts of Adani's fin. That the brute part of it
was afteded thereby, is implied in the Serpent's
Curfe -, Curfed are thou above all cattle, and above
every beaji of the field, G^n. iii. 14. Whence it is
evident, that his fellow-brutes were in fome mea-
fure involved in his fentence, and accurfed for his
fake •, that as he, from being the head of them, was
degraded to the lowed degree of infamy, and the
vileft condition of all others ; fo they in like manner
greatly degenerated from their firft ftate, and par-
ticularly feem to have loll their original mildnefs,
and to have contracted a favagenefs, which at lirll
was not natural to them •, whereby Man incurr'd
another lofs, viz. his fovireignty over the Creatures.
The brute creation being joyn'd in the fame
fyftem with Man, muft neceifarily, in virtue of the
La-iv of connexion above-mention'd, be in fome de-
D sree
34 Dodhine of original Sin
gree obnoxious to the inconveniencies of his fate ;
but. as they had no proper demerit of their own, fo
tne curfe feems to have fallen the lighter upon
them, being obferved to aft more agreeably to
their natures, and more regularly to anfwer the
End of their creation.
Nor was even the inanimate world fo infenfible,
as not to fympathize in the general difafter ; for it
groaneth and travaileih in fain together until now^
Rom. viii. 22. The very Ground was laid under
a Curfe for the fake of Man •, its former Fertility
was greatly impair'd, the temperature of the Air
was changed ; the Seafons became irregular, and
the Weather unfavourable -, and the Vv'holc face of
Nature was very much alter'd for the worfe.
Nor did the Evil flop here. The contagion
fpread and infetled poflerity ; and the whole race
of Mankind, which were then in the loyns of their
common parent, partook more or lefs of his Sin,
both in the corruption and guilt of it. Nor ought
it to be fo niuch wonder'd at, notwithftanding it
is by fome thought fo great a difficulty, that his
own flefn and blood, who fprang from his loyns,
and derived their being and nature from him, fhould
with that nature receive the corruption which was
infeparable from it, when the other parts of the
Creation, that did not bear fo near a relation to him,
were fo remarkably affected thereby. When Adant's
Sin was the caufe of fo much natural Evil, can it
be fuppofed that this Sin was attended with no ill
confequences of the moral kind — of the fame kind
with itfelf ? Why therefore fliould it be thought
incredible, that moral Evil fhould beget and pro-
pagate moral Evil, when it is allow'd, natural Evil
vv'as begot by it ? Indeed it could not be in the na-
ture of things, that a fountain fo polluted fhould
fend forth pure ftreams, or that fo corrupt a tree
fhould
explained and 'viftdicated. 3 5
fKould bear any other than corrupt fruit : For who
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one.
Job xiv. 4.
But it is thought to bear hard upon the divine
Attributes, that Adam\ crime fhould be imputed
to his innocent Children yet unborn, and that his
lateft pofterity muft be loaded with the guilt, as
well as depravity of it: In juftilication of which
appointment, let it be confider'd,
I. That as Adam's, Children could receive no
other nature from him but fuch as he had to com-
municate, viz. a corrupt one ; fo it is a Law re-
fultino; from the immutable relations of thing;s.
That every degree of depravity, every the leaf devi-
ation from Right and Good, fhould he attended with
proportionable degrees of inconvenience to the Subje5i
in which it fhould be found : Guilt *, or obnoxiouf-
nefs to fuffering, or, if you pleafe, punifhment, is
included in the very notion of it ; for all fuffering
is, either immediately or remotely, the puniHimenc
of Sin. In a word, moral Evil muft have phyfical
Evil infeparably annexed to it : Whence it follows,
that all who partake of Adam's, corrupt nature,
muft fo far forth partake of his Sin, and ftand guil-
ty in the fight of God ; fo that it is begging the
queftion to fuppofe them innocent, -f
2. With regard to the propagation of this origi-
nal Sin through a fuccellion of fo many generations
D 2 to
* See an EfTay on the guilt and defilement of fin, annex'd tea
treatife entitled, Ihe ruin and recovery of mankind, where the na-
ture of guilt is well explain'd.
f Milton underltood the force of this argument, when he re-
prcfents Adam as ufing it by wry of lelf-condemnation in thele
words.
Ah ! zchy fhculd all mankind
For one tnan's fault thus guilt lefi be ccndemrid?
//"guiltlefs ; But from me what can proceca.
But all Qori\.\^x 1 Paradii'c loft, B. xo.F. 122.
36 DoBrine of original Sin
to the prefent time, let it be confider'd, that this
is not altogether to be imputed to Jdam ; but that
every one of our intermediate parents had a fhare
in it. For he could transfer it only to his imme-
diate offspring •, they to theirs -, and fo on — each
of whom had it in his power either to increafe or
diminifh the corruption he received from his im-
mediate Parents. And if every Parent from Jdam
down to this prefent time, had ufed all the means
in his power, and made due application of every
portion of Grace offer'd him for that purpofe, in
order to the purifying of his nature, I cannot con-
ceive that the original ftain was fo very deep, that
it might not in fo many generations have been
wafh'd off fo entirely by the blood of theRedeemer,
that there had not been the lead remainder of it lett.
The firft Sin confider'd in its confequences, was
undoubtedly very great and heinous. And its
heinoufncfs feems to have been aggravated by this
' — That it was the Jirjl, and gave birth to all other
Sin and Evil : For it is obfervable, that God hath
always expreffed his. indignation in a more fevere
and extraordinary manner againft the firft inftances
of notorious and prefumptiious Sins, than againft
any fucceeding commiffions of them •, as in Cain,
Corahy Ananias and Sapphira, and Simon Magus,
A nd hence likewife, the Sin of Adam being the firft
Sin of all, might become fo much the more exceed-
ing Jinf id -, infomuch, that not only Mankind, but
all nature underwent a confiderable change for the
"worfe on account of it ; but more efpecially as God
Almighty immediately hereupon was obliged to
change the fcheme of his condu6t towards Mankind,
in entering into a new Covenant with them of a
quite different nature from the former, and fending
his only begotten Son to feal it with his blood. This
was fo important a change, that nothing but tiic
utmoll
explained and ijlndicatcd. 3 7
iitmoft necefTity could be the Caiife of it. And if
Adam\ Sin were confidered in this view, I am ptr-
iiiaded it could not, as it too often is, be fo Hght-
ly efteemed.
On the other hand, if we confider the ^61 itfelf
abftrafted from every thing but what was perfonal
to Adam, it were eafy to recount feveral extenuat-
ing circumftances with which it was attended, even
in the view above given of it. And in this refpeit,
I am apt to think, there- have been as great, not
to fay, greater offences fince committed in the
world ; and fuch as, perhaps, convey 'd no lefs cor-
ruption to the poilerity of thofe who committed
them. One I will venture to name, z'iz. the Sin
againft the Holy Ghoft, which, as well as Adam's
Sin, ftill too powerfully reigns in the Defcendants
of thofe who were guilty of it. For, that the Sin
of Adam, notwithftanding the fad effe6ts of it, was
an unpardonable Sin, hath not been maintain'd by
any that I know of,unlefs by fome Hereticks of old;
and it is fcarce to be doubted, but that he repent-
ed, and was actually pardoned for it. So thinks
the Author of the book o^ IVifdom, 'That fie (\N\{-
dom) preferved the Jirji form'' d Father of the '•jjcrld
that was created alone, and brought him out of his ■
Fall, Chap. x. i . And Iren^us declares no lefs ex-
preQy for the fame * opinion, in oppofition to the
trror of Tatian concerning the Damnation o'i yldam.
Now if the Sin of Adar.i was mt in it felf fo very
heinous, it admitted of the eafier cure ; nor had it
at this day reignM fo much, if at all, in our natural
bodies, had every one done his part towards the cor-
recting and eradicating of it. I'he increafe of wick-
ednefs that hath been in the world, hath greatly en-
hanced the corruption derived from the firft Sin,
D 3 which
* Adam prior f ah aiur a Dor.hio, Lib. 3. Cap, 34. vide etiam
Capp- 35' 37-
38 DoBrine of original Sin
which hath contra6ted much additional filth from
the polluted channels through which it hath palTed.
This is evident from the greater prevalence of this
depravity of nature which appears in fome Perfons,
and fome ages and parts of the world, than in
others •, and is generally to be afcribed to this caufe,
viz. to the wickednefs of their proximate parents,
or of a whole line of profligate Anceftors •, while
others defcended from virtuous Progenitors, in-
herit their excellent qualities, and difcover the hap-
pinefs of their birth in their good nature *. That
we have any depravity in our nature, we owe to
our firft Parents, as the Introducers of it •, that each
of us hath precifely fo much, neither more nor lefs,
to lament, we owe to all our other Progenitors in
conjunftion with them, each in proportion to what
he contributed to it, or fuhftracSled from it ; but
chiefly to our more immediate Parents. But, that
original Sin is invariably the fame in all, is an idle
dream of the Schoolmen^ without foundation in Na-
ture, Scripture, or Reafon. When therefore what
we call by this name is divided between fo many,
there will but little fall upon Adam^ and the lefs,
the more removes we are from him j but none at
all can be charged to God's account. For,
3. The confideration of his Attributes will not
fuffer us to think that any Man was ever damned
merely for original Sin, otherwife than as he made
it his own, by his own aft and deed, i. <?. by a vir-
tual approbation of it, ratifying it to himfelf, and
confirming himfelf in it by his actual tranfgreflions
unrepented of. For thus he in effedt figns and
feals it, as he would a Deed in Law ; whereby he
becomes mofl: jufi:ly liable to the penalties of it
himfelf ; and moreover conveys it down entire, or
perhaps
* See Bcilgufs. fecond letter to a Deifl:, /. 18. where he rea-
fons well to tins purpole.
explain V and vindicated. 3 9
perhaps double to his pofterity, if he has any. As
for all others from the beginning of the world,
who either died in their infancy, before they came
to the knowledge of Good and Evil, or who be-
coming moral Agents, lived up to the light and
knowledge they had of their Duty, and in their
feveral circumftances made the befl ufe of the helps
they had to become wifer and better ; of all fuch, m.
I think, there ought no doubt to be made, but that /j/L
they obtain Salvation through the Merits of the ^fj/
Mediator. For as the promife of a Redeemer was
made immediately after the Fall, even before the
fentence of condemnation was pafs'd upon our firft
Parents, the virtue of our Saviour's death com-
menced immediately then, and became appHcable
to all who have, or fhall have lived from that time
to the end of the world ; as well by way of retro-
fpe6t or anticipation to thole who lived before it
happen'd, as to thofe who were, or fhall be born
afterwards, and that without refpecSt of perfons.
For as the promife was made to Adam^ all his Sons
have an equal title to it, provided they be duly
qualified to partake of the benefits of it, Jefus
Chrijl being the fame, yejierday, to day, and for
ever, Heb. xiii. 8. *
Infhort, if we confider Man in his n.^tural ftate
after the Fall, his condition is moft deplorable :
We are all Children of wrath under the fentence of
condemnation, and there cannot be too melancholy
a pi(5ture drawn of us. But then this is a ftate
which never actually fubfifled any otherwife than as ^
Men by their own fault relapfcd into it, converting, /J/i
if I may fo fay, original, into a6tual Sin ; fmce our •^
blefled Saviour, to ufe the words of the Author of
the Scripture do^rine of original Sin, immediately
D 4 upon
* See Rom. iii. 25. Hcb, ix. 15, 25, &c. and Grot, de Satif-
f act tone, Cap. 5.
40 Do5frine of original Sin
upon Adam's tranfgreflion, ' ftept in and caught up
' his falHng,' or rather fallen, ' Creature in his
' arms,' and provided a remedy for original as well
as aftual Sin, ready to be applied to all proper ob-
je6ls, as their needs required, and before it was
pofTible for any one to be a Sufferer by it.
Add to this, that original Sin is not invincible in
any one -, for the Grace of God is fufficient for us
all, in order to overcome all our Sins whatfoever ;
nor does he deny his Grace to any that render
themfelves fit objeds of it.
Mr 2". indeed obje6ls againft this docflrine, as
fome have taught it in quite too rigid a fenfe,
' -fThat according to that fcheme, a corrupt Na-
' ture will, to the end of the world, remain in
' every Man fo long as he liveth , and confequent-
' ly, that the reformation of Mankind muft be im-
' practicable with regard to the impure fpring of
' all wickednefs — that Men are in no capacity of
' ufmg the means of amendment, and therefore
' under no obligation to attempt the reformation of
* the world — And that no Man, except Adam, is
* blameable for the wickednefs that is in it, as it
' proceeds from a caufe which we cannot, and God
* will not, totally remove in this life.' But no
part of this objeftion lies againft this do6lrine, ac-
cording to the account here given of it, which quite
contrary to what is obje6led, fuppofes no fuch in-
vincible corruption of nature, but that the reforma-
tion of Mankind is in every refpeft pradlicable — ■
That every other Man, as well as Adam, is ac-
countable for the wickednefs that is in the world —
that it proceeds from a caufe that v/e can, and, as I
fhall prove, with the divine affiftance, ftiall totally
remove in this life •, and therefore that we are not
only obliged, but moreover greatly encourage*d, to
attempt the reformation of the world. If
-f- T'i^-r/Vs Scripture Dodlrine, p. 167.
explained and vindicated. 41
If the DoiSlrine of original Sin be confiderW in
this hght, it is to be hoped its Adverfaries will be
better reconciled to it ; and that it will not feem
fuch a frightful Bug-bear, as the above Author is
pleafed to call it, that they need be lb feared at it,
as to run almoft out of Chrifiendom to avoid it •, as
fome may be faid to have done, by finking their
Chriftianity fo low, as to be but a degree above
Deifm. For it appears to be no more than the natu-
ral confequence of Jdanfs TranfgrefTion, refulting
from an eilablifli'd Law of propagation ; and even
this is prevented and removed as far as the nature
of it doth admit, and as is confident with the wif-
dom of God's Government.
If it be afk'd what evidence we have of this
Law of propagation, whereby a moral taint is de-
rived from Adam to his pofterity ?— I anfwer, it
appears in many fimilar cafes to be fo in fa(5l. For
every Man's obfervation may inform him, that
there are hereditary diflempers of Mind as well as
Body, reigning in certain Families, being too
faithfully convey'd down from Parents to Chil-
dren in a long line of ir.r.ny Generations. How
this Taint is communicated to the Soul, we cannot
pretend to fay, becaufe we are utterly unacquaint-
ed with the Laws of union of Soul and Body, o-
the'rwife than as we may judge of them from theii*
effeds : Whence it appears, that the Soul, in in-
numerable inftances, is greatly affected by the ha-
bit of the Body.— Nor will the confequences hold
thus in oppofition to fad, which Mr 'T. draws
from the confideration, that God is the Author of
our natures •, befides, that He is not foin the man-
ner that he was of Adam's, which came immedi-
ately, and therefore purely out of his hands : But
He is the Author of our natures only mediately
and derivatively from our Parents, whofe inftru-
mcntality
4-2 PermiJJton of Evil
mentality he iifes for this purpofe, and of whofe
natures we partake ; which makes a great differ-
ence between both cafes ; fo that no argument can
be drawn from the one to the other.
BUT all that can be faid in juftification of the
divine Attributes with regard to the confequences
of the Fall, will fignify little if the Fall itfelf is
not to be juftified. The Permiffion of Evil, is
that wherein the great (Irength of Atheifts and In-
fidels lies, nor Ihall the unfuccefsfulnefs of former
attempts difcourage my endeavours to deprive
them of it. The objedlion which hath been pufh'd
with much acutenefs and fubtility may be dated in
few words thus, * ' Since God forefaw, that Man
' would fin, how was it confiftent with ideal Good-
' nefs not to prevent it -, when, for that purpofe,
' it was in his power, either to have over-ruled his
' liberty -, or elfe, without prejudice to it, to have
' afforded him fuch afTiftances, as muft have ef-
' fed:ually preferved him in his Innocence ?
In anfwer to this, let it be confider'd, that it is
the nature of Creatures to be dependent — that de-
pendency implies need of fupport — that in the
vouchfafement of this fupport, the divine conducft
regulates itfelf by certain Rules and Laws founded
on the Natures and Relations of things, and ad-
julled according to the utmoil exa<5lnefs— That
thefe Laws are inviolable ; becaufe the violating of
them upon any account, would argue fuch weak-
nefs and variablenefs as is unworthy of the divine
Being, and would be violating the Reafons and
Natures of things— That one of thefe laws is, to
govern all Creatures according to their Natures—
Another, that the fupport vouchfafed them, bear
a jufl
* See Bayle's Dift. Art. Manicho'avs^ Faulicians, ^ aliii
pnjjim, and the Life of jVlr B'Jyle prefix'd to his Did. by Mr
des MaizeauXy p. 1 02.
clear' d and vindicated . 43
a juft proportion to the need they have of it;
and that it be fuited to the ftate and nature of its
objedl— That the fupport or affiftance vouchfafed
to free Agents, bear a certain Ratio, or propor-
tion to Free-Will ', that, in conjun6tion with it, it
may be fufficient to enable them to preferve their
llate, and to advance it — That, however, it lay no
force upon their freedom. Whence it follows,
that it miift neceflarily be an inferior Principle of
action to Free-Will, and therefore liable to be o-
ver- ruled by it— and that, if God beftow fuch a
Ratio of Grace, as will prove an over- balance to
Free-Will, or fufpend it in aqiiilibrio, it either
way deftroys its motion -, which is contrary to the
fore-mention'd Laws of his Government.
If therefore thefe Principles be right, it is not
conceivable how God himfelf, confider'd as a wife
Governor of the world, can prevent Man's fin-
ing •, becaufe he is bound by the Laws of his con-
dud:, not to afford him any more than fuch a
quantity of Grace, as leaves Free-Will to be the
more powerful Principle of a6lion •, which if it
be oppofed to Grace, muft neceflarily overcome iL
Upon thefe Principles God is fufficiently jufti-
fied in making fuch a Creature as Man, as well
as in permitting him to fin : For as he cannot
make a Creature ftriftly impeccable \ in miaking
Man, as at firft He did, he left him no more than
the bare -pojfibility of finning, the 'probability lying
on the other fide. For he firft endowed him with
Freedom of Will, which being balanced with the
utmoft exaftnefs between Good and Evil, that was
as much as God, in jujlice, was bound to do j
fince the determination of his happinefs and mi-
fcry was left entirely in himfelf. But as God more-
over threw an additional wcio;ht into the fcale on
the fide of Good, this made // to preponderate -,
and
44 Termijjion of "Evil vindicated.
and therefore adually gave him the firfl determi-
nation to Good ; which is fuflicient to juftify the
Goodnefs of God likewife.
How then, it may be afk'd, was it in the power
of Man to give himfelf a contrary determination
afterwards ? Very eafily ; even as eafily as we often
fee well difpofed Perfons now adays, whofe incHna-
tions are moftly bent towards Good, yet fome-
times to relapfe, and even finally to fall away from
Grace, whereby the balance is turned to the other
fide.
To make it plainer, let us fuppofe the Mind of
Man to refemble a Perfon holding a pair of Scales -,
the one fcale G. inclining to Goad ; the other E.
inclining to Evil : To thefe two fcaks belong two
weights ; the one leffer Gr. Grace^ always belong-
ing to the Scale G. the other greater L. Liberty^
not confined to either y^<^/^ •, but lodged in the per-
fon's hand who holds the balance M. who has it in
his power to put it into that which he thinks fit,
and may remove it from the one to the other at
pleafure.
Who now fees not, that tho' the odds lye on
the fide of G. yet that it is intirely in the power of
M. to turn the balance to which fide he pleafes,
and that as often as he thinks fit ? q. e. d.
This Demonftration is built upon a few fuch
fimple an4 felf-evident Principles, that I think it
is unconteftable, and gives an eafy folution of that
difficulty, which has lb long been the triumph of
Infidels, in which they fortified themfelves as their
dernier refort, and which has fo often baffled the
endeavours of the Advocates of Religion to ac-
count for it. It fully vindicates the moral Attri-
butes of God with regard to the Permiflion of
Evil, which feemed to bear fo hard upon them,
and obviates all the objedions, as well thofe of Mr
Bayle
Laws of Grace and Liberty. 4 c
Bayle as of others relating to it, fo far as I have
had opportunity to examine them. And the origin
of moral Evil being thus accounted for, without
making God acceffary to it, or arraigning any of
his Attributes, I need fay nothing of -phyfical Evil-,
that being neceffarily conne6ted with, and refult-
ing from moral Evil, as I have fhewn page 33.
I fhail hereto fubjoin the following Corollaries
drawn from the foregoing reafonings.
Coroll. I. That every free Agent, at his firft fetting
out in life, is endowed with a certain quantity of
liberty.
II. That this Liberty muft, in the nature of it,
have a double afpedt, or be two-fold, viz. Li-
berty to Good, and Liberty to Evil : For if it
hath not a power of determining itfelf either
way, it is no more Liberty, but NecefTity.
III. That this Liberty, like all other faculties of
the mind, is capable of being improved or im-
paired : i. e. That his Liberty towards Good
will be advanced, or diminiflied, and v. v. to-
wards Evil, in proportion to the ufe he makes
of it.
IV. That every Increafe of Liberty to Good is a
Diminution of Liberty to Evil i and v. v.
V. That the firil, as well as every other fubfc-
quent portion of Grace, is the free Gift of God,
and is proportioned to the quantity of Liberty
in the Subje6l.
VI. That in the progrefs of it, it keeps pace with
Liberty, /. e. it is increafed or diminiflied in
proportion to the Increafe or Diminution of Li-
berty to Good.
VII. Becaufe Grace Is confined within the bounds
iet it by Liberty, the more Liberty to Good is
increafed, the mofe in proportion Grace will be
increafed.
46 ^he Laws of
increafed, and its bounds enlarged : And every Di-
minution of Liberty to Good is a Diminution of
Grace, v. v. Every Increafe of Liberty to Evil
is a Diminution of Grace ; and every Diminu-
tion of Liberty to Evil is an Increafe of Grace.
VIII. That by the Increafe of Liberty to Good ad
infinitum^ Liberty to Evil will be diminifhed ad
infinitum.) i. e. deftroycd ; and v. v. by the In-
creafe of Liberty to Evil ad infinitum., Liberty
to Good will be deflroyed.
IX. Liberty to Good being increafed ad infinitum,
Grace will be increafed ad infinitum likewife ;
and V. V. Liberty to Evil being increafed ad in-
finitunty Grace will be deftroyed.
X. Liberty to Evil being intirely deftroyed, the
relapfe of the Subje6t, it is deftroyed in, to Evil
becomes impoftible, by the Laws of Grace and
Liberty. On the other hand, Grace and Liber-
ty to Good being intirely deftroy'd, the reco-
very of the Subje<5l, it is deftroy'd in, becomes
impoftible, without deftroying human Liberty,
or over -ruling it.
Infer. Hence it is barely poftible, that all free
Agents may fufi^er their Liberty to Evil, to gain
fuch a head as to deftroy Grace and Liberty to
Good -, and in infinite numbers of them, it is not
at all ftrange if many of them will. On the other
hand there is a poftibility, that they may all im-
prove their Liberty to Good, and the Grace given
them in aid of it, to that degree, as to deftroy
their Liberty to Evil \ and there is the higheft de-
gree of probability, that the bulk of them at
length will. Becaufe it is moft reafonable to fup-
pofe, that reafonable Creatures,- after the continued
experience of the benefits of Good, and inconve-
niencies of Evil, will at laft perceive their true in-
tereft.
Grace mid Liberty. 47
tereft, and aft accordingly — that after 'vihrating
for a time from one extreme to the other, the cen-
tre of moral ofcillation * will at length be fix'd.
That the two Principles, Liberty to Good, and
Grace, afling in conjimclion with each other, will
in the end prevail againft the fingle Principle, Li-
berty to Evil — and that however the balance may
be kept flu6tuating for a while, and continued in
fufpenfe, the fcale which has the advantage of
Weight muft finally preponderate.
Having demonftratively cleared the divine con-
du(ft with regard to the origin of Evil, and per-
mifiion of the Fall, I think 1 have, by dediidions
from the fame Principles, gone near to demon-
ftrate likewife our future Recovery from it ; the
finally complete prevalence of Good over Evil.
Nor do I know of any deficiency in this rea-
foning, unlefs it be faid, that the fuggeflions of
the Devil ought to be confider'd as a counter-ba-
lance to the afiiftance of divine Grace : Admittino-
this therefore, it only brings the fcales nearer to an
equality ; for as He that is with us is fironger
than him that is againji us, the advantage muft
ftill lie on the fide of that inclining to Good ; {o
that the conclufion is ftill the fame.
If thefe Principles are right, it will be allowed,
that they give us clearer and more rational notions
of Grace and Free-will -, whereby they will ferve
to correfl thofe enthufiaftical conceits relating here-
to that feem to be reviving among us ; and to con-
vince us, that God doth not a6t arbitrarily, par-
tially, or irrefifiiibly in the diftribution of his Grace,
but proceeds according to certain eftablifhed Laws,
whereby the Freedom of Man's Will is always fe-
cured. And if the many and long controverted
difputes
• See Bay/e*s DlCt Vo]. v. p. 832. i.
48 Connediion of Grace and Liberty.
difputes relating to thefe fubjc6ts were brought to
this touchftone, they would be Ipeedily adjulled.
Hence iikewife it appears, that there is a ftrifl
connexion between true Liberty, that is. Liberty
to Good, and chriftian Grace — that they are infe-
parable — and that the one cannot fubfifl in any
tolerable degree without the other : Whence we fee
how groundlefs the pretenfions of Infidels are to
Liberty — what fort of liberty that is which they
fo much pique themfclves upon — what enemies
they are to themfelves and to it, in difclaiming di-
vine Grace in aid of it — and how juftly the Apoftle
obferves concerning fuch, that while they promife
Liberty to others, whom they would feduce, they
themfelves are the Servants of corruption. 1 Pet. ii. 1 9 .
What I have hitherto olTer'd is only preparatory
to my general defign ; which is to fhew the final
Prevalence of Good over Evil in this ftate, and
that Mankind, before the end of the world, fliall
recover from all the ill confequences of the Fall,
and be reftored to their original Perfeftion. In
proof of this truth I fliall offer the following con-
fiderations, from all which taken together, 1 hope
it will be fully eftablillied.
I. I fhall offer fome remarks on the ftate of the
world after the Fall •, whence it will appear, that
God from the beginning had the Amendment
and Preformation of it in view •, and wherein
fome account will be given of his procedure in
this refpecl, with the reafons of it, as well as
of the caufes why the work ot Reformation took
place no fooner, and went on no fafter.
II. I (hall fliew, that it went on notwithftanding,
and that the difpenfations of Providence in the
feveral periods of the world had a manifeft ten-
dency to this End, and according to the ufe made
of
Method of the whole. 40
of them were more or lefs efFe6lual In the Im-
provement of Mankind, both in their rehgious
and civil capacities.
JII. I fhall fhew what the notions and expe6lations
of the ancient Jews, Heathens, and Chriftians
were, with regard to the future Reftoration and
Renovation of the world.
IV. I Ihall fhew, that this Doftrine is agreeable to
the attributes of God, the nature of Man, and
reafons of Things.
V. I fhall fhew it to be the general defign and ten-
dency of the chriflian Religion to reftore Man to
his primitive flate. And
VI. I ihall particularly prove, that he (hall be fo re-
ftored in every refpeft, from feveral pafTages in
the prophetical writings of the old and new Tef-
tament, as well as from many other places of
Scripture.
And in order to clear the way, I fhall begin with
fome Remarks on the flate of the world in the ages
next after the Fall.
E CHAP.
5o Remarh on the State
CHAP. III.
Containing Remarks on the Ji ate oj Mankind af-^
ter the Fall in the antediluvian world ; whence
it will appear^ that God in all his difpenfa-
tions during this period^ had an eye to their
Amendment and Reformation,
THERE are feveral favourable circum-
flances obfervable in the fentcnce pro-
nounced on our firft Parents alter their Fall.
As firft, the promife of a Redeemer even before
the pronunciation of it •, which was a comfortable
ground of hope for their fupport under it, as here-
in was contain' d a gracious aifu ranee that they were
not entirely abandon'd to perdition ; but that God
immediately began to lay meafures for delivering
them out of the deplorable condition, into which
they had plunged thernfelves. And when the fen-
tence came to be pronounced, it is to be obferved,
that it is couched in milder terms than that on the
Serpent, or even that on the Earth : For God al-
mighty does not exprefly tell either Adam or Eve^
that they are curfed, left the harftinefs of the fen-
tcnce fliould caft them into defpair, but leaves it to
be inferr'd by themfelves, as it well might be, from
the Earth's being accurfed for their fakes ; and his
transferring of the Curfe in this manner from them
to the Earth, was an aft of clemency, and intimated
his inclination * to releafe them from it. Moreover,
God's gracious intention towards thefe unhappy Cri-
minals, may be inferr'd from the relaxation he made
in the execution of the fentence after it was pro-
nounced :
* (Deus) mn ipjum mn ^cJixit Adam, fed terram in vperibus ejus^.
quanirim quidem tranJluUt Deus jiinledictum in terratn^ ut non per-
ftTuaut inhomine. LcK^eiUib. '^, Cap. 35.
of Man after the Fall. 51
hounced : For whereas He had threaten'd, that in
the day they fhould eat, they fhould furely die, yet
he was pleafed to grant tht^m a reprieve for a long
term of years, that they might have time for re-
pentance and recovery.
And it is efpecially worthy our obfervation, tliat
this fentence was fo wifely contrived in the nature
of it, as to be an expedient for removing itfelf,
which is obfervable with regard to every part of it.
Thus the Man's fentence to eat his bread in the
fweat of his brow^ feems to be the injunction of a
falutary penance^ that is, not merely a punilhment,
but alio a remedy againfl the diforders of various
kinds, which he would be liable to in this his fallen
and degenerated ftate ; Labour and exercife being a
neceffary means not only of preferving the Body in
due plight, maintaining health, and prolonging life,
but of promoting the health and vigour of the
Mind likewife, and inuring it to many Virtues.
The fteriiity of the Earth compell'd him to betake
himfelf to Indufrry ; and his neceffity, which is the
mother of invention, fharpen'd his wit, and laid the
foundation of all the ufeful Arts that have been
found out ever fince, which are the natural means
of overcoming the Curfe on the Ground, as will be
fhewn in the next Chap. The lov/ * diet and hard
labour to which he was condemn'd, fubdued the
impetuofity of his appetites and pafTions, which un-
fubdued, or fupported in luxury and idlenefs, would
have run riot. 7\nd as hi$ guilt had reduced him
to a neceffity of leaving this world, the Curfe on
the Earth made it lefs defirable to him, wean'd his
affections from it, and made him more refigned and
willing to part with it, when the time of his depar-
ture fhould approach. The Woman's fentence to
forrow in Child-bearing, was wifely ordain'd as a
E 2 check
* Revel, cxamin'd. Vol, i. P. 114.
52 Remarks on the State
check and reftraint upon her inclination to carnal
pleafure, and as a great prefervative of her chaftity :
And by making her fubje^l to her Hufband, was
eftabhfn'd that neceffary fubordination of the one
Sex to the other, which was gracioufly appointed to
prevent endlefs contentions for fuperiority, which
could never otherwife have been decided. The Sen-
tence on the Serpent convey'd to Mankind a gene-
ral hope of fome remedy for the Evil they lay un-
der, * whereby the expedlation of it was kept alive
from age to age -, a fenfe of Religion, with the great
duties of it, faith, hope, and trull, was maintain'd ;
and at the fame time, the defigns of Providence
were by this means carried on in bringing about the
great work of our Redemption. Even the tempta-
tions and afiaults of the Devil are not without their
ufe for the exercife and improvement of our Virtue ;
which for want hereof would not have fo mucli of
the nature of Virtue in it.-f
Irenaus has a thought, |1 that Code's turning Man
out of paradife, and preventing his approach to the
Tree of Life, was defign'd in pure compafllon to
him, as the eating of that Tree, after his Fall, would
be attended with no other effedl, than to perpetuate
his fin and mifery beyond the polTibility ot a reco-
very. And probably, the plenty and happinefs of
the paradifiacal ftate, having been already abufed by
him,
* See Bifiiop Sherlock on Prophecy, Difc. 3 .
■\ To this purpofe Ladantiin obferves, Iccirco em?n in primor-
dits tranfgrejjionis, non JIatifn ad pcenam detrufus a Deo eji (Jcil.
diaholus ) ut hominem malitid fud exerceat ad vhtutem: qutv nifi
agitetur, ni ajfidud ^jcxatione rohoretiir, nott poteji e^e perfclca. — •
Ex quo ft, ut 'virtus nulla fit, f ad'verfarius deft. Lact. Inltit.
Lib.^.
11 (Deus) tjec'tt eum (fcil. hominem) de paradifo, i^ a Ugno 'vi-
ta Icnge tranfulit : Non in'videns ei Ignum 'vil<^, quemadtnodum
quidam dicur.t, fed miferans ejus, ut no7i perfeveraret Jemper tranf
g'tffor, neque imtnortale efet quod efj'et circa eum -fcccatum^ i^
malum interminabile, ^ infanabiU. IreniXi Lib. 3. Cap. 37.
of Man after the Fall. 53
him, his continuance in it had only adminlfter*d oc-
cafion to his immerfing himfelf the more in fenfe,
jyid indulging himfelf in eafe and luxury.
To v/hich may be added, that the eating of the
Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil opened a
large fource of experimental fcience, and occafion'd
his exercifing of that moftufeful branch of Wifdom,
the diflinguilhing Good from Evil, which his for-
mer inexperience kept Iiim in ignorance of.
Therefore his expulfion out of paradife, and
change of ftate confequcnt thereupon, whatever ap-
pearance of feverity it may have, was, indeed, no
more than a neceflary meafure, a wholefome difci-
pline, and as fuch to be accounted as another re-
markable inftance of God's gracious intention to-
wards his fallen creature.
Thus did the wife Difpofcr of all things contrive
to bring Good out of Evil : Not but that the evils
-of our Fall, are evils ftill in their own nature, which
liowever ufeful they may be to us, yet are they fo
only in our fallen ftate. They were infiicfled in con-
fequence of our Fall, and therefore cannot in that
view be confider'd otherwife than under the notion
of a curfe or punilhment ; and as fuch it is one
great end and defign of our Redemption, not to
Testify and convert them into bleftings, which
Mr J". pleads for, but abfolutely to remove and de-
llroy them, which I fliall hereafter particularly prove
it will effedl ; but this would not be requifite, nor
would it be an end worthy of God, to deprive Man-
kind of them, if they had been really and proper-
ly blefllngs, or could be converted into fuch. Con-
fider'd in their moral ufe, they arc, as I have inti-
mated, to be efteem'd as chaftifements, whereby
they become inftrumental of much Good to us,* but
E 3 th s
tfiovala (pviiaccv kxk'mv, u^fy,<-ov x^ tuvu^sXr) ^ivuM, fji.-i^fi\ jiajjv kxto, iranx
0hx0e(dv xvrrtY yevh^xi. Clem. Alex. Strom. Ub. i. p. 312.
'54 Retnarks en the State
this does not caiife them to lay afide their natures,
being no lefs natural Evils ftiil.
II. God did not leave himfelf without- a witnefs
in other refpefls. For foon after the Fall, Sacrifices
were infrituted, an admirable means to infpire Man-
'kind with a horror of Guilt, and which likewife
ferved for a perpetual memorial of Mercy from ge-r
neration to generation. Moreover, there is reafon
to believe, that God exhibited himfelf at that feafon
by fom.e fignal manifeftations of his Prefence, as he
did afterwards in the tabernacle and temple.* This
is implied in Cain's, complaint, that he fhould be
hid from the face of God. As his punifhment was
a fignal warning againft fin, efpecially the heinous
fin of Murder : So EnocFs Tranflation was a noble
encouragement to piety and virtue, and a fure do-
cument that God had ample rewards referved for
the righteous in a future ftate. ,
In the days of Enos^ God feems to have made
fome extraordinary Revelations of his Will, parti-
cularly with regard to the divine Woriliip : For we
are told, that then Men began to call upon the name
of the Lord, Gen. iv. 26. Or rather, as Mr Shuck-
ford elfewhere judiciouQy tranQates the phrafe,
nini D^m i^1p*7 to invoke in the name of the Lord
Jehovah, that is, they were then firfl taught to wor-
ihip thro' the Mediator.
The laft method of mercy and monition for the
amendment of Mankind, was. the appointing Noah
a Preacher of righteoufnefs, to warn them of the in-
tended deftruftion of the world, and to afllire them,
that for the averting of it, they were to have no
more than 120 years tryal. There were probably
many Preachers of righteoufnefs before him •, fome
think there were feven very eminent in that office.
So they render 2 Pet. ii. 5. Noah the eighth Preacher
"f
* Sec Mr Lno'i Con/idersiion? on R.':g!on, p, 60.
before the Flood, ^^
if Right eoufnefs. But as the Scripture account of
the old world is very Ihort, there might probably
have been many more methods ufed for the reform-
ation of it, than is neceffary for us to be acquaint-
ed with. However, thefe that are recorded, ar^
fufficient to vindicate the ways of God with Man,
during this period ; fince it may hence be colledted,
that the world wanted neither wife inftitutions, nor
authentic Teachers from God, to keep them in their
duty, and deter them from evil : Tho' all was in-
fufficient to ftem that torrent of corruption, which
iiniverfally fpread over the face of the whole Earth ;
nor was even this without its ufe, to convince all
fucceedino; generations of the difmal effects of the
Fall, the malignity and contagion of fin, and to
what a monftrous height iniquity will rife, if fuffer'd
to have its full fway. However,
III. From the hiftory of the antediluvian world,
Ihort as it is, it appears, that the corruption, which
at length prevail'd over the whole earth, tho' fpeedy,
yet was gradual in its progrefs. Cain'?, murder of
his brother is the firft heinous crime recorded in
Scripture ; and yet this was not committed till about
J. M. 129, as is inferr'd from the birth of Seth^
who was given in lieu of Jbel^ A. M. 1 30.* which
was probably the year after his death. Cain^ and
his family, after this, fell off" apace from their obe-
dience, and by degrees corrupted the reft of the
v/orld ; all except the Defcendents of Seth^ who per-
fevered in their innocence, maintain'd a fenfe ot
Religion, and kept up the worfhip of God among
themfelves for many generations ; and it was not till
towards the laft age of the world, that they depart-
ed from the fervice of God, and were involved in
the general corruption. Agreeably to this, the Curfc
on the Ground was gradual likewife, and bore pro-
E 4 portion
• According to the Septuagint Chron. 230.
56 Remarks 07t the State
portion to the increafe of wickednefs. This may be
inferr'd from the repetition of it upon the offence
of Cain, Gen. iv. 12. which was the fame in kind
with the firft curfe, and could differ from it only in
degree, as indeed the words themfelves imply, IVben
thoti tilleji the ground, it jJoall not henceforth, (i. e.
as heretotore) yield unto thee her Jlrength. The fame
may be likewife colleded from Lantech's prophecy,
'This fame fhall comfort us concerning our 'work and
toil of our hands, becaufe of the Ground which the
Lord hath curfed. Gen. v. 29. which are the words
of a Man groaning under the utmoil feverity of
this curfc. This appears laftly from the judgment
of the Flood, which was inflifted in confequence
of the Curfe ; and wherein it arrived at its greatefb
height, even to the deflruftion of the Earth. And
accordingly both the Curfe and the Flood are join'd
together, as being both owing to the fame caufe,
Ge7t. viii. 21.
IV. As the prevailing fins of the times are re-
corded to have been Corruption (by which are gene-
rally underftood luft and debauchery, unlawful mix-
tures, and pollutions) and Violence, i. e. cruelty and
opprefTion ; fo the caufes of them feem to have been,
I. The fecurity and temptations of a long lite of
youth and vigour. 2. The great increafe of Man-
kind, which foon overflock'd the earth in its then
ftate of fterility,. to that degree, that they fell to
injure, opprefs, and deftroy each other for their fub-
fiftcnce. V/hence we may obferve,
V. That long Life is not always a BlefTing, nor
defign'd by God as an earned of his favour, unlefs
it be attended with other happy circumftanccs ;
fmce he was pleafed to lengthen the lives of this
wicked race of Men, far beyond what he hath vouch-
iafed ever fince. It is undoubtedly happier v/ith us
in our prefent circumilances, when Men feldom
reach
before the Flood. 57
reach the tenth part of the days of the antedilu-
vians, to finifli the term of our probation fo foon,
and to be deUver'd out of this prefent finful world,
rather than have our Hves protrafted to fuch a te-
dious length as theirs was ; and efpegially on fuppo-
fition that the world were lb wicked now, and un-
der fo fevere a Curfe as it was then, which it is to
be hoped it is not.
A remarkable inftance of the truth of this obfer-
vation we have in Enoch, who being a favourite of
Heaven, was removed out of this world before he
had arrived at near half the age of Man at that
time -, agreeably to the Prophet's obfervation, Tba^
the righteous are taken away from the evil to comcy
Ila. Ivii. I.
VI. The Tranllation of that extraordinary Perfon
without ever tafting of death, as a reward of his
eminent probity and fanftity, in the midft of a
crooked and perverfe generation, was not only
vouchfafed to Mankind as a fupport and comfort
to them under the fenfe of their mortality, by inlpi-
ring them with the hopes of a Life immortal, of
which this was an earneft — but it was more-over
an intimation to them., that if they overcame the
depravity of their nature, as he did, they fliould be
delivered from the ill confequences of it, as he was -,
the chiefeft of which was Death, temporal and e-
ternal, both which he avoided. For to fuppofe him
delivered from all the ill confequences of the Fall,
before he had been purged from all the corruption
of it, feems to argue a partiality fo contrary to the
ftated methods of God's dealings v/ith Mankind,
and to the law of their nature, as is not to be fup-
pofed in him who hath no refpe5i of Per fans, and
in whom is no variablenefs, nor fhadow of turning.
Befides that he had not been qualified for the pure
maniions above, if he had had any finful impurities
aahering
58 Remarks on the State
adhering to him. Enochs therefore, having over-
come the corruption of his nature, of which his
Tranfiation was a proof, was an inftance of the pof-
fibility of the thing in others ah'b. And moreover
he was a type, not only of our Saviour's afcenfion,
but Ukewife of the change which the Saints fhall
in a moment undergo, at the laft trumpet. But of
this more hereafter.
VII. From the longevity of the Antediluvians it
may be conchided, that God at firft defigned the
age of Man in general, in all fucceeding periods of
the world, for fuch or for a greater length. From
their wearing fo well, notwithftanding their corrupt-
ing of themfelves by lull and debauchery, we may
juitly inferr, that the texture of their original Sta-
mina mufb have been of a prodigious ftrength, and
that they were built for Immortality. But the great
length of Men's lives flocking the earth too faft with
Inliabitants in its then barren ftate, and being made
an occafion of fin, God thought fit after the Flood
to Ihorten by degrees the period of human life, that
the increafe of Mankind might bear a due propor-
tion to the ftatc of the earth for their fubliflence,
and that death being brought nearer to their view
might draw oft their attachmant from this world,
and induce them to place it upon another, which
at the difcance of fo many hundreds of years it had
little power to effeft.
I know this way of accounting for. the longevity
G^ xhut Antediluvians is objeded to by fome learned*
Men, becaufe of the comparative fliortnefs of the
lives of Noah's fons, who tho' they had all the
ftrength of an antediluvian* conflitution, fell fo far
Ihort of the age of their Fore-fathers, that Shem^
for inftance, lived but to 600 years : And therefore
they have fought out otlier methods of accounting
for
* Buriiet'i Theory, and Shuckford\ Conneii. B. i. p. 32.
before the Flood. '59
for it. But they themfelves in a great meafure fur-
nifli an anfwer to this * objedion.
The decay in the conftitution of Noah*s fons pro-
ceeded not from any alteration for the worfe in the
flate of the earth and heavens in the new world,
but was the immediate efFe6l of the rain and wa-
ters. Wet weather we know relaxes the fibres and
mufcles, caufes a refolution of the humours, and
fets them all afloat, and otherwife greatly affeds the
habit of the body.
Now when all the fountains of the great Deep
were broken up, and the windows ot Heaven open-
ed, what a moifture muft this have occafioned in
the air, and how iinwholfome muil the weather have
been during the v/hole time the Rains continued ?
But moreover as Noah and his family were pent
up in a clofe veflel, with only one fmall window to ^'^;^^/^
it, and that not open'd till after the waters abated, c^ ly ^a
Gen. viii. 6. fo that they had no opportunity of ^^^^
drawing any frefh air, (except what got in thro' the^^y'^'
pores and crevices of the veffel, which, as I have^ ^ ^^
fhewn, was unwholfome) for a whole year together, -^c^P*^
notwithftanding they were crouded with fuch a mul- j^C^'^t^^
titude of Animals ; I appeal to any lea-faring Man,
if this alone had not been fufficient to deilroy the
ftrongeft modern conftitution. This I take to be
a moil convincing proof of the ftrength and firm-
nefs of their frame, that they were able to wea-
ther out this ftorm, as well as they did : For had
they been fuch trail, feeble Creatures, ciOi vZv
/SpsTOi hah they muft have been as effedually de-
ftroyed in the Ark, as the reft of the world was
out of it.
' Noahy * as is well obferved, had lived fix hun-
^ dred years before the Flood came, fo that we may
'rea-
* Shuckfordy ib. p. 34,
6o Remarks on the State
' reafonably fuppofe he had contracted a lirmnefs oF
' conilitution, to be able to weather out the incon-
* veniences of it, and we find his Ufe was not fenfi-
* bly fhortned thereby. But his Children were very
' young Men when the Flood happened, their na-
' tures were not fixed and hardened, fo that they
* fcarce exceeded two thirds of what they might
* probably otherwife have lived to.'
Their conftitutions being thus broken, what won-
der is it, that their Children were affedled by it ?
And that the decay being once begun, they continued
to degenerate for many fucceeding generations ?
There is no reafon, therefore, for rejedling this ac-
count of the longevity of the antediluvians : On the
contrary v^e may perhaps be confirmed in it, v/hen
we examine the other caufes to which it hath been
afcribcd.
Some impute it to their abftemioufnefs and the
fimplicity of their diet, but neither of thefe caufes,
if trae, was adequate. Indeed fimplicity of diet,
if they confined themfelves to the vegetable kind,
might contribute fomething to this end ; but it doth
not appear that they did. On the contrary I am in-
^/4^/H^ pined to think,* that animal food was permitted
i^H UUi ever fince the firft inftitution of Sacrifice, that is, in
^it\ f^tC all likelihood immediately after the Fall, when we
^^ "tit, are given to underftand, that beafls were llain. Gen.
Vtf^ - jii. 2 1. the flefli of which probably was partly con-
'^•(T^i^' fumed in Sacrifice, and partly eaten, as was ufuai
afterwards. Thus we are told with regard to Abel's
offering, that he brought of the firfilings of his flock,
end of the fat thereof. Gen. iv. 4. What then be-
came of the reft of the meat .^ was it thrown away ?
that were a fin. It is probable, therefore, it was
eaten, as was cuftomary in all Sacrifices, but fuch as
were made Holocaitfls of, which this was not, fince
there
* Vide Heidegger Hifioria Patriarch. Exercif, xv.
before the Flood. 6i
there is no mention made of any part being offered
befides the fat.
Neither do I fee any ground for fuppofing them
fuch abllemioiis regular Livers. 1 fliould ratlier be
incHned to believe the contrary of them ; for as they
were addifted to all manner of vice, and particular-
ly luft, of which intemperance is a never-failing
companion, I can hardly be perfuaded to acquit
them of it.
But the moft plaufible opinion is that of the inge-
nious Theorifb * above-mentioned -, who attributes
the length of their Lives to their breathing in a pu-
rer air, and living under a greater ferenity and e-
quality of the Heavens. And I find this opinion is
efpoufed by another i" very learned Man, which is
the more to be wonder' d at, both upon account of
its being fo unphilofophical and antifcriptural. That
it is built upon a wrong hypothecs in Philofophy
hath been fliewn by others ; I fliall therefore only
take notice of its inconfiftency with Scripture and
Divinity.
The Curfe on the Ground was denounced on the
Fall, and there is all the realbn in the world to fuppofe
it took place immediately then. The words of it
are particularly diredled to Adam : Curfed is the
Ground for thy fake, in forrow fhalt thou eat of
it, and thorns and thifiles fhall it bring forth /i? thel'.
Gen. iii. 17, 18. Accordingly he is turned out of
Paradife to till the Ground, and eat his bread in the
fweat of his face -, and that the Curfe was continued
or rather increafed during the continuance of the old
World, I have fliewn above p. 70. Now how is
this confiftent with that conftant ferenity and equality
of the Heavens — that even temperature of the Sea-
fons — that perpetual Equinox, and one continued
Spring, of which thefe Writers give fo fine a de-
fcription ?
* Dr Burnetii Theory. f Shuckfcrd ConneSl. B. i. p. 33. ..^
62 Remarks on the State
icription ? This fuits the paradifiacal State rather
than that which fucceeded it ; at leaft the lofs of Pa-
radife was very fupportable, when every thing went
on fo fmoothiy out of it. For it cannot be fup-
pofcd that the Earth could be unfruitful, when the
Heavens were fo favourable ; fince common obfer-
vation informs us, that the fruitfulnefs of the one
depends upon the favourablenefs of the other. It
is, therefore, more agreeable to Scripture and Rea-
fon to fuppofe, that the fterility of the Earth was
attended with a proportionable degree of inclemen-
cy in the Air, and inftability in the feafons ; or ra-
ther that it chiefly proceeded from it, and both
from the wickednefs of the then world, to which
they bore proportion, and with which they gradually
increafed. For it is contrary to the methods of God's
Providence, as well as to the tenor of Scripture,
That he Jhould open the good treafures of Heaven to
fo wicked and profligate a race of Men, and lavifli
his blefllngs upon fuch unworthy objefts. It is more
confiftent with both 1 3 believe,* that the Curfe on
the Ground was more feverely felt in the old world,
than it hath been ever fince \ agreeably to what the
Pfalmift obferves, That God tiirneth a fruitful land
into harrennefs for the wickednefs of them that dwell
therein. •\ To proceed.
VIII. The Inhabitants of the old World having
withfl:ood the ofi?ers of God's grace, and overcome
the fl:rivings of his Spirit, were at laft arrived at fuch
a monftrous height of wickednefs, that it was be-
come impra6ticable for God himfelf to bring about
a reformation of them by any methods confifl:ent:
with the ftate of Free-Agents, at leaft within fuch
a period of time as he had limited for the duration
of this World ; and, therefore, their deftruftion was
be-
* See Bllhop Sherlock's ufe of prophecy. Difc. iv. and
DilTert. 2. -)• Pf. cvii. 34.
before the Flood. 6^
become inevitable — and his faving a remnant amidH
fuch a crooked and perverfe generation, and pre-
ferving a holy feed for the peopling of the new
World, was a fpecial inftance of the providence of
God, that his grace might have the fitter Subjeds
to operate upon, in order to the gradual reformation
and reftoration of the human nature.
IX. I obferve, that the Deluge, with the feveral
circumftances of it, was typical of the future ftate
of the Church and World. Thus Noah, as he wa3
the Reftorer of Mankind after the Hood, was a
type of our Saviour •, and his Father, from the name
he gave him, is fiippofed by fome to have conceiv-
ed hopes, that he himfelf was the promifed Seed.
The Ark was a type of the Church •, and the waters
of the Deluge were typical of thofe of Baptifm :
For as in the former, the old World was drowned
and deftroyed, the fins and pollutions of it wafhed
away, the face of the Earth renewed, and thofe
who emerged were faved ; fo the Apoflle tells us,
that hereunto Baptifm is a like Figure^ i Pet. iii.
2 1 . which is a means of faving the chriftian world.,
by purging off and dellroying its filthy and finful
pollutions, and making us new Creatures. Accord-
ingly it is called AvatcctivMa-iCjUoLAiyyivicFici, ^c
and the deluge being here compared to it, may be
fuppofed to have been the fame to the natural, aa
Baptifni is to the chriflian world. And tho' at iirlt
there were but few, that is, eight Perfons faved in
the ark by water, yet as they afterwards increafed,
and ftill continue incrcafing to great multitudes ; fo
thofe Chriflians, tho' at firft but few, that in the
gofpel age were faved by Baptifm, (liall yet conti-
nue increafmg till they grov/ i7tto a great multitude^
which no man can number, of all nations, and kin-
dreds, and people, and tongues. Rev. vii. g.
To this may be added, tiiat the mildncfs necefTi-
riiy
64 Remarks on the Stafe^ &c.
rily to be fuppofed in the creatures which were ta-
ken into the Ark, was an indication, that they fhould
hereafter be reftored to their firft mildnefs and fub-
je6lion to Man. Their being all fed with fodder,
the only food which can well be fuppofed to have
been provided for their fubfiftence in the Ark, im-
phes, that they fhall ceafe to annoy Man, and to
prey upon each other ; but that beafts of prey fhall
be fatisfied with vegetable food, according to Ifaiab's
predidion, 'The Lyon Jhall eat firaw like the Ox.
Chap. xi. 7. But of this more hereafter.
CHAR
CHAP. IV.
^Remarks on the State of Man and of Nature
after the Flood -y particularly concerni?jg the
removal of the Ciirfe from off the Ground.
WHEN Noah and his Famil)/ firft came out
of the Ark, the face of nature, undoubt-
edly, afforded them a very difmal and
melancholy profpeft ; nothing but defolation and ruin
was any where to be feen, and the whole Creation
was but one wide wafte.
As the Deluge was thus fatal to the oU world, it:
cannot well be fuppofed otherwife than that it left
fome lafting effefts upon the new ; but whether for
the better or the worfe is the qucftion upon which
learned Men have been divided.
As God had fatisfied his juftice and vengeance
upon the old World, by an utter devaftation of it —
as the few that furvived had been remarkably diflin-
guifhed, by his providential care and mercy in fav-
ing them from the common deftruclion — as it is a
favorite maxim in the divine Politicks to bring
Good out of Evil — laftly, as the Earth had been
fo well flooded and faturated with water for fo long
a time, and alfo manured Vv'ith the carcalTes of fo
many millions of Men and other Animals convert-
ed into its fubftance — hence I fay, without going any
farther, one would be apt to conclude, that the
drowning of the old world was the enriching of the
new^ and that it arofe out of the Deluge much re-
frefhed and renovated.
This is certain, that an opinion prevailed among
many of the antients, that the very Earth was cor-
rupted, as well as its Inhabitants, and was therefore de-
llroyed and form*d a-new at the deluge, which was
F reputed
66 Remarks on the State
reputed a kind of luftration or purification of the
World.
A great Author has gone fo far as to maintain,,
that the Earth not only became more fertile after
the Flood, but that it recovered the original fertility
it had before the Fall, and that the Curie then laid
on it, had its period with the old World, and was
fully executed and accomplilhed in the Flood. *
And it muft be owned, that his Reafonings and Re-
fleftions are in the main very juft, and that he hath
much Countenance from Scripture for his Opinion.
But notwithftanding the deference I owe to the au-
thority of fo great a Name, from which, for the
fingular Felicity in interpreting Scripture on which
it is founded, it is by no means defireable to differ
in any inftance •, yet in this I cannot entirely fubfcribe
to it, tho' I have the happinefs of agreeing with his
Lordfhip in the main dodlrine \ wherein he feems to
have the jufteft notions of Man's recovery from the
Fall of any Author I have met with.
' I think I fee plainly,' fays he in. one place, ' a.
* gradual working of providence towards the Re-
* demption of the World from the Curfe of the
* Fall.' t But if I rightly underftand his meaning
by the manner in which he explains it, he fuppofes
the feveral parts of the Curfe to b'e removed rather
fuccejfivelyy firft one part, and then another, than
gradually in the ftrift fenfe of the word -, whereas I
apprehend the removal will be ftridtly and properly
gradual, i. e. that all the feveral parts of the Curfe
wmU keep pace with each other, and be worn away
together by degrees : Where the difference is not in
the Dodrine, but in the manner of explaining it.
What his Lordfhip chiefly grounds his Hypothe-
fn upon is the prophecy of Lamsch, Gen. v. 29.
This
* Bifliop ShrrLrJi'ii Ufe and Intent of Prophecy. Dlfc. 4.
I U.e ot Piophecy p. 114,
dfier the Flood, 67
^his fame Jhall comfort us concerning our work and
toil of our hands, becaufe of the Ground which the
Lord hath curfed. From whence he very julVly in-
"fers, I. ' That this Curfe fubfifted in all its rigour
' till the days of Lamech •,' or rather, I fhould chufe
to fay, that beginning at the Fall it continued in-
creafing in proportion to the increafe of wickednefs
in the World, till his time, and even till the Deluge.
1. ' That as there Was an expectation in Lamech' s,
^ time of a deliverance from the Curfe of the Fall,*
fo there was no ground ' to expedl it to be perfor-
* med immediately, or all at once, but by degrees-,*
which notion of a gradual deliverance I likewife
' believe to be moft agreeable to ail that hath hap-
* pen'd fince, and to the prefent ftate of things un-
' der the Gofpel.* Nor can 1 deny, that the Ante-
diluvians had fuch a notion ; tho' it be mofi: natural
to fuppofe, that their notions of it were not fo clear
and diftinft, but more general, fanguine, and con-
fufed.
Be that as it will, the Prophecy, however under-
flood, hath undoubtedly been verified in the event:
But to that end 1 humbly conceive it was not necef-
fary, ' that the Earth fliould be entirely reftored
' from the Curfe laid on it at the Fail,' becaufe I
apprehend the Prophecy doth not intimate fo much.
It promifeth, indeed, an abatement of the toil and
labour there was in cultivating the Ground ; but not
a removal of it to fuch a degree as his Lordfhip
contends for. The very words fuppofe a co^iti-
nuance of the Curfe in fome meafure. This fame fJoall
comfort tis concerning our work and toil of our handsy
becaufe of the Ground which the Lord hath curfed.
For comfort implies a continuance of forrow and af-
fiidion, and is never defign'd to refcue us from,
but to relieve us under it. Therefore all that can
be inferr'd from this text, or, indeed, from the
F 2 whole
68 Remarks on the State
whole tenor of Scripture is, that the Curfe was in
part removed from the Ground after the Deluge,
and that the Earth was in fome meafurs reftored to
its original fruitfulnefs. This much, and I think
no more, can be fairly concluded from hence. And
this fenfe, if 1 miftal^e not, will render the Scripture
moft confiftent with it felf, where it mentions any
thing concerning the fertility or flerility of the
Earth, and is likewife moft agreeable to the ftate
of the World ever fince. — God's declaration. Gen.
viii. 21. I will not again curfe the Ground for Man^s
fake^ &c. may be thus paraphrafed — ' the Cujfe on
' the Ground being arrived at its full crifis in the
' Flood, I will now caufe it to take a turn towards
' an abatement, in order to the gradual removal of
' it: Nor fhall the wickednefs of Man hereafter pro -
' voke me to a total renewal of it : Much lefs to
' deftroy every thing living, as I have done ; how-
' ever the offences of particular people or nations,
' may require particular vifitations of this kind.'
And as to the fubfequent bleffing. v. 22. While the
Earth remaineth^ feed-time and harvefl^ cold and heat^
fmmner and winter; day and nighty fhall not ceafe^ it
can mean no more than that there fhould be a
o-reater regularity and conftancy in the return of the
Seafons, than had been in the old World, as there
muft have been, in order to remove the Curfe in
any fenfible degree.
As to the extending of the Covenant, mentioned
chapter ix. to the fertility of the Earth, it is what I
could eafily reconcile to my fentiments, were I fatif-
fied of the truth of that Interpretation. But the
bare reading of that chapter is fufficient to convince
us, that that Covenant relates to the prefervation of
the Earth only, and not at all to the refloration of
it to its original fertility : Two very diftincl things
which ought not to be confounded. There is not
the
after the Flood. 6()
the leafl: mention of this in it •, but it is exprefsly,
over and over, faid to be made in afllirance, that all
flejh JJjould not any more be cut off by the waters of
the Flood : And the Bow in the cloud is repeatedly
mentioned as the token of this Covenant, to which
in its nature it is beft adapted, and which is declared
in fuch plain and exprefs terms, that the Rainbow
has never been iinderftood to have been inflituted
with any other defign : Nor are all the palTages pro-
duced to fupport the former fenfe fufficient for that
piirpofe •, nay, fome of them manifeftly reftrain it to
this latter fenfe, as the Reader may fee by confult-
ing Ifa. liv. 9. Pf. xxxvi. 5, 6. Ecclus xliv. 1 8.
With regard to the renewal of the Charter to Noah
in much the fame words, or to the fame effedl, with
that given to Adam, no argument can be form'd
from thence •, becaufe the former World being de-
ftroyed, ^^in<^Noah now entering upon a new one, he
could not replenifli the Earth without God's bleiTmg
and command fo to do •, neither could he have a
right to the ufe of the Creatures, or Dominion over
them, without an exprefs grant for that purpofe.
Notwithftanding the feverity of the Curfe on the old
World, it did not extend to debarr its Inhabitants
from the privileges of the original Charter granted
to Ada7n -, and it appears from the nature of thefe
privileges, that they actually muft have enjoyed
them to the laft, as far and fully as the fterility of
the Earth would admit of And tho' the Curfe had
not in any meafure been removed, Noah muft have
had fome fuch Grant as he had, if God intended he
fliould ftock the Earth with Inhabitants, and that
they fliould live, and not ftarve upon it. For food
they muft have had j and the additional Grant of
animal food (if it was not ufed and allowed before
the Flood, fee p. 60.) is an inftance, not that the
Curfe was entirely removed from the Ground, but
F 3 • that
rt'
70 Remarks on the Stah
that it ftill in a great meafure continued ; otherwife
there had not been fo much need of the Grant, if
they could have raifed a ilifRcient fupply from the
Earth without it : And at the fame time that this in-
fiance proves the continuance of the Curfe, if it
proves any thing ; it proves hkewife the abatement
of the rigour of it, fmce God was pleafed this way
to make up the deficiency there ftill v/as in the pro^
duceofthe Earth. But my real perfuafion is, that
animal food was permitted in the old World •, and
therefore that no argument at all can be drawn from
hence.
But if any thing extraordinary be, indeed, im-
plied in the renewal of Jdajn's Charter to Noah and
his Sons, why may it not be fuppofed to contain an
intimation, that thofe privileges which he had for-
feited, fhould by degrees be reftored to them in their
pofterity ?
His Lordfhip forefeeing it would be objedled to
his Scheme, ' That the Life of Man is ftill labour
' and toil, that he ftill eats the bread of forrow and
* carefulnefs in the fweat of his brow ; and that the
^ Earth ftill abounds with thorns and thiftles, fays^
' That fuch complaints as thefe are theeffedofpre-
* judice,' p. 105. But certainly, while there remain
any grounds for fuch complaints as thefe, it cannot
be faid, that the Curfe on the Earth is entirely remo-
ved ; for wherever thorns and thiftles abound, there
the Curfe remains, if Scripture fays true. That
^dam was defign'd for fome employment, Reafon
itfelf would tell us, tho' Scripture ftiould be filent ;
but that his employment was to be attended with fa-
tigue and forrow, we cannot believe, becaufe thefe
circumftances are part of the Curfe. And as the
bulk of Mankind ftill eat their bread in the fweat of
their brow, it will not be an eafy matter to convince
after the Flood, Ji
them, either from Scripture or Experience, that that
part of the Ciirfe is not felt by them.
His Lordfliip having obferved, that there are fe-
vera! paflages of Scripture, which fpeak of the good-
nefs of the Earth, and the great plenty it affords,
afks with great reafon, p. 112. ' How comes it to
' pafs, that this very Earth curfed with barrennefs, is
* afterwards reprefented as flov/ing with milk and
* honey, abounding with oyl and wine, and every
* thing ufeful and pleafant in life ?* Can you ima-
gine, fays he, * this land of plenty to be part of the
' curfed Earth? yet this is the cafe, if no alteration
' has happen'd ; and it will be no eafy work to re-
' concile thcfe contradictions :' Undoubtedly it will
not, they are not to be reconciled. But fuppofmg
an alteration, the difficulty is folved at once, with-
out having recourfe to a total change.
But there is another contradiftion which his Lord-
fhip hath not attempted to reconcile, and which feems
no lefs difficult to be reconciled to his Scheme j and
that is, the fevere Curie of barrennefs, which God
denounced, Levit. xxvi. and Tietit. xxviii. upon the
land of the Jews, which he hath fmce fully executed
upon it, making it a desolation of many generations,
as it continues to be even to this day -, not to men-
tion the barrennefs of feveral other parts of the Earth,
of much greater extent than Judaa j or the tradi-
tions we have of many dearths and famines, fome
of which were univerfal, that have happened in fe-
veral ages of the world. With regard to all which,
it may be alk*d, Is this any part of that Earth, which
was reftored to its original fertility, which is curfed
in this manner ? or. Is it not fure the old World ?
Is it to the Inhabitants of this renovated Earth that
God thus addreifeth himfelf ? Curjed fhalt thou he~~
in the City and in the Field — in thy hajket, and in thy
ft ore — in the fruit of thy land — increafe of thy kine,
E 4 cind
72 Remarks on the State
andfiocks of thy Jheep — 'Thy heaven that is over thy
head Jh all be hrafs, and the earth that is under thee
jhall he iron — The Lord Jhall make the rain of thy
land powder and duji, from heaven fhall it comedown
upon thee till thou be deftroy" d, Deut. xxviii. i6, ^c.
And Lev. xxvi. 19, 20, Your ftrength fhall be fpent
in vain^ for your land fhall not yield her increafe^ nei-
ther fhall the trees of the land yield their fruits. Is
the Earth fubje^led again to the old Curie, after it
was once fully executed and accomplifh'd ? Or how
comes it that it is infiidted upon any part of it at any
time, after it hath been once wholly and abfolutely
removed ? — If it be faid. That God hath turned fruit-
ful lands into harrennefs for the wickednefs of them
that dwell therein ; I grant it : But how is this to be
reconciled with his Lordfliip's fenfe of that text ? /
will not again curfe the Ground any more for Ma'iCs
fake., though J as he juftly renders it, the imagination
cf Ma?fs heart be evil from his youth. But admit-
ting the paraphrafe I have above given of it, all in-
confiftency difappears.
The truth of the matter feems to be this, and to
lie in the middle, as it generally does, between both
extremes, viz. That the Curfe of the Ground, after
the Flood, v/as neither entirely removed, nor entire-
ly continued. — But that it was much alleviated ; or
removed in part, and continued in part — That as it
Is moft agreeable to Reafon and Rehgion, to fup-
pofe, that from the time the Curfe was firft de-
nounced, it increas'd gradually, in proportion to
the increafe of Men's wickednefs, till the Flood,
when both the one and the other arrived at thc^ir
high eft crifis ; fo it is no lefs confonant with both
Reafon and Scripture to believe, that the removal
of this Curfe en the Ground, hath hitherto been,
and will continue to be gradual likewife — That as
there is a manifeft conneclion between the natural
^V%c f^4^hS€e/*^i h^ ^ ^/TH^/' /^^^*^ /^ and
after the Flood. 75
and moral world ; and as they both fell together, fo
they fhall both rife together — and that the Reftora-
tion of the one will bear exad; proportion to that of
the other — That Noah and his family being right-
eous Perfons, for the times in which they lived, *
the Curfe was removed to fuch a degree, as bore
proportion to the fiim of their righteoulhefs — and
that it generally hath been ever fince, in all the feve-
ral ages and nations of the world, abating or increa-
fmg in reciprocal proportion to the increafe or abate-
ment which there was in thofe nations and ages, in
virtue, induftry, and true Religion — and that it will
continue fo to do to the End of the World. Tho'
God fends his rain upon the j lift and the unjuft^ being
mindful of his promife, that he would not again
curfe the Earth for Man's fake, tho' the imagination
cf his heart he evil from his youth — tho' he vouch-
safes to the worft of fmners, in common with the
righteous, yet ftill for their fake, and under t[ieir um-
brage, Rain from heaven, and fruitful feafons, filling
their hearts with food and gladnefs, and fhowers
down upon u§ all abundance of Bleffings more than
we deferve — yet the general method of his Provi-
dence, is to make his temporal Bleffings the re-
wards of obedience, and his curfes of that kind, the
punifliments of difobedience, and to caufe his rain
to come, either for correction, or for mercy. Job
xxxvii. 13.
Tills muft be evident to any one who reads the
28th Chap, of Deut. for tho' the Ifraelites were un-
der a peculiar Law enforced with Rewards and Pu-
nifiiments relating to this Life ; yet was there no-
F 5 thing
* Gen. vi. 9, It is faid, Noah tvat a juji Man, and perfeli, or
upright, in his generations, i, e. itt his a^e, or for the age in which
he lived ; as the word in the original fignifies, which is not m^^n
which is ufed in the former Part of the Verfe, and is there and
eH'ewhere properly render'd generations, but VrmH vvh'ch
ought to be tranflated, in his age.
74 Remarks on the Sfafe
thing in their Religion, but what was agreeable to
the Tenor of Religion in general, and every inftitu-
tion and fanclion of their Law, was fiiitable, in their
ftate and circumltances, to the natures and fitnefies
of things i and accordingly we meet with nothing iri
the Gofpel contradiftory thereto, but what rather
doth confirm it, making allowances for the change
of circumilances under both Difpenfations. And
therefore temporal blefTings, under the Gofpel, are
likewife promifed as the rewards of Religion. Thus
Matt. vi. 33. Seek ye the kingdom of God and his
right eoiifnejs^ and all thefe 'Things Jhall be added unto
you. So Matt. v. 5. Blejfed are the meek^ for they
jhall inherit the earth. And i Tim. iv. 8. Godlinefs
is profitable unto all things^ having the ■promife of the
life that now is, as well as that which is to come.
Whence it appears, that the conditional promife of
temporal blelTings made to the Ifraelites, is convey'd
down to us Chriftians ; and, by the rule of contra-
ries, the fame may be inferr'd of temporal curfes %
and that both the one and the other are made part
of the fanftions of reveal' d Religion in general ;
tho* not in fo eminent a degree, under the chriftian,
as for fome ages they were, under the Jewifh Dif-
penfation.
I have hinted above, that the Curfe of the Ground
will not be removed for the fake of piety and virtue
alone, without the natural means of labour and in-
duftry in cultivating the Earth. The invention of
arts and implements of Hufbandry, and the improve-
ments which one age hath made upon another in ma-
nuring and tilling the Ground, have undoubtedly
render'd the toil and work of Men's hands, lefs and
lefs burthenfome to them. By the art of taming and
managing the Eeafts, and, as it were, prefllng them
into our fervice, which was not efFe6led at once, the
moft laborious part of the work is transferr'd upon
them ;
after the Flood. y^
them ; and by that means Man's Dominion over
them is fo far recovcr'd.
By the improvements hkewife, which in thefc
latter ages efpecially, have been made in mechanicksy
a great part of the labour of hfe; hath been thrown
back upon inanimate matter itfelf ; and by the hap-
py inveftigation of the laws of motion^ and a dex-
trous apphcation of the mechanical powers^ one Man
can now perform with eafe, what hath otherwife fur-
mounted the united force of many •, whereby nature
is in a great meafure made to do her own work.
And as Nature hath been thus brought in to the
afllftance of Man ; fo Man, by the late difcoveries
in natural and experimental Philofophy, and other
Sciences, hath learn'd greatly to afliil Nature in its
productions •, in meliorating the fruits of the Earth,
and improving them to far greater perfection than
in its wild uncultivated ftate it was capable of bring-
ing them.
BUT fuch is the prejudice which reigns amongft
Men, againll the pfJent ftate of things, that fome
may be apt to give a wrong turn to thefe argu-
ments, and be induced to ttiink, that thefe helps,
which have been found out in later ages, arofe from
the greater neceiTity of the times, and that they arc
a proof, that Nature formerly was m.ore vigorous
and free in her produftions, and tliat the Earth afford-
ed a greaterand better fupply with much lefs trouble.
I cannot better anfwer this objection, than in the
mafterly words of the right reverend Author above-
mention'd, who in a genteel and handfome manner,
peculiar to himfclf, removes this prejudice arifing
from the common notion of the prefent and paft ftate
of the Earth. — * ' Inftead, fays he, of feeing any
* alteration, for the better — Men think they fee an
*■ altera-
* Ufe and Intent of Prophecy, p. 94.
yh Remarks on the State
* alteration for the worfe in every age : Nature feems
* to them to be almoft fpent and worn out, and lefs
' able to provide for her children now than former-
*■ ly. Thefe are the fentiments of the prefent age,
' and they were fo of thofe paft. We meet with
' many refieflions of this kind in grave and ferious
' Authors:' St Cyprian, I remember, complains,
' that things were fenfibly grown worfe, even in the
' compafs of his own time. That the feafons of the
' Year were not fo pleafant, nor the fruits of the
' Earth fo delightful and refrefhing as he remem-
' ber'd them. I wonder not at his judgment, for
' I find myfelf every day growing into the fame
' opinion. The beft and the choiceft fruits ferved
' up at the tables of the Great, have no fuch relifh
' as thofe which they once provided for themfelves,
' when they were young : And many there are who
' can now find but few days good enough to be ar-
' broad, who yet can remember few bad enough to
' keep them at home. Such obfervations, there-
' fore, as thefe, Ihew how much Men alter them-
' felves, but they fhew nothing elfe.*
Nothing ought to be added to this fine refledion,
on which it would be fafer to reft the prefent argu-
ment, than to carry it farther. Notwithftanding, I
cannot forbear recommending it to fuch as would
form a true judgment of the cafe, that they would
carry their thoughts farther back than the fcanty ex»
tent of their own memories •, and without having
recourfe to far-fetch'd inftances, that they would com-
pare the prefent, with what, we are told, was the
original ftate of this iQand, to be convinced how
much it hath been alter'd for the better, by culture
and good hufbandry.*
Who-
* It is obfervable, that the month September in the Brit'tjh
language, is call'd Mis medi ; which fignifies, reaping, or var-
c-jejt month; whence it appears, that harveft was much later for-
merly
after the Flood, 77
Whoever confiders, that the only natural produce
of this cold northern climate, were hyps and haws^
the fruit of thorns and briars, with which the Earth
was originally curfed ; and looks abroad into the
gardens and fields, and beholds what variety of ex-
cellent fruits flourifh in them — fees how all manner
of exoticks are, by art and management raifed and
propagated — hozv this wildernefs is become like Kd en y
and this defert like the Garden of the Lord, Ifa.
>yA;WM^gn — ^Whoever impartially confiders this,! fay,
will be apt to entertain more favourable thoughts of
the prefent ftate of the Earth, and will no longer
doubt how much the care and induftry of Man, un-
der the blefnng of God, contributes to the removal
of the Curfe from off the Ground.
I think, therefore, it may be laid down as a maxim,
that the primeval fertility of the Earth is recover-
able, in proportion to the virtue and induftry of
Man. For as the Curfe was brought on the Ground
by fin, what can remove it but its contrary } And
as induftry itfelf duly regulated and directed, includ-
ing the application of our faculties to the invention
of ufeful Arts, is a virtue ; it is undoubtedly the ob-
ject of God's bleffing as much as any other -, and
the particular blefling adapted to it, is to grant fuc-
cels and profperity to its endeavours. When God
therefore fees in a people a general difpofition to
fcrve and obey him, and an honeft induftry in their
refpe(5tive callings, no doubt, but he will open unto
them his good treasure \ the heaven to give the rain
unto their lands in his feafon^ and to blej's all the work
of their hands. Deut. xxviii, 12. Or, as the Prophet
Malachi cxpreffes it. That he zvill open the windows
of heaven, and pour them out a blejfing, that there
fhall not be room enough to receive it. Chap, iii, 1 o.
THE
merly in this Ifland Cthe whole of which was poflrefs'd by thean-
tient Britont) than at prefent, fince the bulk of it is now gene-
rally over in moft parts of it, before that Month begins.
78 Remarks on the Side
THE Reader is now to judge, whether this ht
not the mod eafy and natural account of the remo-
val of the Curfe from ofi^ the Ground j and whether
it be not the mod fuitable to the prefent ftate of the
world, as well as to Scripture, and that which beft
reconciles Scripture to itfelf. It feems likewife molt
fuitable to the wifdom of God in removing the
Curfe from off the Ground^ to make Man an iinder-
labourer in this work •, for as it was brought on the
Earth by him, it is highly fit and reafonahle, that
lie Ihould do his part towards the removal of it, e-
fpccially as he alone reaps the benefit. This do<ftrine
sdfo affords the nobleft argument for the encourage-
ment of induftry : Befidcs, where things can be ac-
counted for in the natural way, we never ought td
have recourfe to any other.
THE fuppofition of the Earth's greater fertility^
after the Flood, v/ill ferve to account for a circum-
ftance which hath afforded matter of fcandal to the
friends, and of triumph to the enemies of Religion.
We are told. Gen. ix. 20, 22. That ^odh plan-
ted a vineyard^ and drank of the wine, and was
drunken.
Now, tho' it would be no juft impeachment of
Scripture, if this ad of intemperance in Noah were
left without excufe *, yet if a probable plea be of-
fered in his behalf, it ought in good-nature and
charity to be admitted.
Now, on the foregoing fuppofition, Noah, who
before was not unacquainted with the juice of the
grape, planting a vineyard, and drinking fuch a
quantity of wine, as formerly ferved only for a mo-
derate refrefhment, was deceived in its ftrength, and
overtaken by it, in the manner related in Scripture.
For the grape, as well as ail other fruits, being im-
proved
* See Note, p. 73.
after the Flood* ^^
proved in proportion to the improvement of the
earth's fertility, its juice became more fpirituous,
and powerful ; and might eafily impofe upon, and
overcome a Man, otherwife temperate and fober,
in the firft trial of it.
And thus I think. Noa¥s crime is much alle-
viated, if not entirely excufed, and freed from
any immorality, as it was merely the effed of fur-
prize.
Here likewife we find a foundation for that Je-
wijh tradition, that the vine which Noah planted,
was not of ordinary terreftrial growth, but was car-
ried down the river out of the garden of Eden^ and
found by him. *
* Fide Tiirg. yoiwtkan in locum.
CHAP. V.
Containing fome farther remarks on the fate of
the world in the early ages of it ; particular-'
ly with regard to the caufes which retarded
its Refortnation in this period »
MANKIND, when they enter'd upon the
new world, had a very fair fetting out ^
and this, if ever, had been the time, one
would think, for their recovery from the ill effects-
of the Fall, and regaining the original reditude of
their nature. As they were fo few in number, and
thofe feleded for their piety and goodnefs, out of
the whole race of Mankind — as they had been eye-
witncfles of God's fevere vengeance upon finners,
and had themfelves obtain'd mercy in fo fignal a de-
liverance from the common dellruflion ; one might
expc6t at firft to hear of nothing but goodnefs, vir-
tue
8o State of the TVorld
tiie and piety, in the Inhabitants of the new worlds
and tHat the judgments of God had operated fo
llrongly upon their fear, and his mercy on their
gratitude, that they would confpire one and all to ex-
tirpate all remains of fin from among them •, and
take fuch care in the government of themfelves and
families, as would effe6lually have prevented the
return of it, and reftored them by degrees to the loft
image of their Maker.
But if we take a nearer view of the matter, thefe
expeftations will appear to be too fanguine. What-
ever comparative goodnefs the remnant which was
fiived had to recommend them to God's mercy ; yet
that they were far removed from Perfedion, with-
out defcending to particulars, appears from that
tiniverfal corruption, which, like a fecond Inunda-
tion, prevail'dover the face of the whole earth, even
in the time of thofe that had been faved out of the
jirft^ and while the memory of it muft have been
ftiil frefh upon their minds. The Flood was a check
to the wickednefs of the fucceeding generations, but
not a cure for it : That was to be brought about in
another manner. The evil of the Fall was of too
obftinate and inveterate a nature to be healed all at
once : It was to be removed only by flow advances
and degrees, and a long courfe of alteratives was
necefiary to effed a thorough and complete cure.
Thefe veteres avi^e had taken too deep a root in hu-
man nature to be pluck'd out all at once. The poi-
fon inftill'd was flow in its infedlion, and therefore
the more difficult of cure, and it muft be a work of
much time to purge off all remains of it, and reftore
and redlify fo vitiated a habit. — Befides, if we con-
fider the difadvantages mankind labour'd under in
thefe early ages, we can have no great idea of their
abilities, nor think them capable of rifing to any
great heights of Perfedion. Nature was then, as
it
/// the early Ages. 8 1
It were, in its infancy, its powers weak, its own ftock
of notions low in kind, and fmall in quantity, and
its helps from abroad icw and inconfiderable. Little
was to be learn'd from former ages ; and fuppofing
Noah to have convey'd down all that was worth
pref^rving in the old world, it could not be very
confiderable, whether we regard the character or
continuance of it. Revelation like wife was then
but beginning to dawn, the advantages of which,
tho' we are now blefied with its light, we can yet
never be fully fenfible of, unlefs we firft, with tliem,
had experienced the want of it. Nor did this igno-
rance of the divine will, in which the world was
fuffer'd to continue, proceed from any fcantincfs or
partiality in the difpenfitions of Providence ; for
God was never wanting to Mankind in giving them
light and aid in their duty, in fuch meafure and pro-
portion, as their feveral neceffities required, and
capacities would admit.
The fcheme planned out for the Recovery of lap-
fed Man, confiifs of a feries of Difpenfations, each
of which tallied exa6tly v/ith the circumftanccs of
the world, at the time it was made \ to every peri-
od of which it was wifely accommodated, and was
the beft fitted to promote its end, that the nature of
things v/ould admit, tho' the fitnefs of it, in every
refpeft, may not appear unto us. In all his deal-
ings with the Sons of Men, God adbs more in pro-
portion to their ivants than his own fulnefs. There-
fore in the early ages he was more fparing of the Re-
velations of his will to Mankind, and accommoda-
ted his inftructions to their infirmitfiesand incapacities.
When the world was in its infancy, it was to be
fcdivithmiik, and7iQt'U)ithJlrong meat : Accordingly,
the Religion of it was fimple, and its faith confilfed
of but few articles. The knowledge of the true
God, and fome general expectations of a Redeemer,
G together
82 State cfthe IForld
together with a few plain precepts of MoraUty, fuch
as thofe feven precepts fuppofed to have been deU-
vcr'd by Noah to his Sons, comprized all that was
to be believed and praftifed by them. Thofe times
of ignorance God zvinked at, and many imperfe6tions
were indulged, which were not to be tolerated in a
more perfed; ftate. He had many things to fay unto
them, but they could not hear them, all at once : He
therefore gave them line upon line, precept upon pre-
cept, here a little, and there a little ; fuitably to the
fize of their underftandings ; and would not let in .
too much light at once upon weak eyes, left inftead
of enlightning, it fhould only dazzle and confound
them.
It was in compliance with the groffhefs of their
apprchenfions, that God made fuch frequent mani-
feilations of himfelf to holy Men of old, under vi-
fible appearances -, * that he made imprcllions upon
their imaginations, by dreams and vifions, and con-
vcrfed with them by audible voices, and fuch like
fenfible applications, addreffing himfelf more to
their fenfcs and paffions, than to their reafon.
Hence likcwife it may be prefumed it was, that
in all his Difpenfations preceding the Gofpel he did
not make clearer and more exprefs Revelations of
a future ilate ; that the L.aw of Mofes was inforced
by Rewards and Puniihments relating to this Life,
which were more fuitable to that age and feafon of
the World, and m/ore likely to operate upon them,
than any motives fetched from another World : and
.that Life and Immortality ivere not brought to Light
but by the Gofpel. -f- ' It
* See Mr. /./jw's Confideiatlons on Religion, Sec. p. 63.
\ The Jews had a Law of cainal Ordinances to cxcrci!c them
for a while, and lead them on to'ilie Expectation of beaer things ;
to fpiritualize their notions by degrees, and prepare ihem for the
heavenly doctrines of the AlefTiah. And why might not the like
method be madeu'e oi in the Government of Mankind in general?
Lauj'j TruKjuiiion ofDx. Khig^s Origin of Evil y p. 465.
i?2 the early Ages. 83
It may be thought JuIl matter of furprize, and
has been objedled againlt by the enemies ot Rehgion,
that God Almighty fliould fhew fo much favour to
the Ifraelites^ a people who feemingly fo ill deferved
it, That he Jhould bear them upon eagles wings, a7id
bring them unto himfelf, that he Jhould lead them a-
bout and injiruul them, and keep them as the apple of
his Eye, — that he fhould efteem them a peculiar
treafure to himfelf above all people, a kingdom of
priejls, and an holy nation. Deut. xxxii. 10. Exod.
xix. 4,5,6. And all this, when they requited him
with fo much perverfenefs and ingratitude, and gave
him fo much reafon to complain of their being a re-
bellious andjtiff-necked people.
God is no refpeder of perfons or nations, and he
is not partial in the diftribution of his favours : How yy
than Ihall we reconcile his diftinguifliing regard for f/^^^
this undeferving People, with the wonted imparti-J^/^y^^
ahty of hisjuftice? We fliall find it a difficult tafk^^^^
upon any other fuppofition than this, which feemv/*-^>W>
to be the real truth of the cafe ; viz. rhat how un- -^Z'*^
deferving foever they were in themfelves, yet in
refpe6l of the reft of mankind, they might notwith-
ftanding be reckoned a holy and honourable Nation -,*
and it was comparatively true, tho' far from being
ftriclly fo, that God had not beheld iniquity in Jacob, \J
neither had he feen perverjhiefs in Ifrael. Numb, xxiii.
21. efpecially, if with fome Commentators of great-
eft note, we underftand the iniquity and perverfe-
nefs here mentioned, of the fin of idolatry, which
the Ifraelites preferved themfelves the treeft from of
all the people upon earth ; and witn refped: iicreto
I apprehend that God calls them Children that will
not lye, Ifa. G^- 8. lying being fometimes ufed in
Scripture only as another name for Idolatry. For
when the reft of the world was over-run with the
G 2 grofleft
84 State of the World ,
grolTeft fuperftition, idolatry, and falfe worfhlp,
they maintained the worfhip of the one living and
true God, and entertained the moft juft and reve-
rent ientiments of him -, in whichj and many other
refpe(5bs, they greatly exceeded all the nations a-
roLind them, even thofe that were moft celebrated
for their wifdom and learning.
Their Law-giver, 'tis true, has frequent occafion
to reproach and chaftife them, and lays hold of
every opportunity to humble and mortify them,
which makes their character appear in the worfe
light to us, and fhews it, in truth, to be in itfelf
bad enough : But when he has occafion to mention
them in companion with the reft of Mankind, it is
by no means to their difadvantage. 'The Lord hath
avouched thee to be his peculiar people — and to make
thee high above all nations which he hath made^ in
praife^ and in name^ and in honour^ and that thou
mavfi be an holy People unto the Lord thy God, as he
hath fpoken. Deut. xxvi. 18, 19. And again,
what nation is there fo great that hath God fo 7ugh
unto them ? And what nation fo great that hath Jta-
tutes and Judgments fo righteousF Dtut. iv. 7, 8. ' And
' great indeed they were in lome refpe6ts, of which
' I think no hiftory affords a parallel. A People
' whofe vaft increafe and power was not, Hke that of
' other nations, owing to numbers of foreign growth,
' ingrafted upon the original ftock, but all natural
' branches fpringing from one and the fame root.
' A People who through various revolutions and
' differing forms of government, preferved their
' conftitution ftill entire : "Who made a noble figure
' tor 2000 years : Who furvived three moft potent
« monarchies, and were not broken by the fourth,
' till after cal-i mites and devaluations incomparably.
' more dreadful than anyftate befides was ever able
* to fuftain.' * Again^
* Sta;d'cj>c'i Sermons.
271 the early Ages. 05
Again, the LordthyGo-o hath chofentheeto heafpecial
people unto himfelf^ above all the people that are up-
on the face of the earth. The Lord did not fet his
love upon you nor choofe you, becaufeye were more in
number than any people, {for ye were the feweft of all
people). Deut. vii. 6, 7. where he reckons rhem to
be inferior to others, in no other refpe6t than in
their number. Whereas had they been fucli a pro-
fligate and fottifli race of Men, as the moral Philofo-
pher reprefents them, Mofes, who never fliews any
tokens of flattery towards them, would undoubted-
ly have made his comparifon run in a diff'erent Itrain,
and faid, The Lord did not fet his love upon you, nor
chufe you, becaufe ye were better than any People
{for ye were the worst of all People), Compare Deut.
xxviii. 37. with the invedives of the moral Philofo-
pher, which are a fort of completion of this Prophe-
cy •, and fee Mr Lelatid's Divine Authority ot the
O. and N. T. afl'erted, Fol. i. p. 207.
Upon the foregoing fuppofition we may likewife
eafily account for the fins and mifcarriages of many
Saints of old, who were, notwithftanding, the pe-
culiar favourites of heaven, viz. becaufe with all
their failings and infirmities, they were beyond com-
parifon fupeiior to the greatell Worthies of other
nations, for their true piety towards God, and zeal
for his worfliip in oppofition to idolatry and fuper-
ftition.
And what Jofephus aflerts of his Anceflors in ge-
neral, in his modeft vindication of them agair.ft the
fcurrilous abufes of Apion, the moral Philofopher of
thofe times, is no m.ore than what is ftridlly true,
viz. ' That tlicy liave proved Authors of better and
* nobler examples and precepts than any other nati-
' on in the world can pretend to.' -f
And hence we may be enabled to form an idea of
G 3 die
f Fl. Joffph. contra /Ipion, Lib. ii. fuh fim.
86 State of the World
the flate of Morality in thefe ages : For at how low-
an ebb muft we fuppofe it to have been among the
unenlightened Heathen, when it role no higher a-
mong thofe who had the advantages of Revelation
to guide them, and who by that means may be fup-
pofed to \\dMt made the ^reateft proficiency in it ?
Great is the Myfiery of Godlinefs — too great and
fublime for the narrownefs of our capacities to com-
prehend, otherwife than by piece-meal, as it were,
or through a glafs darkly. Therefore the fcheme of
our Redemption, which was one and tiie fame from
the beginning, was opened and unfolded by degrees :
The firft difcoveries of it were made by obfcure hints,
and geniral intimations given to particular perfons :
Then it was Ihadowed out by the types and figures of
the mofaic Law ; which was fucceeded by the clear-
er predi6lions of the Prophets •, which ftill were but
like a light fhining in a dark place^ till at length the
day dawn dy and day-Jiar 'arofe. 2 Pet. i. 19. when
this myftery was fully revealed in the laft and moll
perfect difpenfation of the Gofpel. *
But perhaps it may be expeded, that agreeably to
this gradual procedure of Providence, I ought to
fhew, that there hath been, and is a gradual refor-
mation in the world — that one age hath improved
upon another in knowledge and virtue, in propor-
tion to the greater light, and other fuperior advan-
tages it has had ; and that the world, the older it
grows, grows daily wifer and better.
Now, tho' I make not the leaft doubt, that the
world in general is greatly improved in every refpeft,
efpecially fince the Gofpel age, as will be fhewn
hereafter, yet I will not undertake to fhew, that
this
* See Bin-iop 5^Yr/<7f/^'s ufc and intent of Prophecy; and Dt
Berr'maih Boyk\ leftiires entitled, ' The gradual Revelation or
* ilie Gofpel '
i?i the early Ages. %j
tills improvement was made by llich a regular and
gradual procels •, * becaufe my argument no way re-
quires it, neither indeed do 1 think it true in fact,
or agreeable to the nature of Man, and reafons of
things.
For,
I. Such an exa(5t correfpondence between caufes
and their eifefts is fo mechanical a property, that if
it could be made out in particular inftances, and e-
fpecially in this general ont^, to belong to Man, it
would be a difficult matter to prove him not to be a
mere machine, agreeably to a late fyftem of Philo-
fophy. NecefTary Agents may be fo impeil'd and
operated upon •, but Man, who is a Free-agent, is
not to be moved either to good or evil, without the
confent and concurrence of his own will.
God, by the laws of his condu6t towards us, can
but propofe, and after all the efforts of divine Grace
it muft be left entirely to ourfelves, cither to ap-
prove or rejedt. And as the balance of Man's will
was by the Fall turn'd towards ill, is it any wonder
that he fliouid be found fo often to rejed any affift-
ances offer'd him to give it the contrary tendency ?
That he fhould be fo perverfe under cure, as to de-
feat ail tlie prefcriptions of the great Phyfician of
fouls? That the diftempcr, in its prcgrefs, has taken
fo many different turns ? That it has often rifen to
great heights? Has been attended with tiie mod
dangerous fymptoms, and has converted the moll
filutary medicines into poifon ? That many mem-
bers of the Body difeafed have required cxcifion in
order to preferve the whole ? And that even at pre-
fent it rages fo much, that a perfeft cure is, I can-
not fay defpair'd, but not fo much as thought of
But,
II. The unfuccefsfulnefs of the methods of provi-
G 4 dencc
* SeeMrZ-Ws ConfiJerations on Religion, p. 50.
88 State of the World,
dence for the reformation of Mankind, and the ma-
nifeft increafe of wickednefs in feveral parts ana ages
of the worki, is not akogeth^r to be afcribed to the
perverfenefs and obftinacy of Man. He who firfl
plotted our Fall, has undoubtedly ever fince been
employ'd in counter-plotting all methods ufed for
our Recovery •, and as he was fo fuccefsful in his firit
attempt, there is no queftion to be made but he has
been too much fo in his fucceeding endeavours of
that kind ; of which the ftate of the world ever fmce
has furnilhed many melancholy proofs,
Notwithftanding the many prefervatives and re-
medies made ufe of by Providence againil corrup-
tion, in all ages of the world, this reftlefs and fub-
tle enemy ftiii found means in a great meafure to
fruflrate and pervert them. Hence the true Religion
came to be fo foon corrupted, and the knowledge
of the true God to be in a manner loil i the crea-
ture was worjhipped infiead of the Greater^ and ido-
latry and polytheifm over-ran the world ; and many
abfurd and impious, cruel, filthy, and abominable
pradices were impofed upon wretched Man initead
of Religion ; whereby that which was defigned for
his cure^ became itfelf his greateft bane j and inftead
of cleanfing him from the filth he had contraded,
plunged him the deeper into it.
The very end of Religion being thus deftroyed
and perverted, it was impofiible for Mankind to be
better'd by it ; for falfe religion debafes and cor-
rupts the mind, as much as true Religion exalts and
purifies it ; and how much the one has prevailed
over the other, in all ages of the world hitherto, is
too notorious to need an hiftorical account of it.
Mankind was firfc taught the Wcrlhip of the one
true God ; but the grand L>.ceiver found means to
change it for that of many falfe Gods. The ufe of
Sacrifice was appointed in the former, and it was
prefently
i?i the early Ages, 89
prefently adopted into the latter. No fooner was
the one Mediator between God and Man revealed,
and Men taught to worfliip by him, but the Devil
counterfeited Mediators many^ and directed his vo-
taries to apply to them.
When thefe and the like corruptions of Religion
began to be general, God called and feparated a
certain Family for the prefervation of his true wor-
ihip and fervice ; and to this end he inftituted a re-
markable Rite, which was to be a note of diiiin6lion
between them and all others ; but we find fuch early
accounts of the introdudion of Circumcifion into the
heathen Religions, that fome learned Men have been
tempted to think it firft obtained among them, and
that Abraham borrowed it from them, and not they
from him, as in truth they did.*
The fame renowned Patriarch having, for the
tryal of his faith, been commanded by God to fa-
crifice his Son, it is not improbable, that this was
made a pretence for introducing human Sacrifices,
tho' God's exprefs prohibition of it, when it came
to the point of execution, ought to have been look'd
on as a difcouragement of fo impious and abomina-
ble a Rite, rather than a precedent for it ; or elfe it
fhould have been elleemed as an authority for the a-
bolifhing of it, if, as fome think, it had already ob-
tained, -f"
And tho* Abraham and the fucceeding Patriarchs
were greatly inftrumental in the prefervation and
propagation of true Religion, throughout moft of
the known regions of the earth, by means of their
ownjourneyings and the difperiion of their families;
yet the pageantries of fuperftition, and the numerous
pomps and vanities, rites and ceremonies of idola-
trous Worfhip lb dazzled the eyes, and captivated
G 5 the
* For the proofs hereof fee Shuck/or d"?- cmneff. V. i p. ^z^.i^c,
• t See Revelation examined, Fj/. ij. DiITert. 8.
go State of the World
the underftandings of the vulgar, which then inclu-
ded all ranks of Men, that the plain and fimple Re-
ligion of the true worfhippers foon grew into difre-
gard and contempt. Whereupon the divine wifdom
likewife faw it expedient to inftituce a Religion a-
bounding with ceremonies j but fuch as were not
after the abominations of the heathen^ but dire6tiy op-
pofite to them \ by which means they were to ferve
as a fort of check or counter-balance to them.
And furely never did God 'Almighty manifeft him-
felf in fo wonderful and dreadful a manner as upon
this occafion : For having brought his chofen peo-
ple out of Egypt ^ with a mighty hand^ and out-fir etch-
ed arm^ he delivered his Laws from mount Sinai to
them in the folemn voice of Thunder and Lightning,
the mountain at the fame time quaking and burning
with fire. And having * train'd them up by a forty
years difcipline in the Wildernels, and fupported
them during all that time by a conftant ferics of Mi-
racles, (the divine prefencealfo being frequently vi-
fible among them, direding all their marches and
encampments) he at length brought them forth into
Canaan •, no lefs miraculouQy exterminating their
enemies, and giving them pofleffion of that their
land.
Now tho' God was never prefent with any people
in die manner he was with them, upon all occafions
remarkably interpofing to reward their obedience
and punifh their difobedience ; making his power
likewife to be known by judgments upon their ene-
mies, and other publick and irrefragable atteftations
of the truth of his Divinity, and that he was God
alone — yet in fuch blind and abfolute captivity did
Satan hold his Votaries, that few, very few of them
in
",-6;*^u o\i<^vhx.^iv. 'Clem. Alex. Psdag. lib. i. cap. g.
in the early Ages. 9 1
in comparlfon, had power to become Profelytes to
the wonliip of the true God.
On the contrary, he found means to pervert God's
own people, and feduce them to the worfhip of his
accurled Idols, infomuch that having in vain endea-
voured to reclaim them, by denunciations and inflic-
tions of fevere judgments, God almighty at length
punifhed them with the lofs of their Country and
liberty, and ten of the twelve Tribes were fo difperf-
ed among the Heathen, that they never after were,
with any certainty, known or heard of as a diftindl
people.
NOT to perfue this fubjecl any farther, it ap-
pears from what has been obferved, that the Enemy
has been ever employed in fowing tares among the
wheat — That in confequcnce of the capital enmity
between liim, and the true God, He has had the
infoknce to maintain a conilant ilruggle and conteft:
with his Maker about the fate of Mankind, and by
every ftratagem has endeavoured to prevent the Re-
covery of human nature from the Fall he gave it,
and even to fink it ftill deeper in corruption -, and
in this it muft be owned, he has been, and is flill
but too fuccefsful. And the conteft hath been ob-
ferved to be fo great and of fuch doubtful event,
that it very early gave rife to the monftrous opinion
ot two independent Principles^ the one good^ the
Other evil, difputing the fate of mankind,
A learned Prelate "f is of opinion, tliat the book
ot Job was written in oppofition to this ancient Doc^
trine : Nor indeed can it feem improbable to any one
that confiders it in this viev/. On the other hand,
it feems every way worthy the Spirit of God to con-
vey fome fuch inftruftion as this to the more ferious
and confiderate Heathens, as well as Ifraelites, in a
mattt I
Bilhop Sherloci, Diflert. ii.
92 State of the World
matter fo abftrufe and fertile of fcruples, in order
to obviate the prejudices which would be apt to a-
rife in their minds, when they confidered th*fe origin
of ev'iU both moral and phyfical, and its great pre-
valence in the world. The Ifraelites, indeed, were
in fome meafure guarded againft the abfurd do6lrine
of two independent principles, by the hiftory of the
Fall, in the beginning of the book of Genefts. But
the defign of the book of Job in this refpect feems
to be more extenfive ; as I lliall fhew in its proper
place. In the mean time I proceed
III. To offer another reafon why the progrefs of
reformation in this period was fo Qow •, viz. that as an
univerfal reformation was not to be accomplifhed but
by degrees, fo the defign of Providence in thefe ages
was only to pave the way and prepare the world for
it ; and in the mean time to Hop the progrefs of
univerfal corruption, and preferve a true fenfe of
Religion at leaft in one corner of the world.
The moft remarkable difpenfation that occurs
in the times under confideration is the law of Mofes \
yet it appears from fevcral characters and circum-
llances relating to it, that it was defigned only for
the ufe of one people, and never intended as a
o-eneral law for mankind ; tho' at the fame time
it excluded none, but received all that were willing
to become profelytes to it. And tho' it had been
ever fo extenfive in its defign, yet was it not calcu-
lated in its nature for the reformation and relfora-
tion of the world. It indeed required perfect o-
bedience, but gave no ftrength to perform it j it
difcovered man's weaknefs to him, but prefcrib'd
him no remedy for it ; as it neither convey'd a full
and perfed remifTion of fins paft, nor afforded fuf
ficient afliftance to withfland them for the future.
For the law of Mofes being founded on the firft
Covenant,
in the early Ages. 93
Covenant, which was made with man In his inno-
cence, it did not condefcend to the Infirmities of his
fallen State, nor was it by any means adapted to the
Laws of it. For this reafon it was * that it contain-
ed
* Mr. Warburto7i is not miftaken v/here he contends tliat a fu-
ture State makes no part of the Mofaic Difpenfation ; but neither
he, nor his Adverfaries feem to apprehend ilie true Reafon of it;
which I believe is that which in 'itw Words is given above, and
which I fhall have occafion in the laft Chapter o'i this Treatife to
mention fomething more at large.
As far as I can judge of this learned Writer's Scheme from the
State in which he hath left it, niethinks he might have formed it
upon a Plan that would have been lefs liable toObjedtion, without
any Prejudice to his Argument, and without granting any more
than vvifiat he ha?, as it ftands at prefent, been obliged to allow.
For he does not deny that the Law had a fpiritual meaning, and
that it was typical of a future (late ; and that Mojes and the an-
t\^Xi\.'Jews, their Leaders and Fathers efpecially, believed a future
State : Now as he had fliewn that the antient heathen Religion'?
and Philofophy had their exoteric and efoteric, their publick and
prk'iite'Pins and Doftrines, and as, I think, he fomewhere inti-
mates that the Jewifh Difpenfation likewife had a ptbl'tck Part;
why might not he have made tlie publick Part of it to have con-
filkd of temporal Rewards and Punilhmencs, as \\\t only open
and publick Sandtions of the Law, and the prk>at,\ to be the Doc-
trine of a future State of Revvards and Punifliments, which he in
fome fort allows to be Ipiritually couched under the former, and
typified by them ? By this Scheme he might have faved himfelf
much Trouble, and greatly fliortned his Work, as this is a Point
which nobody would have difputed with him.
Thus likewife he might have formed a beautiful Contrail between
the Jewifh and Heathen Religions and Philofophy ; and might, if
he plealed, as very likely he would, have alTerted, that Mojes co-
pied after the Heathens in this, as he maintains he did in other
Cafes. And, as far as I can perceive, his Argument would ha\*e
Hood on the fame Footing as at piefent ; fince it would be ground-
ed on the publick Part only, and not at all aflc(iled by i\\c fpiritual
meaning. It is the more llrange that he had not gone upon this
Plan, as he had a paflage of Bilhop BuWs under his Eye, which
llrongly hinted as much to him, and which I the rather chufe to
inlert here, in order to relcue him from the fervice into which
Mr. IFarb. lias prclFcd him. In the ne.xt fcflion to that ivhich
Mr. Warb. quotes this Queilion is propofed : Whether there were
any under the Law, who hoped for eternal Life ? In the Difcuffion
of which are thefe Words.
Frtstena
9^ State of the World
ed no explicit Revelation of a future State, which the
firft Covenant made no Provifion for ; but which is
a Doftrine abfolutely necefiary for the fupport of Re-
ligion in this mortal L:fe, and which nothing elle
can fupply the want of. And therefore tho' a future
State did not really make any part of the Mofaic
Difpenfation, yet as this Difpenfation was typical of
Chriftianity, feveral Intimations of and AUufions to
a future State are to be found in it. And I am fully
perfuaded that the Church of God in all Ages, even
from its Infancy, had fome notices, more or lefs,
youchfafed it of a Doftrine, without which it can-
not well be conceived how it could fubfift, as is fut-
ficiently evident it had f[-om the xi Ch. to the He-
brews •, tho' it was not brought to full Light but by
the Gofpel.
To return, the Law of Mofes Ihev/ed Man the
neceffity there was of a Redeemer, and of a Law of
Mercy, but remitted them to the Gofpel to find
them : Wherein its ufe was to ferve as a Type, or
Shadow of good Things to come^ and a School-majier
to
Prteterea fJoruerunt fmndh SecuHs in populo Jndaico Viri Dei ac
"ProphctfB ccelitus edoSii, quos inter tot Arcana ipfts patefncia, myf-
tkum hunc Legis Senfum penitus igjwr/ijfc, nihil'iue de futura 'Vita
intellexij/e, nemo prp.dens fufpicabitur. Cum auiem nefas fit vel
(ogitiiffe Viros optimos fapientianiy qua ipfi pollebant, aliis invidijfei
crcdendiim ommno efi, eos ficuhi idoneos invcnerint Auditor es evolvijje
its obteda in Lege Myfteiia, finguVjque tantuni tiperuij/e, quantum
Qaptui ipjorum ec Utilitatis Ratio fc^ebat. In publicis autem Con-
(loitibui Prophet a ac Sapientes ita loqticbantur^ ut ncc in Contemptum
udducerent Arcana fanilioris Dilciplina?, et tarnen Juditorem atten-
tum ad inveftigandi jollicitudinevv excitarent. Atque bine natum ar-
hitratur 7naxitHus Grotius dif crimen antiquitus inter Judeeos ceLbra-
tum, Jcripta L'gis, ct Legis oralis, quam --Tiii\iionQm vacant i
utrnmque dircntes a Mjfe prtfectam : Non quod Res alia fuerint
in Trad'ition'i quam in Lege Jcriptte, fed quod ea qua iv Lege fcripta
^ccukius continebantur, Jfudiofis Indagatoribus enodoret accwatior
In'-.rt^ etatio. Atgue hac auiiirm djcendi Ratio apud Populum craf-
Jio, llnir.Uor ap.'i rQ(; 'STfox.o-^ociloi^ jbtinuijffc vi^etur .
Uruvmna Jpojtjua. Dijjht. poji. Cap. x. f. 6.
i?i the early Ages. 95
to bring them to Chriji, their Guardian and Precep-
tor in their ftate of minority, defigned only in fome
meafare to corredt the ftubbornnels of their Nature,
to difciphne and keep them in order for the Time
of its Duration, and then to deUver them up to
Chrift for their Accomphfhment in Righteoufnefs.
And if the Mofaic CEconomy was not adapted
for the purpofe of reforming the World, much lefs
fo muft any preceding Difpenfations have been •,
tho' none of them were without their ufe, and each
carried on the purpofes and defigns of Providence,'
and was moft proper and fitting in its Seafon — As
I fhall fhew in the following Chapter.
CHAP. Vl. '
Of the Reformatio?! wrought in the world in the
ages precedijig the GofpeL
NOtwlthftanding all the forementioned diffi-
culties and hindrances with which the work
of Reformation was embarrafs'd, it went
on, and the world was more or lefs benefited and
improved by every ftep of Providence for that pur-
pofe.
In order to form the better judgment of the Im-
provement of the world in general, from the Flood
downward, it will be requifite to flcp back, and
take a view of the moft remarkable prefervatives,
and antidotes made ufe of by Providence, againft
corruption, in the fcveral ages of it. •*
In the firft age, Noak\ who was invefted with the
feveral authorities of Parent, Governor and Preacher,
(which laft he cannot be fuppofed to have neglected
in the new world, efpecially as it had a greater
Weight now in virtue of the other two) Noah, I
fay,
* See Lat(j\ Confidcrauon. p, 73,
96 ^ Reformation of the World
fay, made iife of this threefold authority to Inftil
and preferve right notions of Religion in his Chil-
dren ; which he had the better opportunity of doing,
as they liv^d a great part of his long Life in one
fociety under him.
And we have an inftance of his care in this Refpedt
in the tradition of thofe /even famous precepts of his
deliver'd to his Sons, which made a fufficient fyftem
of Morality for that and feveral fucceeding ages.
Upon the increafe of Mankind, we are told, that
they form*d the projeft of building the Tower of
Babel^ the defign of which was to prevent a Difper-
fion, and get themfelves a name^ Gen. xi. 4. But
God Almighty forefeeing the ill confequences of this
proje6l, with regard to the morals and welfare of
Mankind, confounded their language and enterprize,
and difperfed them abroad over the face of the whole
earth: By which means he mortified this vain hu-
mour in the difappointment of it, and likewife pre-
vented an univerfal Monarchy, and therein univer-
fal corruption, which at that time had been the con-
fequence of it ; and by dividing Mankind into dif-
tindt Tribes, he reduced them to the virtue and
difcipline of fmall focicties.
Thus, however wickednefs might prevail in par-
ticular Nations, God Almighty, by this one ad of
infinite and adorable wifdoin, fix'd fo many barriers
asainfl: the for jading; of it, as there are fbcieties in
the world, differing in language, inclination, inte-
refl and m.anners, and by this means render'd an
univerfal Reformation more feafible. *
Or fuppoung this confufion did not relate to Lan-
guage, but to Religion, or to that part of it call'd
Confcflion, according to the new account given of
it, the diiperfion was ftill attended with the fame
happy effeds, and the confufion in this fenfe of it,
was
* Rci'cladon examin'J.
biifore the Gofpel Age. 97
was moreover a means of checking Idolatry in its
rife, and reftraining its future progrefs. *
Nor was this divifion and difptrfion of the Na-
tions made in a confufed and fortuitous, but in an
orderly and regular manner, as Bidiop Patrick ob-
ferves •, the over-ruling Providence and fpecial hand
of God interefting itfelf in it very remarkably, in
providing fit means for the maintenance of a fenfe of
God and Religion in the feveral parts of the world.
For when the mojl High divided to the nations their
inheritance^ when he feparatedthe Sons of Adi'^r[\^ he
Jet the hounds of the people according to the number of
the children <?/Iirael. Deut. xxxii. 8. And St Paul,
yWs xvii. 26, 27, which is a good comment upon
this text, gives the reafon of this regard which was
had to the number of the Children of Ifrael in the
divifion of the nations — He determined the bounds of
their habitation, that they fhould feek the Lord, if
haply they might feel after him and find him. The
end then of this particular and previous regard to
the number of the chofen feed (which is ililed a pe-
culiar treafure, a kingdom of Priefis, and a holy na-
tion, Exod. xix. 5, 6.) was, that they might bear
a fit proportion to the reft of mankind, and might
be as fo much leaven to the whole mafs •, as a quick-
ening and enlivening principle to excite and main-
tain due apprehenfions ot God, his worfliip and fer-
vice, in the world.
Now befides, that this is an early and remarka-
ble inftance of God's forecaft and care for the in-
ftru(51:ion of the world, it moreover lets us into the
H general
* See the new Account of the Cnnfufion of Tongues. No'liin?
hinders but ihac this Confufion might rtlarc both to Lanniiaee and
Religion, lo that both Accounts nuy well be confillcnt with each
otiier. Or if that relating to Religioii took place firfl, the oihcr
mull in the na:uie of Things foon follow, as it is evident the>e was
a divertity of Language in the World much fooncrihan lihe l'.u:ons
of the other Opinion arc willing to allou .
98 Reformation of the IVorld
general methods of l\is Providence in this refpeclil —
It fhews us, that it extends to all nations, and all
ages — That he from time to time, and at all times,
raifes up a fufEcient number of Men to be his witnef-
fes, his heralds and arnbafladors to the reft of the
world — That, from the beginning, he had people
chofen and fet apart for this purpofe — That he is very
exaft, and obferves certain rules ofproportion in this
refpedt, that there may be no deficiency in their
number -, but that they may at all times increafe in
due proportion to the increafe of the reft of mankind
— That this matter is the particular object of his pre-
determinate counfel and toreknowledge, fince this
regard to the children of Ifrael was had many ages
before either they, or 7/9"<2d'/ himfelf, were in being.
As Men were not to be reftrained within the
Bounds of the true ReHgion, and the torrent of
Idolatry and Polytheifm, which began to overfpread
the World, was not to be witliftood ; that the wor-
Jhip of the true God miight not be entirely loft, and
in order to provide for a gradual Increafe of it, and
to pave the way for a Reformation, God was pleaf-
ed to call his fervant Abraham^ and to caufe him to
withdraw himfelf from his own Country, where the
Corruption was become univerfal •, and, as fome Wri-
ters affirm, had infected his own Family. *
Whoever confiders the many remarkable occur-
rences and circumftances in this renown'd Patriarch's
life — His feveral journey ings, and the extraordinary
manner in which God was pleafed to diftinguifti him,
by numerous bleffings, and many fignal prote(5tions
and manifeftations of his Providence, wherever he
went — The many Revelations he was favour'd with ;
particularly, that of the Mejfiah — That he fhould
Ipring out of his loyns ; through whofe name he was
likewife
* See Bifliop Patrick on Job. .Append,
before the Gofpel Age. po
^ikewife taught to worjfhip-f- — His care in propagat-
ing thefe and other important points of Religion,
and inftrucling his family in them, attefted by God
himfelf — / know him, that he will command his chil-
dren and his houJJjold after him^ and they JJoall keep
the ways of the Lord, Gen. xviii. 19, — His great
power and influence, and the fame of his eminent
virtue and wifdom, and peculiar favour with Al-
mighty God, which had fpread throughout all the
world — Whoever, I fay, confiders thefe and other
circumftances in the life and chara6ler of Abraham,
will eafily conceive, how great an inftrument he
muft have been in the hand of God, of diffufmg
true Religion and Wifdom over the moft eminent
regions of the world -, and the propagation and dif-
perfion of thefe BlelTings far and wide, made him
already, tho' in a lower fenfe of that promife, a
Blejfing to all the nations of the earth.
For be it further confider'd, that Abraham had a
very numerous family, made up of a great variety
of people of different countries : and therefore true
Religion and Virtue muft needs be carried along with
them, when they return'd to their own homes, or
wherever the Providence of God convey'd them for
that purpofe. * And not only Abraham and his
houfhold, but his contempories. Lot and Melchi-
zedeck, and their families, were appointed as Moni-
tors and Inftruclors to the neighbouring nations, in
the ways of righteoufnefs and piety. Accordingly
we have reafon to believe, that the Moabites and
Ammonites, Defcendants of JL^j/, long retain' d a true
notion of Religion.
Other methods proving ineffedlual for their amend-
ment, fome nations were made dreadful examples
of, that others might take warning by tneir tate :
H 2 Thus
■f- Shttrhford\ Conncdl. Vol. i. p. 291.
• See Z,j:f*s CouliJciaaons on Religion, p. 76.
100 Reformatio?! of the World
Thus Scdcm and Gomorrah were deftroy'd by a moft
miraculous and vifible judgment, and left to be a
Handing monument ot God's fevere vengeance
againft fin, efpecially that moft deteftable fin of So-
dom, to all fucceeding generations -, and to imprefs
upon mankind a dread of offending him, a hatred
of vice, and love of virtue, together with a lively
fenfe of his particular infpedion into the affairs of
Men; his flriftjufhice in punifhing Sin, and inref-
cuing and rewarding Innocence ; as well as his re-
markable difpofition to mercy, inafmuch as if there
had been but ten righteous Perfons in all thofe wick-
ed Cities, he would have [pared them for ten's Sake.
Befides the Servants, and other Sons of Abraham,
which were many, Ifaac and IJhmael muft have
been very inftrumental in propagating the true Reli-
gion. IJhmael'' % Mother and Wife were both Egyp-
tians ; his Sons, twelve in number, and of great
power, being ftiled Princes, and their dominions of
large extent. Gen. xxv. i6, i8. TJaac marrying his
Wife from Mefopotamia.^ this alliance and affinity re-
new'd with the Chaldeans., could not fail of good
effect, for the prefervation and advancement of true
Religion in thofe countries. Efau married two
v/ives of the Daughters of the Hittites., and by that
means gave them opportunity of acquainting them -
felves with the Religion of the Hebrews. He was
Father of the Edomites., and of a numerous offspring
of Dukes and Kings, who probably profeffed the
true Religion.
Jacob is fent to Padan-aram., to many into the
family of Lab an., with v/hom he abode twenty years ;
and all that he took in hand profper'd, 'io that there
was a vifible power and bleffing of God in it, as La-
han confefs'd. Gen. xxx. 27. Afterwards God ma-
nifefted himftlf to the Egyptians by a various and
wonderful Providence •, tor the fojourning of the
Chil-
before the Gofpel Age. i o i
Children of Ifrael^ who dwelt in Egypt, was 430
Years, till at laft, by Jigns, and wonders, and dreadjul
judgments upon their jirji-bcrn and upon their Gods,
they were brought out from thence, and the nations
heard the fame of it, and all the earth was filed with
the glory of the Lord.
I'hus Chaldea and Egypt, the moit famous and
fiourifhing countries in thofe ages of the world, as
well as many other places of inferior note, had the
true Religion brought home to them by the Pa-
triarchs, who were fent from' place to place to fo-
journ, to be a pattern and example to the reft of
mankind. And Men who travell'd fo far, converf-
ed with fo many nations, and were fo zealous for
God's honour — had fach frequent Revelations, and
the immediate diretlion of God himfelf in moft of
the a6tions of their lives, — and who were fo great
and powerful, and numerous, m.uft needs mightily
propagate Religion wherever they came •, nor can
it be doubted but that they had great fuccefs in all
places : For even out of Egypt where they endured
the greateft hardfhips, and were held in fuch con-
tempt and hatred, yet a mix^d multitude went up alfo
with them, befides the native Ifraelites, Exod.
xii. 38.
The wicked Canaanites, indeed, were not wrought
upon by the examples and inftrucftions of the Pa-
triarchs, tho' their chiet refidence was among them ;
nor yet by the dreadful judgments upon Sodom and
Gomorrah, the effedls of which were conftantly be-
fore their eyes, and therefore having filled up the
meafure of their iniquities, God made them an ex-
ample to others, fince they would take no warning
themfelves.
How much the true Religion prevail'd by thefe
difpenfations of Providence among other nations,
befides the Hebrews, v/e have an illuilrious inltance
11 3 in
102 Reformation of the World
in Job, and his Friends, who were Princes and Pro-
phets in their feveral dominions ; whence it ap-
pears, that Revelations were made to thofe nations
hkewife, and that the fundamentals of ReHgion were
known to them. And there is no doubt but the propa-
gation ot Rehgion in other parts of the world would
be as evident, if the Scripiiure had on fet purpofe,
and not occafionally only, treated of this matter :
As we may gather from the footlleps to be found
in feveral heathen Authors of what the Scriptures de-
liver to us •, and from the feveral allufions and re-
prefentations in the rites and ceremonies of their
Rehgions, expreffing, tho' obfcurely and confufed-
ly, the chief points of Scripture- ftory, as has been
Ihewn by many learned Men. Let us now confider
what the mofaic Difpenfation contributed to the
Reformation of the world, and how it went on in
this period.
I. With regard to the people of the Jews them-
felves, notwithftanding they were a rebellious peo-
ple, a perverfe and ftubborn generation, tho' not
more fo than their Neighbours, as I have fliewn a-
bove p. 83, yet they muft iiave been very per-
verfe, indeed, if all the warnings given, threats de-
nounced againft, and judgments from time to time
inflicted upon them, had not v/rought fome good
effects in them. Accordingly we find, that the fe-
vere difcipline they were under, cured them at laft
of their pronenefs to Idolatry fo efre6lually, * that
after their Return from the Babylonijh Captivity,
they never once revolted from the worfhip of the
true
* Jer. xxiv. 5. God expiefly fays that his Intent in fending
the two Tribes captive to the Land of the Chaldeans, Wasycr
their Good. And c, 7. Izvill <^k-e you an heart to knozutne, that
I am the Lord— -for tbey /hall return uttlo vie zvith their zvbole
heart.
before the Go/pel Age. 103
true God, nor difcover'd the leaft inclination that
way. On the contrary, they became zealous of
their Law, even to fuperllition, and grew (o tena-
cious of their Religion, that many of them facrificed
their lives in defence of it.
Indeed, upon the appearance of a more perfe6t
Difpenfation, this became their fault, and continues
fo to this Day ; but before, their zeal for it was un-
doubtedly virtuous and commendable. The cha-
radler of the Law above-mention'd, that it was a
Schoolmafier^ implies inftru6lion ^ and fome benefit
fure mull have accrued to the Learners of it, elpe-
cially as they were in fucceeding ages fo diligent in
the ftudy of it.
II. With regard to mankind in general : Tho*
the Ifraelites^ by their laws concerning Religion and
Governmient, may feem to have been wholly fepa-
rated from the reft of the world, and the divine Re-
velations to have been confined to one Nation, yet
there ftill were fufficient means, and frequent op-
portunities for all Nations to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
For tho' the judicial and ceremonial Laws were
impracticable out of Judea^ yet the moft valuable
part of their ReHgion, the knowledge of the true
God, and the moral Law, were indifferent to all
parts of the world. And the Law of Mofes did par-
ticularly provide for the inftrudion of other Na-
tions therein, and the Scripture gives frequent com-
mand and encouragement concerning it. Provifion
is made for admitting Strangers and Profelytes,
who, in the very defign and inllitution of the Law,
were join'd with the native IfraeiUes themfelves, as
to all the rites and privileges of religious Worfliip,
in which they were invited to fliare.
And in cafe they would not fubmit to become
Converts to the whole Law, yet they were not re-
H 4 jefted
1 04 "Reformation of the World
iecled, but left to their liberty, being under no ob-
ligation, but to worihip the true God, and obferve
the precepts of Noah ^ which alone intitled them to
partake of their civil privileges, and live under the
protection of their Government : Infomuch, that it
is cbferved, no Government had fuch particular re-
gard for Strangers, or was fo peculiarly contrived
for their encouragement to live under it. Accord-
ingly, multitudes of Profelytes were made out of
all Nations, the Providence of God fo ordering and
difpofing of the Jews in all their affairs, as to afford
other Nations frequent opportunities of being in-
ftr Lifted in the true Religion.
The miraculous deliverance of the Children of
Ifrael out of Egypt, magnified the power of God in
all countries, where the report of an event lb won-
derful and notorious came. Thus God himfelf fays,
that Fie made himfelt knovm to them in the fight
cf the Heathen., by bringing them forth out of the
Land of Egypt. Ezek. 20. 9. And their various
fucceffes in the land of Canaan, not only their victo-
ries, but overthrows, and the miraculous power of
God vifibly appearing either in their defeat and pu-
nidiment, or in their conqueft and deliverance, muft
needs raife a mighty fame and admiration of the
God of Ifrael, in all thofe countries. Their fre-
quent fubjeftions by their Enemies, and deliverance
by the Worthies raifed for that purpofe, muft give
great occaiion to all the bordering Nations to know
and confider that Religion, the obfervation or neg-
lect whereof had fuch vifible effects upon its Profef--
fors.
In the reign of David, their attention was raifed
ftill higher ■■, for he extended his conquefts far and
near, and the fame of him went out into all Lands,
end the Lord brought the fear qf bim upon all Na-
tions. I Chr. xiv, 17.
But
before the Gofpel Age. 105
But in Solomon's reign, the kingdom of Ifrael be-
came yet more famous and flourifhing. Not only
Hiram^ King of I'yre^ and the Queen of Sheba^ but
all the Kings of the Earth fought to Solomon to hear
his wifdom. i Kings iv. 34, x. 24. His dominions
were exceeding great — He reigned over all the Kings
from the river (Euphrates) even unto the land of the
Philiftines, and to the border <?/ Egypt. 2 Chr. ix.
26. The trade and correfpondence of the Ifraelites
with foreign Nations, was mightily advanced in his
time, and caufed their Laws, and Cuftoms, and
Religion, to be much obferved and enquired into.
AncTthe Gentiles were fo forward to become Profe-
lytes in thefe Reigns, that their fincerity became
fufpefted ; and therefore a ftop was put to the pub-
lick admifTion of them, tho' great numbers were ftill
rcceiv'd privately.
It is an obfervation made by fome of the Fathers,
that God placed Jertifalem in the midfb of the Na-
tions, that it might be a direction to the Heathen in
matters of Religion •, from whence, as from the
centre, light might be communicated to the cir-
ci^mjacent Regions.
But the divifion and calamities of the People of
Ifrael^ their captivities and difperfions, contributed
as much to the propagation of Pveligion, as their
greateft profperity could do. The captivity of the
ten tribes, whereby they were diftributed among
fome of the moll diftant Nations of the Earth,
was the means of conveying the knowledge of the
true God, whitherfoever they went ; as the fevcnty
years Captivity ol the two remaining Tribes in Ba-
hylon^ * made their Religion almoif as well known
there, as in Jertifalem itfelf. For the Almighty po-
wer of God was maniteftcd by miracles, proplie-
cies, and interpretation of dreams •, and his Majelly
and
* /7<.V Sui:ingfi^ci\-. O'h.Saave. I. i C. 3. 5. 6.
io6 Reformation of tJje World
and Honour was proclaim'd in the mofl publick
and folemn manner throughout all the Babylonian
Empire, at the command of Princes, v/ho were I-
dolaters, and were forced to it by the mere convic-
tions of their own confciences, wrought in them by
the irrefiftible power of God, Dan. iii. 28, 29 — vi.
16, 'ij. The Refloration of the Jews by Cyrus ^ who
had been long before appointed and named by God
himfelf for that work, was ordain'd for this end,
that they might know from the rifing of the Sun^ and
froyn the wefi, that there was no God bejides him. Ifa.
xlv. 6. The conquefts of Cyrus open'd a great cor-
refpondence between the Nations of the world, and
his particular favour to the Jews^ made them much
taken notice of by other Nations.
The Victories <d^ Alexander likewife made way for
a free communication between the feveral parts of
tlie earth, to the benefit of mankind in the improve-
ment of all ufeful knowledge •, and he likewife
granted the Jews feveral privileges and immunities.
The fame did feveral of his Succellbrs, particularly
Ptolemy Pbiladelphus., who among other favours,
caufed the holy Scriptures to be tranflated into the
greek tongue, which was an exceeding great further-
ance to the propagation of Religion.
In a word, never had any other Nation fuch vari-
ous changes and revolutions to mix it with the reft
of the world ; and never were any People fo induf •
trious, zealous and fjccefsful in the propagation of
their Religion, except thefirft Chriftians. They
were difperfed over all the world, but they chiefly
feated themfelves in Rome., Alexandria, and Antioch,
three of the moft populous Cities in it. In Egyft
they had a Temple -, and they had Synagogues in
all the chief Cities of Greece and Afia where they
dv/elt.
By all thefe means, and otliers too tedious to
men-
before the Gofpel Ages. ^ 1 07
mention particularly*, vaft multitudes of Profelytes
were made to the Jewijh Religion in all parts of the
world, and thus mightily did it prevail, till fuch
time as it had its full period and accomplifhment
in, and was fuperfeded by, the Gofpel Difpenfa-
tion.
From all which it appears, that notwithftanding
the great extent of Heathenifm^ the worfliip of the
true God, in every age, gain'd ground upon it,
even before the appearance of Chriftianity j and,
tho' it was at firft but like a gram of mufiard feed,
fown in one family, yet by the Providence of God,
it increafed to that degree, that it became like a
great tree, the birds of the air lodging in ils bran-
ches.
Add to this, that where the true Religion was
not profclTedly embraced, yet it was by many fecret-
ly admired and imitated : This appears from the
many memorials-and remembrances of it to be tra-
ced among the Heathen. Thus the knowledge which
they had of the God Jehovah, and feveral other re-
ligious notiors, Scripture-Hiftories, Inititutions,
Rites, Cufioms, which they adopted into their own
Religions, they could not have had any other way,
than as they learn' d and borrow' d them from the He-
brews •, by which means falfe Religions were in fome
meafure refined from their corruptions, and by de-
grees improved, by the true, tho' they were not
overcome by it.
This is particularly obfervcd of the Magian Reli-
gion •, which, as it was reformed by Zoroajlres, ap-
pears to have been framed after the Jewijh model,
moft
* If the Reader has a mind to examine tliis matter more parti-
cularly, I refer him to \ix J C7ih':iii\ Rcalvnuhlchcfs of Chrijlidnif^,
Vol, 1. Part 2d. ch, 2 f rum wheice this account is mollty extiaft-
ed. Or to Mr Arch Deacon LtirS^ Confidciaiions on ihc Su.c
gf the World uith regard to Kcligion, p- 73-1 1 7.
io8 Reformatioji of the World
moft of its doctrines and cuftoms being manifeftly
taken from the facred writings and ufages of the
Jews : And the Magians themfelves, in a manner,
own as much, by their claiming Abraham as the
Founder of their Religion •, and indeed the Sabians^
Indians^ and Mahometans^ likewife pretend the
fame. *
In like manner the Laws of the wifeft Heathen
Nations were taken from the Laws of Mofes, and
their Philofophers too had generally fome know-
ledge of the Religion of the Hebrews ; and perhaps
the beft and founded part of their Learning and
Philofophy was derived from the fame fountain ; it
being the opinion of feveral learned Men that Mofes
alone in his fhort Hiftory of the Creation hath
taught more than all the other Interpreters of Na-
ture, and that this is the Fountain from which all our
real Knowledge of it is derived. And there is great
Reafon to believe, notwithftanding what fome allege
to the contrary, that the true atomical or mechani-
cal Philofophy, which in thefe latter Ages was re-
vived by Des Cartes and improved by Sir Ifaac
Newton^ owes its original to our Jewifh Philofopher.
For this Philofophy is on all hands allowed to
have been known to the Antients •, but who the Au-
thor of it was is not as yet agreed upon. The com-
mon opinion is that its original is Greek, and that
Democritus and Leucipptis were the firft founders of
it, and this opinion is efpoufed by Dr Burnet, and
after him by Mr JVarbtirton. But Dr Cudworth
proves from feveral Teftimonies out of Plato's
1'hcateius, that this Philofophy v/hich folves all the
Phenomena of the corporeal world by thofe intelli-
gible Principles of Magnitude, Figure, Site, and
Motion, was known to Protagoras, who lived be-
fore the times of Der,20critus and Leucippus. That
there-
* Sec Pr.V <7<VA% Conncflicn, Part i.B. 4.
before the Go/pel Age. 109
therefore we have no reafon to difcredlt the Report
of Poftdonius the Stoick^ who, as Strabo tells us»
affirm'd this Philofophy to have been antienter than
the times of the Trojan war, and firft to have been
brought into Greece out of Phcenicia, and invented
by one Mofchus a Phcenician^ who probably is the
fame with t!iat Mochus or Mofchus the Phyfiologcr
that Jamblicus mentions in the Life of Pythagoras ;
where he affirms that Pythagoras lived fome time at
Sidon in Phoenicia^ converfed with the Prophets that
were the fuccefibrs of this Mochus^ and was inftruct-
ed by them. He therefore makes no difficulty in
concluding, that Mochus and Mofchus the Pbceni-
cian and Phyfiologer were one and the fame with
Mofes the Jewifh Law-giver. And that he accord-
ing to antient Tradition being the firft Author of
the corpufcular Philofophy, it ought to be called,
neither Epicurean^ nor Democrilkal, but Mofchical,
or Mojaical, or Phamician.*
Now if the Principles of this Philofophy can be
fairly traced out of the writings of Mofes^ I hope
this will be allowed to be decifive evidence of the
matter in difpute. I fhall therefore attempt an Ex-
planation of Mofes' s, Hiftory of the Creation, as far
as the fourth day inclufively on the Principles of it :
And if it is capable of being better explain'd on thefe
Principles than any other, this will furniffi tlie
ftrongeft prefumptive Proof that it was written on
thefe Principles, and no other.
This
* See Dr Cudworth'i Treatif^ on Morality, Chap. 3. and 4.
If Dr Burnet had feen this Trcacife hepcihaps would have foiukl
reafon for altering his opinion, and would have clleem'd Danccri-
/tfi and Lciuippus, not as the Invcntoif, but Corrupters of this
Philofophy, as in truth they were ; at leaft he would have an-
fwei'd Dt Cndzvorih''s arguments. Mr. IVarb. has fcen what Dr,
Cuuivorth Wrote on this Subject, and yet clpoules thecontrai y opi-
nion, without offering any thing of force 10 invalidate hii Rca-
fons.
10 1 Reformation of the World
This tafl<: I find in a good meafure done to my
hand in an ingenious Treatile * lately publifh'd,
which gave me the firft hint of this defign, and
which 1 approve of fo much in its general Hypo-
thecs, that I fhall beg leave to make ufe of it, for
my prefent purpofe, tho' 1 am obliged to differ
from the learned Author in my manner of explain-
ing fome particulars.
Verfe. i . In the beginning God created the Hea-
vens (the heavenly Orbs, Sun, Moon, and Stars)
and the Earth. Thus I think this firft verfe fhould
be underftood, as containing a general Account of
the Creation of the whole Univerfe ; after which
the infpired writer defcends to a more particular one
of this Earth, with which alone we are immediately
concern'd. Nor does there feem fufHcient Ground
for reftraining the fignification of the word Heaven
in this place to the Firmament or Air which fup-
ports the Clouds, becaufe this is called Heaven v.
7, 8. For I. The former is the more general ac-
ceptation of the word Q^Qiy. i. Our Air or Atmo-
fphere, when called by the name of Heaven^ may be
confidered as the lower Region of it. ■ Accordingly
3. It is frequently in this Chapter called the Firma-
ment of Heaven., implying that this is but a part of
the Heavens. If, 4. We ought not rather to under-
ftand the Firmament as extending to the place of
the Sun, Moon, and even fixed Stars, which God
fet in the Firmament of Heaven, v. 17.
Verfe. 2. And the Earth was without Form,, and
void, and Varknefs was u-pon the Face of the Deep.
A total darknefs covered the whole Face of the
Globe. This muft have been the cafe, notwith-
ftanding
* See Mr 'Jenmv.gi'i. Appendix to his Introdudion to the ufe of
the Globe?, &c. anempting to explain the Account of the firft
and fourth days Work of the Ci cation in the firll Chapter of GV-
Vff.S. »
before the Gofpel Age, 1 1 1
(landing the Sun was already created. For fuppo-
fing it to fliine forth in its full ftrength upon this
confufed Chaos, which we can form no other Idea
of, than that of a thick Puddle confiding of an e-
qual mixture of Earth and Water, what Etteft would
it have, but the fame that we often fee it have at
prefent when it breaks out upon marfliy, or even
found Lands, reeking wet after a heavy Fall of
Rain, or Waters •, upon which when it calls ai\ in-
tenfe Heat, it immediately exhales a thick Mill or
Vapour ? This, I fay, was the Sun's immediate Ef-
feft on the Chaos, but in a greater degree. It ex-
haled fuch a denfe Vapour as prefcntly abforbed its
Rays, and made that part of the Earth's furface
which was obverted towards it (which I take to be
chiefly meant by the Face of the Deep) to be as in-
accelTible to its Beams, as that part ot it was, which
was turned from the Sun. And this Vapour would
undoubtedly in a lliort time become fo great as to
fill the whole Atmofphere of that Hemifphere, and
would there flagnate, there being not the lead
Breath of Air to help to carry it off. Well therefore
might Mofes fay, that Darknefs was upon the Face
€f the Deep. For this might be called an Horror of
great Darknefs^ even thick Darknefs fuch as might be
felt, as he elfewhere expreffes himfelf This Effect
of the Sun on the Chaos may be illullrated by what
it is faid to have produced foon after. Gen. ii. 6.
where we are told that there went up a Mifi from the
Earth, which being newly feparated from the Wa-
ter, mud have had a great deal of moidure in it,
out of which the Vapour that afcended from it was
exhaled.
— And the Spi?'it of God moved upon the Face of the
Waters.
The Word here tranQated moved is p^niC, which
not being confined in its fignification to any parti-
cular
112 "Refer fnatton of the World
cular kind of Motion, Mr Jennings very naturally
fuppofes that hereby is, meant, that the Spirit of
God caufed the Face of the Waters to move, by
inipreffing upon the Globe its diurnal circumvolu-
tion on its Axis. This probably gave it its Orbi-
cular Form, and thus, as it is expreffed by Solomon^
He fei aCompafs on the Face of the Deep. Prov. viii. 27.
Verfe. 3. And God [aid., let there be Light —
The Motion above mention'd was communica-
ted, not only to the Earth itfelf, but to the circum-
ambient Atmofphere likewife, where operating in
quality of ajlrong Wind^ * the literal fignification of
the Word nil, as well as of Spirit, it agitated and
difpelled the thick Vapour, and driving part of it
into the other half of the Atmofphere, it by that
means affifted the Sun to rarify it : The confequence
of which was, that tho' it ftill continued very much
to obfcure the Face of the Sky, yet fome of the
Sun-beams began to penetrate through it •, and tho'
perhaps not directly, yet by frequent Refradtions at
laft to reach the Earth :
and there was Light ;
tho' probably as yet but a faint and glimmering one,
however fuch as was fufficient to diftinguifh it from
the Darknefs, and fo to conftitute Day and Night.
Verfe. 6. And God /aid, let there be a Firmament
in
* So DNl'r'^J nn may be tranflated. Thus we trandate i
Snm. xiv. i $, D^T7t< H'Y^n, ^ I'erf grent trembling: ^118
*7N goodly Cedars. Pi. 80. 1 1 • And PI. 36. 7- VS mH ftrong
Mountains. Accordingly therefore DM 7S ni"l might he ren-
der'd, a llrong Wind moved upon the h'aceoithe Waters ; accord-
ing to the rule fiipcrlativitm exprimurit Hcbrai adjun8ione alia/jus
ex noinniibus Dei, tho' I do not propofe this in oppoiition to, but
in conjunftion with the other fenfe of thele word;. The Spirit of
God, in quality of n Jlrong Wind, moved. Thus Alis. 2. He
■ is laid to have delccn.ded upon the Apoltles, on the day of Pente-
collc, tvith a mighty rujbing Wind.
before the Gofpel Age. 113
ftarw^ng the Sun was already created. For fuppo-
fing \ to fhine forth in its full ftrength upon this
confuftd Chaos, which we can form no other Idea
of, tharTidiat of a thick Puddle confilling of an e-
qual mixtute of Earth and Water, what EffevSl would
it have, buf\the fame that we often fee it hav^ at
prefent, wheri\t breaks out upon marfhy, or even
found Lands, reeking wet after a heavy Fall of
Rain, or Waters\ upon which when it calls an in-
tenfe Heat, it imrkediately exhales a thick Mid or
Vapour ? This, I fay, was the Sun's immediate Ef-
feft on the Chaos, buKin a greater degree. It ex-
haled fuch a denfe VapVir as prefently abforbed its
Rays, and made that papf of the Earth's furtace
which was obverted toward^s it (which I take to be
chiefly meant by the Face of\the Deep) to be as in-
accefllble to its Beams, as that^part of it was, which
was turned from the Sun. And this Vapour would
undoubtedly in a fliort time bahpme fo great as to
fill the whole Atmofphere of thaV Hcmifphcre, and
would there ftagnate, there bei\g not the lead
Breath of Air to help to carry it off\ Well therefore
might Mofes fay, that Darknefs ivaKiipon the Face
of the Deep. For this might be calleoi ^« Horror of
great Darknefs., even thick Darknefs fiuh as might he
felt., as he elfewhere expreflTes himfclf ^his EflTedt
of the Sun on the Chaos may be illullrate^ by what
it is faid to have produced foon after. G^i. ii. 6.
where we are told that there ivent up a Mi ft fvojn the
Earth., which being newly feparated from tht Wa-
ter, muft have had a great deal of moiilure \n it,
out of which the Vapour that afcended from it\was
exhaled.
— And the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the
IVaters.
The Word here tranflated moz-edxs r\t:niJ2'> by which
the rabbinical Writers imagine is meant a fort of /«-
1 cubation.
114. Reformation of the World
cuhat'ion. The Word occurs but twice befides in
Scripture. Detit. 0^2. 11. Jer. 23. 9. in both which
places it fignifies ditFerent kinds of motion, but has
not much affinity in either with this fenfe of it. This
therefore being a word of latitude, Mr Jennings very
naturally fuppoies that hereby is meant, that the Spirit
of God caufed the Face ot the Waters to move, by
impreffing upon the Globe its diurnal circumvolu-
tion on its Axis. To which I add, that the Earth's
annual motion round the Sun may herein likewife be
included, this motion being neceffary to have been
impreffed upon it as early as any other, in order to
ferve as a Balance to its centripetal Force, which
would otherwife have attracted it to the Body of the
Sun. And to convince us how applicable the word
is to thefe kinds of Motion, it is obfervable that the
Syriac marachophi fignifies the * circular motions
which are made in Water by the cafting in of a Stone •,
which are remarkably analogous to the Motions we
fuppofe to be fignified by the Hebrew word, from
which the Syriac is derived.
Verfe. 3. And God faid^ let there be Light —
The Motion imprelTed on the Earth was likewife
communicated to the circumambient Atmofphere,
where operating in quality oi ^.Jiyong Wind^ "f the li-
teral
* Circuli in Aqua per jadlum Lapidls. Callelli Lexicon in locum,
\ So QNT:?^< mi may he tranflated. Thus we trandate. i
Zam. xiv. i $, D^"T78 min, a very great trembling: 'HH
*7« gooil^ Cedars. Pi. 80. 11. And PI. 36. 7. ^8 ^I'MT^ llrong
Mountains. Accordingly therefore Din'?H HH might be ren-
dered, (I flrong Wind moved upon the Face of the Waters ; accord-
ing to the xv\^ fuperlativum exprimunt Hebrai adjm^ione diciijus
ex nojninihis Dei, tho' I do not propofe this in oppofuion to, but
in conjunftion with the other fenfe of thefe words. The Spirit of
God, in quality of a ft rang Wind, moved. Thus ASs. 2. He
is faid to have defccnded upon the Apoilks, on the day of Pente-
Corte, ivith a mighty rujhin^_ Wind.
before the Go/pel Age. j r ^
fceral fignlfication of the Word mi? as well as of
Spirit, it agitated and difpelled the thick Vapour,
and driving part of it into the other half of the
Atmofphere, it by that means afTifted the Sun to ra-
tify it : The confequence of which was, that tho' it
ftill continued very miich to obfcure the Face of the
Sky, yet fome of the Sun-beams began to penetrate
through it ; and tho' perhaps not directly, yet by
frequent Refra6lions at laft to reach the Earth :
and there was Light •,
tho' probably as yet but a faint and glimmering one,
however fuch as was fufficient to dillinguifl-i it from
the Darknefs, and fo to conftitute Day and Night.
Verfe. 6. JndGonfaid, let there be a Firmament
in the midji of the JVaters, and let it divide the Wa-
ters from the Waters.
The Sun and Wind continuing to operate on the
thick Vapour, rarified and raifed it by the fecond
day to fuch a degree as to form it into Clouds ;
which becoming fpecifically ligiiter than the Air,
now likewife formed into a diitinct Element, and
being pretty well clear' d and refined from thofs
watery Vapours it was before blended with, they be-
came fupported by it •, and it became, what we not
improperly * tranflate, l^he Firmament to divide the
Waters from the Waters. And hence we find a fuf-
ficient quantity of Water to furnilh the Regions a-
bove the Firmament, and to fupply that great Col-
leftion of it, w-iich feems to be intimated in the text.
With regard to the Waters under the Firmament,
it may not be a.mifs to obferve, that as foon as the
Chaos had Being given it, the feveral jmrts of it be-
gan to gravitate towards fome common Centre. For
I 2 / i:
* See a Vindication of the Propriety of tranilating ^^'^'^ by
Firmament, in CafleW Lexicon, and his Animadverfiones ^a'nariticay
annext to Billiop Wijlt^h Folyglott Bible, Tom. uit. p. i.
1 1 6 Reformation of the IForld
it cannot be fuppofed how it could hang together
even in that ftate, without being held by this Law
at leaft, which perhaps was the only one then impref-
fed upon it. And if fo, the terrene Particles, being
fpecificaily heavier than the watery, fubfided and
tended more forcibly towards the Centre of Gravity,
and left the watery Particles to fwim on the furface.
Verfe. 9. And God faid, let the Waters under the
Heaven he gathered together unto one place, and let
the dry land appear, 6zc.
Tho' this and every other day's Work of the
Creation is chiefly to be afcribed to the proper and
immediate Power of God exerting itfelf by his Al-
mighty Word, yet as this almighty Power was di-
rected by infinite Wifdom, we mufb fuppofe there
were certain Laws prefcribed it, by which it acted
and regulated itfelf, otherwife it had been but a
blind force : And that as foon as fecond Caufes were
produced by it, it immediately made ufe of their
Operation, as it has continued to do ever fince : If
it be not more proper to fay that fecond Caufes are
but different Modifications or Operations of the one
great Caufe of all. This being obferved, I fay the
gathering together of the Waters, and the dry land
being made to appear, feems to have been in a great
meafure promoted, ^f not altogether effefted, by the
Earth's Revolution on its Axis. For the terrene
Particles having, as was obferved above, fubfided
by virtue of the Centripetal Force, the Earth's Ro-
-tationon its Axis produced another Force, which
has been called the Centrifugal ; the refult of which
acting in oppofition to the former, was that the
terrene Particles were diGodged from the Centre, and
the dry land as well as Water was caufed to appear
on the furface of the Globe j and the Waters falling
into the Cavities which were formed by the Inequa-
lities
before the Go/pel Age. i ly
lities in the Earth's furface, thefe Cavities be-
came their Receptacle, wherein they were gathered
together.
The Words of the Text, if duly attended to,
will appear greatly to confirm this Account.— The ga -
thering together of the Waters implies that they were
before dilperfed over the whole Face of the Earth ;
and the appearing of the dry land intimates that it
was before covered by the Water, and that now it
was brought up to the furface of the Globe.
Another effeft of the Earth's Rotation on its Axis,
not improper to be here taken notice of, was pro-
bably the giving to it its orbicular Form, as it
was without Form before -, which is alluded to
by Solomon^ Prov. 8. 26, 27. where he introduces
Wifdom difcourfing concerning the Creator and his
Works — He had not yet made the Earth — nor the *
Height of the Duji in the World. When he prepared
the Heavens I was there^ when he fet a Compafs on
the face of the Deep. hxAmJob 26. 10. He fet
bounds (circular bounds, as the original fignifies)
about the Waters.
The Phasnomena of the three firft days being, as
has been Ihewn, aflifted in their Produdiion by the
Earth's Rotation on its Axis •, and the Sun, Moon,
and Stars, as may be fuppofed, beginning on the
fourth day to fhine in a diredt and vifible manner
upon the Earth, which the Interpofition of the Clouds
and Clofenefs of the Atmofphere might till now have
obftru6ted -, the infpired Hiftorian proceeds to give
us an Account of this day's work.
Verfe. 14. AndQox) faid, let there he Lights in
the Firmament of the Heaven^ to divide the day from
the night \ and let them be for ftgns., and for feafons^
and for days and years., &c.
I 3 That
* It is difficult to form any diftirn.^t Idea of thefe Words. The
original are "IIT^ n"^Sy tJ'fc<n, which may be re dcr'd ,•* th o> *
giTial Jtoms of the fVoriJ, " that is, the firll Trinciples of matter.
1 1 8 Reforjnation of the World
That this and the following Verfcs are not to be
underftood of the Creation of the Sun, Moon, and
Stars on this day may be prefumed, i . Becaufe, ac-
cording to the Interpretation above given of v. i.
they are faid to have been then created. 2. The Ex-
iftence of the Sun is fuppofed v. 3. where God com-
manded the Light to ihine, which the Sun is known
to be the Fountain of to this Earth. 3. As Mr Jen-
mngs takes notice ; The Suppofition that this Earth
Ihould take up five of the fix days work, and the
Sun, Moon, and Stars (in comparifon with which
this Earth is but very fmall and inconfiderable) fhould
all take up no more than one, viz. the fourth, makes
this Account very irregular and difproportionate.
Therefore He obferves, " that the original here
* may as well be rendered, let the Lights in the Fir-
' mament of Heaven he to divide^ &c. importing not
' their being firft created on that day -, but their be-
' ing made to ferve new purpofes, to which they
^ were now applied and adapted.' He obferves
further that^ whereas it is faid v. 16. God made
two great Lights^ &c. the Hebrew "Word for
7nade in this text is not ^"13, which more ge-
nerally fignifies to create, but TW^^ a word of a
general meaning, that may be here tranllated, God
made^ or appointed the two great Lights^ to rule the
day and the night, i. e. He then affigned them their
feveral offices in this refpeft. But allowing that
this word here fignifies the creating of thefe
Lights, I fliould think it might as eafily be tranfla-
ted with reference to the time more than pertecflly
pafl — For God had made two great Lights •■, the
greater Light to rule the day ., &c. And God had fet
them in the Firmament of the Heaven, &c.
There being therefore no neceffity to fuppofe that
the Sun, Moon, and Stars were not created till this
Day, Mr Jennings conjedures that this Day's Work
was
before the Go/pel Age. 119
was God's giving the Earth its annual Motion round
the Sun, and the iVIoon its Motion round the Earth ;
and endeavours to fliew how thefe two Motions an-
fwer the Phsenomena delcribed in verfes 14 — 19.
But for Reaibns already alTigned it feems moft pro-
bable that the annual as well as diurnal Motion was
iniprefled before this time. And with regard to the
Phasnomena of this Day's Work, they may as well,
if not better, be accounted for by fuppodng, that ber
fore this time the Axis of the Earth ilood at right
Angles with the Plane of the Ecliptic •, but that on
the fourth Day the Almighty and Alwife Creator gave /
it its Inclination towards it, making therewith an An- f^A ^
gle of 6^ Deg. 4-- And it is probable likewife, that 'J^^ ^
at the fame time the Inclination of the Moon's Orbit ^^^''^^
was produced : Nay fome of our Aftronomers are of-^>»c/i./i,>
Opinion that the IncHiiation of the Earth's Axis was /'/'i^''*^
alone fufficient to have brought about fuch an Effect,
and that the one ad:ually proceeded from the other.
This difpoiition we know, whenever it firft hap-
pen'd, is the caufe of that beautiful and agreeable Vi-
ciditude and Variety of the Seafons — this divides and
marks out Time into certain dlftind Periods, which
otherwife would efcape our Notice, being in itfelf too
fubtile a thing to fall under our obfervation — and by
this means the beginning and end of the year is pointed
out to us, and is likewife divided into certain lelTerpor^
tions. Very properly therefore might the great Lumi-
naries of Heaven be faid on this occafion to have been
appointed for Signs ^ and for Seafons^ and for Days^
and Tears.
Hence it appears how agreeable this Account of
the whole inanimate Creation is to true Philofophy,
which in thefe latter Ages was revived by Sir Ifaac
Newton. And this is a great confirmation of the
Tradition above mentioned, that Mofes was the Au-
thor of it, fince his Account of the Creation feems
to have been written on the Principles of it.
I 3 Hence
I20 Reformation oj the World
Hence likewife it appears, That that which is
called the Copernican Syftem was not unknown to
our Jewifh Phiiofopher, if he were not indeed the
Author of it, as it is certain it was known to the
Egyptians, in all whofe Wifdom he was learned, and is
allowed to be the moft antient Opinion of all others.
Or if Mofes be not allowed to have underftood
the true motions of the Earth and Moon, yet this is
at leaft an unconteftable Evidence that He muft have
written this Account by the AlTiflance of one that
did, that is, of the great Creator, who impreffed
their feveral motions upon them, and who directed
him to draw up a juft Defcription of them.
The World being now made habitable, the
two remaining Days were employed in furnifh-
ing it with Inhabitants, and to this end in crea-
ting Man and other Animals. But the Philofo-
phy hereof is what we cannot pretend to give
any Account of, the Laws relating to the Produc-
tion of Life and Spirit being out of mortal Ken ;
fo that we have nothing left in this cafe to do, but
humbly to adore the Wifdom and Power of the
great Author of our Being.
Upon the whole, to ufe the words of the above
writer, ' According to this Hypothefis it appears
' that the firfl Chapter of Genefis, inftead of merit-
* ing that contempt which fome Men have caft upon
* it, deferves rather to be efteemed, not only as the
' moft antient, but as the moft truly philofophical
* and beautiful Account of the Creation that ever
* was publiflied in the World.*
TO proceed now with the Defign of this Chap-
ter— God made ufe of other means befides thofe
already mentioned, to declare his glory to the Hea-
then, his jnarveUous 'works among all Nations. For
he raifed up his Prophets as well among them, as
his own People, and Miracles were Ibmetimes
wrought
before the Gofpel Age. 1 2 1
wrought among them by invoking the true God :
And by many other wonderful and infcrutable me-
thods of Providence, they were difpofed and pre-
pared for the reception of the Saviour of the
world ; whofe coming had, either by the Sibylline
Oracles^ or other prophetical notices (which it
is not material to examine) been, without doubt,
fufficiently made known among them. For it .\
appears from 'Tacitus and Firgil,^ thcLt xht v^hoXtL "V7 »
world, about the time of the birth of Chrift, was big
with expedations of the appearance ot fome extraor-
dinary Perfon, for the general good of mankind.
Indeed, both Jews and Gentiles were not only
taught to expect a Redeemer, but the fober and
confiderate among both were by this time convin-
ced of the neceflity of one. Each of them knew
enough to be fenfible of the mifery of their condition,
but neither of them knew how to help it. They
were convinced of their blindnels and ignorance,
and of the depravity of their Nature ; and more-
over of their utter inability to remove the one, and
re6lify the other. This the wifer Heathens faw and
lamented •, their own experience had convinced them
of the abfurdity of their feveral fyftems of Religion,
which Virtue made no part of; and tho' Morality
was taught among them, yet was it very imperfeft
and inefficacious, as it wanted the authority, cer-
tainty, obligation, and fanflions of a Law. They
were no lefs fenfible of the vanity of their Philofo-
phy, and infufficiency of mere natural Reafon ; tho*
it feemcd now to be arrived at as high a pitch of
Perfcftion, as mere natural Reafon could arrive at.
Tho' they fought all helps and means, that were to
be had, to improve it, yet they found all was too
little ; no afiiftance lefs than fupernatural being fuf-
ficient to remove thofe clouds of ignorance and error,
in which their Minds were involved. This feveral
of
1 2 a Reformation of the World
of them were fenfible of, and panted after. None
of their Se6ls of Philofophy could frame any certain
conclufions ; all their knowledge amounted only to
opinion ; and all their refearches ended in Scepti-
cifm. Accordingly, fome of them confefled, that all
they knew was, that they knew nothing ; and the
reafon why Socrates was pronounced the wifefb Man
by the Oracle, was, becaufe he had the ingenuity to
^3wn his ignorance.
Nor was this an inconfiderable ftep towards an
amendment of our Natures, it being neceffary in
order to a cure, to be firft fenfible of the need of it.
Neither could they who lived under the Law,
obtain Juftification by it, any more than thofe who
lived without it : Its chief ufe was to convince them
of its own unfitnefs, as hath been obferved, to make
the Comers thereunto perfect ^ Heb. x. i. as well as of
their Inability to perform it ; and by that means to
make them betake themfelves to Faith in the MeJJiah^
and build their hopes on him, whofe gracious Con-
defcenfion to the neceflity of our Condition was the
only adequate means of effefting a Remedy for it.
Providence having, by a long courfe of prepara-
tives, brought Mankind at laft to a due fenfe and
feeling of their condition, which was no inconfide-
rable point gain'd -, and the human Nature being,
in other refpe<5ts, reduced to a fit habit and difpofi-
tion, and its difbemper being arrived at its proper
crifis for the application of more direct and power-
ful means ; The Fidnefs of 'Time being now come,, *
the Sun of Right eotifnefs arifes with healing in his
wings. The great Phyfician of Souls appears in per-
fon, and prefcribes his univerfal Remedy, which
fuits every cafe, is fufficient to redify every difor-
der, and is to be the great reftorative of our Nature,
of
* Thefulnefs of Time for our Saviour's Coming is particularly
and judicioufly accounted for, by the ingenious and learned Mr
Arch-Deacon Laza, in his Confideradons on the Itate of Religion,
p. 1 26.
by means of the Gofpel. 123
of which truth I ihall hereafter give diftind, and, I
hope, convincing proofs.
And in order to it, I am at prefent to fhew, in
profecution of the argument I am upon, how much
the World hath been bettered already by the Pro-
pagation of the Gofpel.
CHAP. VII,
Concerni?ig the Reformation wrought in the worlB,
by means of Chrijlianity,
THE fpeedy Propagation of the Gofpel
throughout the whole World is a fad fo
well known and unconteiled, that the no-
toriety of its great fuccefs made it to be efteemed
miraculous •, fo that it is needlefs to trouble the Rea-
der with an hiftorical account of it.
Our Saviour Chrift foretold, that the Gofpel of his
Kingdom fhould be preached in all the World before that
Generation fhould pafs. Matt. xxiv. 14, 34. And the
accounts which are left us of the Travels of the Apo-
ftles, and of the feveral Nations converted by them,
together with the footfteps of Chriftianity which may
ftill be traced among the mod diftant and barbarous
People of the World, who at prefent enjoy lead of
the light of the Gofpel, leave us no room to doubt
of the accomplifhment of this Predid:ion.
It mufb, indeed, be owned and lamented, that
our moil holy Religion, however univerfally it was
diffufed and propagated, yet in fucceeding ages loft
much ground, by the encroachments of falfe Reli-
gions, and much of its influence on Men's Lives by
the corruptions, which by degrees crept into it : In-
fomuch that at prefent it is computed to poflefs not
above one Axth part * of tlie World, And one of that,
if
* This is the Computation of Sr^r^zi^oo^ in luj Erquit'cs into
the Divirftj oj Languages, Ch. xiv. p. 203. Where lie fays, • If
124- RrfonnatioJi oft he fforld
if we dcduft fuch of its Profeffors as are not better'd by-
it in theirLiVes,the number will be confiderably leffen'd.
Now admitting the above calculation to be as near
the truth as things of that nature can be fuppofed to
be, I defire it may be confidered,
I. That tho' the extent and influence of Chriftia-
nity may appear to be but comparatively fmall in
proportion to the whole World ; yet if we either
confider it in itfelf, or compare it with the Jewilh
Religion, which, before Chriftianity was grafted
upon it, was the Religion made ufe of by Provi-
dence for the Reformation of the World, we fhall
not in either of thefe views think it fo much ftrait-
ned in its bounds. True Religion, which at firft
was confined to one Family, and afterwards to one
Nation and corner of the World, has fince by de-
grees fo enlarged its Empire, as to be poiTefs'd of
vaft Kino doms and Territories, and is the eftablifh'd
Reliction in many Countries throughout the known
World i bcfides thofe which it fhares with other
Religions, where it is only tolerated j and ftill it is
but in its growth and progrefs, in its infancy, indeed,
with regard to what we are affurcd the future ex-
tent of it will be, as I fhall Hiew hereafter. So fit-
ly is the Kingdom of Heaven liken'd by our Saviour
to di grain of mitjlard-feed^ which is one of the leafl of
feeds •, hut when it isfown and grow eth up^ it fhooteth
out great branches^ fo that the Birds of the Air may
come and lodge under thefoadow of it. Mark iv. 3 1 , 32.
II. It is owing to the great Providence of God,
that the Gofpel hath flood its ground fo well as it
hath done, fmce notliing lefs than his efpecial care
and proteflion could have preferved it againfl: the
oppofition it hath met with, as well from the obfti-
nate
« we divide the kno^vn Countries of tlie World into thirty equa)
« parts five of them are Chriftian, fix Mahomrtan, and nineteen
« P/j7m!' Notwirhflanding feveral Drawbacks inight be made
from thii Calculation. See L^a's Confiderations, ISc. p. i 79.
by means of the Gofpel. 125
nate kifts and perverfe tempers of Men, as from the
malicious efforts of Satan, who hath never ceafed to
ftir up enemies againft it, and diftrefs it by all the
means his fubtile malice could invent.*
There have been many AntichrijU from the be-
ginning. I Jo. ii. iS. many ftill continue, and one
reigns more eminently fo, and is in Scripture parti-
cularly defcribed and diftinguifhed from the rcit.
Tho' there are two fuch fair Competitors for that
title, that it has been matter of difpute, and is ftill
undetermined, which deferves it befb. So power-
ful are the Enemies of the chriftian caufe ! And, in-
deed, it is not eafy to fay whether Chriftianity hath
fuffer*d moft from the impoftures of the falfe Pro-
phet^ or of the falfe Apojlle^ who prefumptuoufly
ftiles himfelf the Vicar of Chrift — Whether the arms
oi Mahomet h:3iWt made greater havock oftheeaftern
Churches — Or whether the tyranny and ufurpation,
the idolatries and forceries of the Church of RomCy
have not of the two done greater mifchief to Chriftia-
nity in thefe weftern parts of the World, and indeed
all the World over. Therefore to compromife the
matter, learned Men have fplit the difference, and
made them both diftind: branches of Antichrift. ■\
'The Sun of righteoufyiefs^ as well as the Sun in the
firmament, is fometimes eclipfcd and under a cloud':
Satan hath his time of enlargem*-nt, and the Powers
ofdarkfiefshayQthcirfeafon, Luke xxii. 53. which
their wicked induftry ceafeth not to improve for the
advancement of their Kingdom. The old Serpc;nt
is fruitful in his devices to counterplot every fcheme
and difpenfation of Providence fur the Recovery of
fallen Man. And tho' after fuch long experience
Man is not ignorant of his devices, yet he ftill liftens
too much to them, othr-rwife they would not be fo
fuccefsful. The Preaciier tells us, That God hath
made
• Seep. 87. Is'c. f See Priugaux, J,ifc oi Mahomet, p. 16.
126 Reformation of the World
made Man upright^ hut that they hat)e fought out
many inventions. Ecclef. vii. 29. And fo infatuated
it feems are they with the inventions, which, by Sa-
tan's fuggeftions, they have found out, that they
will not be wean*d from them, till they have run
the whole round of his delufive tricks and flratagems,
are quite tired with the fruitlefs chafe he leads them,
and have made full try al ofthe vanity and folly of them.
When they have been led thro' all the mazes and
labyrinths of Error, they will at length find the di-
redt Road of Truth. It is not fufficient, that they
have merely tafted of the 'Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil to diftinguifh that which is the more eligi-
ble, but they muil be quite fatiatcd and naufeated
with the latter, before they will unanimouQy be
brought to embrace the former in the love of it.
Knowledge and Ignorance, like day and night, mud
for a time have their viciffitudes •, and like light and
fhade, the one ferves to fet off the other. And when
human Nature hath been tired with vibrating from
the one extreme to the other, it will at length find
its center, and fix in it.
Ignorance and Error feem to have arrived at their
full height, in thofe, which are, therefore, defer-
vedly call'd, the dark Ages : And the Devil feems
to have exerted his mafter-piece of policy to intro-
duce and eftablifh them in a part of the world,
whence they feem'd to have been once efiedually ba-
nilhed, and which feem'd moll fecure againft their
return.
For this purpofe he ftirred up the barbarous nor-
thern Nations, who over-running Europe in the fifth
and fixth centuries, — and the Churches of Afia foon
after lofing their Candleftick by realon of their he-
refies and fchifms, and being fubjefted to the rava-
ges and impoftures of Mahomet^ both together made
fuch a total devaluation of ail forts of Learning, hu-
man
ly means of the Gofpet, 12 f
man and divine, as if they had aded by con-
cert to root all knowledge out of the World. *
During this night of Egyptian darknefs, of Dark-
nefs , fuch as might be felt^ ivhile Men Jlept^ then it
was that the Enemy took his opportunity of fozving
Tares among the Wheat. Then errors crept in apace ;
fuperftition the child of ignorance was brought forth:
The Devil revived his pagan Idolatries, and grafted
them upon Chrifbianity -f •, and then the Man of fin
was reveard^ the Son of perdition. 2 Th. ii. 3, 4.
Serious Perfons therefore have undoubtedly been
often perplex'd to account for the permifllon of fo
monftrous and univerfal a corruption and perverfion,
under which true Religion for fo long a time groan'd.
With regard to which, let it be obferved,
III. That as the chrillian Life is in Scripture re-
prefented as a Warfare, fo it is no wonder if Man-
kind are fometimes foil'd and worfted in it ; and con-
fidering what powei*ful Enemies they have to engage
with, it is well if they come off victorious in the
end. It cannot be otherwife expedled than that hu-
man Nature in its endeavours to recover from its
Fall, Ihould meet with frequent relapfes ; which
may be attended with this good cffed:, to put them
upon exerting themfelves with greater vigour to
maintain their ground better for the future. The
Way to Perfctflion is fteep and arduous, and Man
afcends it with difficulty : When he has advanced a
little way he makes a falfe ftcp, and is borne down
again, and it colts him much pains and labour to
regain the ground he had loil. We are as yet got
but a little way up tlie hill : We have had many
hindrances, and many more we muO expect to meet
with before we gain the fummit of it. Moreover,
as
* See a Remark of Dr Pridcaux to this purpofe, uh'i fupra.
\ See Dr JiJck/on'sWoiki, Vol. i. p. 933. and Dr Myddlctoi:'^
Letter from Rme^
128 Reformation of the World
as God's 'Judgments are unfearchable^ and his ways
faji finding out, we are very incompetent Judges
what difpofition of things, in all circumftances, is
befl to perfed: Nature. As nothing happens in the
world but by his appointment or permiffion, and as
he has wife ends and purpofes to ferve by every thing
that doth happen i fo we may affuredly conclude he
had in this ; however inexplicable it may appear to
us. Human Nature, it fnould feem, required fuch
a difciphne, and true Religion was reduced to this
low and diftrefs'd condition, that it might rife out
of it more glorious and flourifhing : It v/as put into
this Furnace to be refined and purified •, and having
purged itfelf of its corruptions, it will better guard
againft them, and preferve itfelf the freeer from
them for the future. For the Popifh Tyranny on
the one hand, and the 'Turks and Saracens on the
other, were the fcourges of Chriftendom, and con-
tinue too much fo ftill, wherewith God was pleafed
to chaftife it for its Sins •, Who in this as well as in
other refpefts makes ufe of the miniftry of wicked
Men and Devils in the government of his Church,*
Accordingly,
IV. As the divine Wifdom often brings Good out
of Evil, fo here our Saviour Chrijl ferves himfelf of
his grand Adverfary Anti chrijl •, and the Man of Sin^
whilil he notorioudy perverts the Gofpel, helps in-
deed to confirm it, by fulfilling the many Prophe-
cies concerning him, and by that means affording a
Handing evidence of the truth of the Scriptures, and
of the Religion contained in them.
The Prophet Daniel foretels a tyrannical Power,
who had a Mouth fpeaking great things, and a look
more ft out than his Fellows^ Ch. vii. 8, 20. and who
Ihould make War with the Saints, and prevail againft
them. V . 21. 25. He ftoall [peak great zvords againft
the
* Sec Scon\ Chriflian Life, Vol. iii. p. 347.
by means of the Gofpel. 129
the moji High, and Jh all wear out the Saints of the
inoji High, and think to change times and laws \ and
they Jhall be given into his hand, until a ti?ne, ajid
times, and the dividing of time — Concerning the
fame Power St Paul fpeaks, when he fays, the Men
of Sin fhall he revealed, the Son of Perdition ; who
cppcfeth and exalleth himfelf above all that is called
God, or wo7-fhipped ; fo that he, as God, fittcth in
the temple of God, fhewing himfelf that he is God •,
whofe coming is after the working of Satan, with all
power and ftgns, and lying wonders, and with all de-
■ieivablenefs of unrighteoufnefs. 2 Thef ii. 3, 4, 9,
10. St 7o^« hkewife prophefieth of this tyrannical
Power, to whom was given great amhority, and a
mouth fpeaking great things and blafphemies — And it
was given to htm to make war with the Saints, and
to overcome them : And power was given him over all
kindreds and tongues, and nations \ and all that dwell
upon the earth fhall worfhip him. Rev. xiii. 5, 6, &c.
Ch. xvii. 13, I J. Kings fh ah give their power and
Jlrength unto the Be aft; for God hath put in their
hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and give their
Kingdom unto the Beaft. And the name of this Pow-
er is, Myftery, Babylon the great, the Mother of
Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth, with whom
the Kings of the earth have committed Fornication.
And the Seat of its power is faid to be in that great
City which ft andeth upon f even Mountains, v. 9, 18.
Now, as there was not any footftep of fuch a fort
of Power as is above defcribed, in the world, at the
time in which either of the fore-cited Writers pro-
phefied concerning it — As there never had been any
fuch Power m the world before, neither was there
then any appearance of probabif ty, that could make
it enter into the heart of Man to imagine, that there
ever could be any fuch kind of Power in the world,
much lefs in the Temple, or Church of God, 2
k TheC
ijo - Reformation cf the World
Thef. ii. 4 — Notwithftanding all this, as there is now
fiich a Power aftually and conrpicuoufly exercifed in
the world — And as no Pidure of this Power drawn
after the event, can now defcribe it more plainly
and exactly than it was originally defcribed in the
words of the fore-cited Prophecies * — This muft be
a moil convincing proof of the authority and divine
original of that Book in which thefe Prophecies are
contain'd, and likewife of the Truth of that Religion
which it recommends •, and fuch as ought to awaken
Unbelievers of all forts to the ferious confideration
of it. But chiefly are they concern'd to weigh this
matter well, who have received the mark of the Beajt^
and worjhip him. Rev. xiii. 12, 16 -, whom nothing
could hinder to fee and renounce their errors, but
that judicial blindnefs and infatuation foretold of
them, 2 Thef. ii. 10, 11. that becaufe they received
not the love of the Truth, that they might he faved,
God pjould fend them fir ong delufion, that they fhould
believe a Lye •, or rather as fome tranflate, ru) ■^^/i.v'^ii
the Lye, the grand impofture.
Again, both Daniel and St John foretel the con-
tinuance of this tyrannical Power for fuch a deter-
minate period of time. Thus the former fays it Ihall
h^ for a time, times, and dividing of time, Ch. vii. 25.
and again, for a time, times, and a half. Ch. xii. 7.
St 'John likewife prophefies of it in the fame words,
That it fhallbefor a ti?ne, ond times, and half a time.
Rev. xii. 14. for forty and two months^ Ch. xiii. 5.
xi. 2. — for 1260 Bays, Ch. xi. 3. xii. 6. All which
occult numbers, in the prophetical language, differ
only in the manner of exprefllon, and coincide in one
and the fame period of 1260 Years.
Now when the power o^ Antichrifl fliall be deftroy-
ed at the end of this Period, which, by tlie defcrip-
tion
* See Dr Clinke's Difcourfe on the conncflior. of Piophecier, an-
nexed 10 hit Demonlbatioii of the Being and Aunbuics of God.
by mea?2s of the GofpeL 131
tion of it, Dan. vii. 1 1 . Rev. xviii. will be cffe6bed
by fome very terrible and fignal judgments — Such a
remarkable Accomplifhment of fo many antient di-
re(St Prophecies mull be a new and mighty proof of
the Truth of Chriftianity, and be the means of con-
verting many to the Faith \ efpecially when, in con-
fequence of it, the Church fhall be cleanfed from the
profanations and pollutions of Antichrifi. Accord-
ingly we find, that immediately after the account of
his deftru6lion in Dan. vii. 12, 13, 14. follows a
defcription of the Kingdom of the Son of Man,
whom all People., Nations., and Languages fjjould
ferve., and v. 27. all Dominions /hall ferve and obey
him. And in Rev. xix. after the Judgment of the
great Whore, follows the Marriage of the Lamb.
In the mean time, as the former kind of Prophecies,
I mean thofe that concern the coming and being of
Antichrifi., have been fo literally fulfil'd, we have
the lefs reafon to doubt the accomplifhment of thofe
that foretel his Deftrudion. And this the ftate of
Religion fince the Reformation, whereby his Power
has not been a little weaken' d, gives us the greateft
encouragement to hope. For,
V. The Chriftian World, by long and woeful
experience, being at length made fenfible of the ty-
ranny and ufurpations of the Church of Rome., a
great part of it thought it high time to throw off its
yoke, and purge itfelffrom its errors and corrup-
tions, whereby they at once obey'd the voice, and ac-
comphfh'd the Prophecy. Rev.v\\\. 4. Come out ofhtr^
my People., that ye he not Partakers of her Sins., and
that ye receive not of her Plagues. This glorious
Work was fuccefsfully carried on and completed by
the zeal and labours of pious and learned Men, who
from time to time folidiy confuted the errors of Po-
pervy and at length elLabulhcd the Frotejlant Faith
K 2 upon
132 'Reformation of the World
upon fiich a Foundation, as we truft the Gates of
Hell Jhall no more prevail againjl it, viz. upon the
Foundation of the Prophets and Apojlles, Jefus Chrift
himfelf being the chief corner-Jlone. By thefe means
the Chriftian Religion in Proteftant Countries is come
to be as purely profefsM as in the Apoftolical Age -,
and if its Precepts are not fo well obey'd, its Doc-
trines are better and more clearly explain'd, and
more extenfively and explicitely underftood, than
they have been ever fince.
1 am not going to write a Panegyrick on the pre-
fent times, nor a Satyr on any that are paft -, and I
hope no prejudice in favour of my own way of think-
ing will carry me beyond the bounds of Truth :
This I think I may venture to fay, without injury
to it, that the two lajl centuries of Chriftianity, I
mean, as far as the Reformation extended, have ex-
ceeded all that went before them, excepting, in fome
refpcfts, the three firft. With regard to thefe it
muft be confefTed, that the primitive Chriftians were
fo eminent for their zeal, and piety, and chriftian
fortitude, and many other Graces, that they do not
admit of any parallel : They that come next to them
were the firft Reformers, as in their circumftanees
likewife they refembled them moft. But this is to
be obferved of both, that their virtue was fuch as re-
quired the difcipline of Perfecution, which had not
befallen them if they had not needed correftion, and
could have borne the Temptations of a profperous
ftatc. The Power of Chriftianity was exemplified in the
lives of itsfirft Profeffors, that they might ftand as
Patterns for Chriftians in fucceeding ages, and teach
them by example how great the efficacy of the Chri-
ftian Religion was for the Reformation of Mankind.
But on the other hand, it may be faid, that Chri-
ftians in thefe latter ages furpafs them as much in
Know-
hy meam of the Go/pel. 133
Knowledge, as they fall fhort of them in zeal and ho-
linefsof life. This muftnecefTarily bethecafe; Becaufe
the knowledge of chri Hianity in its full extent is not, any
more than that of other Sciences, to be attain' d at
once : The Scriptures, in which a7'e many 'Things
hard to be underjiood^ require long fearch and ftu-
dy ; and all the Doflrines interfperfed in them could
not be fully collected and deduced from them by any
human induftry, within the compafs of two or tliree
ages •, and fuch is the Myjlery of Godlinefs^ that even
ftill many things are hid in it, which are left for the
difcovery of future Generations.
Therefore the Knowledge of the firll Chriftians
could ordinarily be but of fmall extent rf Their Be-
lief was very fimple and implicit -, and upon their
admiflion into the Church by Baptifm, it confiftcd
of no more than one article, viz. 'That Jejus was
the MeJJiah : And it was enlarged but by degrees,
as occafion required by the fpringing up of hercfies ;
in order to guard againfl which, additions were from
time to time made to it •, and feveral centuries
pafs'd before the whole of what is called the A-
pojlles Creed was framed, and received into the
Church. * Hence arofe the neceflity of the per-
mifTion of Herefies, || viz. to excite well-meaning
Chriftians to the inveftigation of the Truth. If
there had been none to oppofe found Doftrine,
there had not been occafion for any to defend it ;
the confequence of which had been, that we had
not known what found Doctrine meant, the ftudy
of the Scriptures had been negleded, and Chriftians
had been ignorant of the firft Principles of their
Religion.
But as every part of Reveal'd Religion hath at
one time or other been difputed and canvafs'd,'.
K 3 ma
•f- See Z,^w's Conliderations, &cc. p. 165. Sc Jefq.
* See King's Critical Hiflory of the CaeJ.
\ I Cu. xi, 9.
134 Reformat ten of the World
may be truly faid, that by thefe means Chriftianity
is at this day better underftood,* and more fully
comprehended than ever it was- before, or had been
otherwife. Ante exortum Pelagiu?n feciirius loque-
hantur Patres^ is an obfervation of St Aufiin\. And
the fame may be extended to heterodox Perfons in
general, whofe opinions gave occafion ro a more di-
hgent difcuflion, and accurate decifion of the Truth,
as well as to the difcovery of feverai particular
Truths, which till then lay conceal'd or negle6led.
It were invidious to make comparifons between
the Antients and Moderns in this cafe. The Fa-
thers of the Church were great Men for the times
they lived in •, but they had their defeds and difad-
vantages \ -f nor ought it to be thought any difpa-
ragement to them, that they have taught our mo-
dern Divines a more judicious Knowledge of the
Doftrines of Chriftianity, than they had theijifelves.
On the contrary, it were ftrange if the latter, as
they have got the advantage of ground, could not
fee a little farther than the former.
Some People have a fuperftitious veneration for
Antiquity, and are ftrangely prejudiced againft their
own Times. I hope I have a due regard for pri-
mitive Chriftianity, nor am I fo fond an Admirer
of the manners of the prefent Age, as to palliate
its reigning vices, how well foever I think of it in
other refped:s. God knows we need look but
little abroad into the v/orld to find abundant matter
of lamentation, nor is the honeft zeal of well-mean-
ing Perfons againft the Iniquity of the Times, which
makes them think worfe of them, than of thofe in
which they are not fo nearly concern'd, by any
means to be difcouraged.
^ut on the other hand, the firft and purcft ages
pf the Goipel have not been without their corrup-
tions
^ S?e i^r'/a Confidsralicns, £:c.p. ;S4.. f ib. 170, 174,
by means of Chrijltmiity. 135
tions and herefies, * and thofc more monftrous and
abominiible than any the church is at prefent infeft-
ed with \ tho' too many Doftrines are daily broach'd
and maintain'd, which are no lefs oppofite to and
dcftrudlive of true Rehgion, and which therefore
ought to be abhorr'd by all well-willicrs to it.
We know what early abufes crept into the Church
of Corinth^ and other more deteftable errors and
corruptions fprang up and fpread, even in defpight
and defiance of Apoitolical Authority and endea-
vours to fupprefs them. There are no fcd:s of
Chriftians now in being, who do not hold Morality
to be an effential part of Religion ; whereas the
Nicolaitans and Gnojiicks^ and many other Herefies
of old which fprang from them, profelled and prac-
tifed feveral forts of Impurities too offenfive for the
ears of Chriilians now-a-days, and that even in the
performance of their religious fervices. Epipha'
nius, whoever has the curiofity to confult him, is
very particular in the defcription of their be-
ftialities.
Indeed there were few opinions of the antient He-
reticks, that have not been revived in thefe latter
ages •, but then they have either prefently died a-
way, and no more hath been heard of them ; or
elfe they have been fo refined, as if not to be recon-
ciled, yet to be brought nearer to the Truth, as it
is in Chrifi Jefus ; whereby it is to be hoped the/
arc in the way of being reconciled to it.
Even Popery itfelf begins to be afhamed of fome
of its grofler Errors, and its Divines of late have
been forced to explain thein in a manner more a-
greeable to Truth and Scripture. Moreover, that
perfecuting Spirit, which was the reproach and fcan-
dal ot Chriftians is, God be praifed, in a good
mcafure abated among all forts and dcnominutions
K4 of
* ib. p. i6g.
136 Reformation of the World
of them •, and we do not now hear fo much of
Chriftians being burnt and tortured by Chriftians.
Nor do Papifls at prefent feem to thirfl fo much
after Proteftant Blood, tho' there is reafon to fuf-
pe6t that they ftill retain too much of the old leaven,
durft they fuffer it to work out. It is obferved
likewife that there is not that Ignorance and Immo-
rality to be objected againfl Papifls now as former-
ly j Learning being no lefs propagated among them
than Proteflants : Many good and pious Books are
publifiied by their Clergy •, nor are they fo fcanda-
lous in their Lives as in the Ages preceding the Re-
formation, but they in general are exemplary in
their behaviour, and afford us Patterns in fome
things which we might profit by.
On the ether hand, there is not that acrimony
and virulence in the controverfial Writings of Pro-
teftants, for v/hich fome of the firfl Reformers are
juftly condemn'd, and which indeed have always
had too great a fhare in religious Difputes ; tho', I
think it may be faid, in honour of the prefent Age,
that Controverfy is carried on with more decency
and good manners, than in any former period of
time that can be named : Which, together with the
Toleration granted by Law, in this and other Pro-
teflant Countries, for all Perfons to worfliip God in
their own way, and that Chriftian charity and mo-
deration, which is generally fhewn towards thofe
that differ from us, feems already to be attended
with good effect ; and if continued and improved,
will nor fail in time to promote an union of fenti-
ments and affcftions among Chriflians. And when
the Members of Chrift's Body are united among
themfelves, they will of courfe be better united un-
to him their Head, in their common Faith, and
in all good Works. When this once comes to pafs
— when Chriftianity fhines forth in the Lives of its
Pro-
by meant of Chrijlianity. 137
Profcflbrs, and their Praftice is brought to a con-
formity with their ProfefTion — then, and not till
then, we may hope the borders of our Sion will be
enlarged ; Jews, Turks, and Infidels will no longer
fufped the fincerity of Chrijiians, nor be blind to
the excellency of their Religion, when it Ihail fhine
forth with fo much luftre — Then will be brought
about an univerfal Reformation, at prefent wilh'd
for in vain ; and then we fhall be all one Fold under
one Shepherd, Jefus Chrijl the Righteous.
To what has been already obferved, may be ad-
ded, that the fetting up of fo many Charity-Schools,
as have of late years been erected in thefe King-
doms— the forming of reHgious Societies, and o-
ther good means, have greatly contributed to the
promoting of the knowledge and pradice of Virtue
and Religion among us.
Notwithftanding, it has been made a Queftion,
whether the World has been really better'd by Chri-
ftianity, where it has prevail'd -, and it has been ob-
jedled — That the antient Heathens were more emi-
nent for their virtue than the generality of Chrijlians :
The Mahometans are extoU'd above them for their
juftice, veracity and other moral virtues — The Chi-
nefe, for the exercife of the relative duties, and the
feverity of their difcipline in general — And even
the wild Indians, for the fimplicity and integrity of
their lives.
I Ihall begin with a general anfwer to this objec-
tion. Now, in order to know what good Chri-
ftianity hath done in the world, with regard to the
lives and morals of Men, we ought to be well ac-
quainted with the ftate of the world, before its ap-
pearance in it. But as at this diftance of time we
can at beft have but a very imperfed: knowledge of
former ages, this objedion isin agreatmeafure founded
in
138 Reformation of the World
in ignorance, and for the fame reafon the anfwer to
it miift be io far deficient likewife. However, we
learn from the antient Apologies for Chriftianity,
that there became fuch a vifible alteration in the
tempers and lives of Men, upon their converfion to
it, that they feem'd to have changed their very na-
tures, and to be born again, and become new Crea-
^.ures ; whence Converfion appears to be fitly filled
Regeneration. The whole World then lay in wicked-
tiefs, as St John teflifies. i John v. 19. which Chri-
ftianity, wherever it prevailed, effedually purged
it from.
' Not to infifb upon the exalted degrees of purity
' and perfe6lion, to which Chriftianity raifed fo many
* of its firft ProfefTors — Let us take a view of it,
* not as it was embraced by fingle Perfons or Fa-
' milies, but as it became the received Religion of
* whole Countries, and fee what effects it had a-
* mong them. And it is univerfally true, that
* wherever Chriftianity prevail' d. Oracles ceafed,
* Idols were deftroy'd, and the worfhip of the true
' God eftablilli'd.
' And whereas the Heathen worfhip confifted of
' the facrifices of Beafts and Men, and was accom-
* panied with many foolifh, cruel, and impure
' rites ; Chriftianity banifh'd all thefe, and wher-
' ever it was receiv'd, did eftablifh a Worftiip fuit-
' able to the pure and fpiritual nature of God.
' And there is no Chriftian Country wherein this
* reafonable fervice is not folemnly perform' d by
' Minifter.% and attended by the People ; to which,
' and to the inftru6tions and exhortations of Chri-
* ftian Prrjachers, it is to be afcrlbed, that the know-
' ledge of the true God, and the duty we owe him,
' is prefcrved to fuch a degree, upon the minds of
* the generality of people. And tliat feveral vices,
' v/hich were not only praftifcd, but publickly al-
' lowed
hy means of the GofpeL 139
lowed in the times of Heathenijm^ are fcarce
known, and never fpoken of without abhorrence
in chriftian countries. Nor can it be faid, with
any colour ot reafon or truth, that the general or-
der, regularity, and fcnfe of Duty, which is found
in chriftian Countries at this day, compared with
the cruelties, diibrders, and excelles of all kinds,
that are generally praclifed in Heathen nations, is
not owing to the chriftian Inftitution and Wor-
fhip, and to the certainty of future rewards and
punilhments, which Chrift brought to light ; the
lenfe of which is preferv'd upon the minds of the
people by fuch publick teaching
' And tho', fo great is the corruption of human
nature, that notwithftanding thofe means of in-
ftruclion, and thofe reftraints from wickednefs,
many diforders and exceftes are praftifeu in chri-
ftian Countries •, it is fufficient to our preftnt pur-
pofe — That if thofe means and reitraints were
removed, the excelles would evidently be far
greater and more general than they are — That the
commifTion of them among Chriftians is by far
lefs frequent, and is attended with more caution
and fliame than among Heathens — And that be-
fides thofe general inHuences of Chriftianity, fuch
cxceftes are in fome meafure balanced by the ex-
traordinary degrees of piety, purity, and exadl^
nefs of life and manners, which are obferved by
multitudes of people in every chriftian country*.
Nor has Chriftianity been thus beneficial to thofe
only that embraced ic, but likewife to the uncon-
verted world. The firft chriftians proved to be
what our Saviour call'd them, the fait of the earthy
to purify it from its corruptions •, and the light of
the worlds to guide and dircd; others in the ways of
Virtue : r or by their example and doctrine, they
foca
* Bi/liop of Londorh fecord P.ijiornl Letter^ p. 36, 37.
140 Reformat 1071 of the World
foon made a confiderable Reformation, even in the
heathen world.
Morality was taught by the Philofophers in much
greater Perfedion than ever it had been before, and
they became fo much afliamed of the grofsnefs of
their idolatrous Worlhip, that they fought out all
arts to refine and excufe it •, and thofe Vices which
made up fo great a part of their Myfteries, appear-
ed too abominable to pafs any longer for Religion.
The Im.mortality of the Soul, and a future ftate of
Rewards and Punifhments, which at bell amounted
to no more than a fufpicion and doubt, before
they were brought to light by the Gofpel, have
fince been the belief of Heathens as well as Chri-
jiians -, and there is fcarcely a nation upon earth fo
barbarous, as not to have fome apprehenfions of
it. To the light which our Saviour brought into
the world, is to be afcribed the belief of one God,
which the Mahometan Religion hath derived and
borrowed from it -, and which is profefTed likewife
by fome of the moft ignorant of the modern Pa-
gans^ tho' this great truth was generally unknown
to the moft enlighten' d Pagans of antiquity.
Moreover, as all the world, the Jews only ex-
cepted. Were under the impoftures and tyranny of the
Devil (which God grant we may ever be ignorant of,
nor feel what it is to be under abfolute fubjedion to
him) Chrijiianity had this good effeft, that it refcued
mankind from that bondage, and made the powers
of darknefs to flee before it, as Darknefs itfelf doth
at the approach of Light. It every where filenced
their lying Oracles •, difpofTefs'd Men of evil Spi-
rits, which, till then, had a power of entring their
Bodies, and moft unmercifully tortured and plagued
them •, and it likewife fpoil'd, and in a great mea-
fure, deftroy'd that wicked trade and commerce
which was Carried on between this World, and that
of
by 7neans of the Gojpel. 141
of infernal fpirits, by forccries, witchcrafts, magic,
and fuch like hellifh arts. In thefe feveral refpeds,
the power of Satan was manifeftly deftroy'd through-
out the world, by the preaching of the Gofpel in
all nations •, and that fo effeftually, that he never
durft revive it again, in any confiderable degree,
not even where he found means to re-eftabliih his
Worfhip. Well, therefore, might our Saviour fay,
that he faw Satan, like Lightning, fall from Heaven.
Luke X. 18. And fuch Good hath Chrifiianity done,
even in Nations that are ftill Heathen! For it is obfcr-
vable, that there are fuch fmall remains of the power of
the Devil, in either of the above-mention'd refpe6ls,
now in the world, that people begin to disbelieve
there ever hath been any fuch thing. Thus fome
refolve the Heathen Oracles into Prieftcraft : Others /fA
will believe nothing concerning Witches and Appa- y /y
ritions : And others again contend that there never
were any Perfons polTefs'd with evil Spirits. *
To come now to the particulars contained in the
obje(5tion — It is far from being true in fact, that the
Lives of either Heathens, antient or modern, or of
Mahometans, exceed thofe of the generality of Chri^
Jiians. On the contrary, the antient Heathens, even
the graveft of their Philofophers, held many Prin-
ciples deftrudlive of Virtue, and maintain'd Pradbices
of a very vile and corrupt nature. The Chinefe are
the moft infatuated Idolaters, and the greateft and
moft avowed Cheats in the World : And luft, arro-
gance, covetoufnefs, deceit, and the mofl exquifite
hypocrify, complete the charafter of a ^urk. For
a more particular account of the manners of all three,
I refer the Reader to the Cure of Deifm, vol. I. p.
io8, ^c.
With regard to the Natives of America, and the
Inhabitants
* Sec a late Controverfy about Dtemoniatks.
142 Reformation of the World
Inhabitants of feveral other parts of the world, men-
tion'd by Travellers, as their innocence proceeds
from their fimpHcity, it is not fo much a Virtue in
them, as an ignorance of Vice : They owe it more
to accident than choice, and therefore it is not pro-
perly innocence, but an incapacity of guilt, which
are widely different from each other. Having tafted
but fparingly of the Tree of knowledge of good and
evil, they are equally unacquainted with both, and
are no more to be praifed for their ignorance of the
one, than they are to be blamed for that of the other.
The queilion, with regard to fuch people as thefe,
fhould be, v/hether, if the Gofpel prevail'd among
them, it would not improve their Morals, and exalt
their Virtue ? and this no one, I fuppofe, will be fo
hardy as to deny. It would at leall have this good
effeft, that it would caufe them to lay afide thole
barbarous and cruel Rites, which have obtained
more or lefs in the Religion of all Heathen Nations*;
and teach them a more innocent, as well as rational
kind of Worfhip. But, fuppoling thefe uncultiva-
ted people enjoy'd all the plenty, wealth, and af-
fluence of politer nations, and were expofed to all
the incentives to luxury, ambition, &c. from which
their prefent circumftances fecure them — The enqui-
ry then would be, i. Whether they would not be
as likely to be overcome by them, as European
Chriftians are, and run into as great, not to fay
greater, exceffes of Vice ? 2. Whether, il thev em-
braced Chrifiianity, it would not furjiiih them with ,
fome helps to enable them to withiland the tempta-
tions of the world, the flefh and the Devil, which,
otherwife they would be quite deftitute of, and
therefore more liable to be overcome by them .? And
w that
»
Gincerning the corruptions in the vvoifhip, doflrinf , and
priflice of the preient Heathen world, Sec Billiop oi Lofiduui Ic-
co:vJ Pujl oral Letter, p- 33.
by means of the G of pel. 143
that the Chrifiian Religion would be equally fervice-
able to the 'Turks and Chinefe^ ^c. fhould they em-
brace it, I fancy will not be denied, there being fo
much room for their improvement by it.
I hope, therefore, it will be allowed, that the
World is aftually grown much better and wifer by
means of reveal'd- Religion, and particularly of the
Chrijiian, in thofe countries, where it hath been re-
ceived, and even in thofe where it hath not.
I fhall now, according to my method, add a few
general obfervations on the ftate of the World in its
civil capacity, to fhew how one generation has refined
upon another, and every age has generally added
fomething to the foregoing, in ufeful inventions or
improvements, in order to procure the neceflaries
and conveniencivLS of life ; to advance or adorn it ;
and to render it comfortable, eafy, and happy. For
thefe, as I have obferved, are the natural means of
removing the Curfe.
C H A P. VIII.
Containing fome gene?'al obfervations on the im~
provemefit of the world in its civil capacity.
THAT Man, whofe chief, and almoll only
bulinefs in life, is to promote his own wel-
fare in it, and who is fo adive and indui-
trious in this refpedl, fliould, notwithftanding, prove
fo dull and ftupid a Creature, as not to gain any thing
by experience^ the great Miftrefs of the world, the
chief and befl Informer of the mind — That after the
revolution of fo many ages. Mankind iliould be j aft
in the fame place, whence they firft fct out — Thar
they fhould be able to learn nothing, either from the
wifdom or folly, the fuccefs or mifcarriage of thofe
who went before them — but that one generation
fhouid
144 Reformation of the World
fhould be ftill trudging on after another, in thefan^e
dull beaten road, without once attempting to ftrike-
out either to the right hand or left — To fuppofe this,
is not only highly injurious to human nature, but is
moreover contrary to Hiftory and Experience, as
well as to the nature of Man, and reafon of things.
For has not there been a time, when Arts and
Sciences were not ? Are not the firfl: Inventors of fe-
veral of them known ? Have we not the hiftory of
the rife, progrefs, and improvements of moft of
them ? And is not the ufe and fubferviency of them
all in life, too well known to, need any proof? Every
fucceeding generation has the advantage of the fore-
going, added to its own experience •, and one age
may learn wifdom even by the folly of another, and
improve by its very errors •, and when the Sons get
upon the Fathers fhoulders, they muft neceflarily
fee farther, even tho' they fhould be allow'd to be
fhorter of ftature. We need only compare the pre-
fent ftate of civilized Nations with the accounts we
have of the way of living in the infancy of the
World, to be convinced of the difference.
In the firft ftate of Nature, Men differ'd but little
from brute Beafts. Roots, herbs, and acorns, were
their only Delicacies : Cloathing they had none, un-
lefs, perad venture, it were the fkins of wild Beafts,
flain by them in defence of their lives ; which were
daily expofed a prey, not only to Wolves and Ty-
gers, but to the worfer Savages of their own kind -,
as they lived without Law, or any other reftraint or
fecurity, but what was placed in each Man's own
ftrength, or cunning. Afterwards, when they beg^n
to unite into Societies, to cloath themfelves, build
Cottages, and apply themfelves to Agriculture •, the
Perfons who fell upon the firft hints of thefe rude
contrivances, were efteem'd fuch mighty Benefac-
tors to Mankind, that they could never fufficiently
\., exprelV ...
by means of the Gofpel. 145
cxprefs their gratitude to them. Hence they were
made immortal, and divine honours were paid to
them ; and hence it is well known, arofe the God-
Ihip of Jupiter^ Bacchus^ Minerva^ Ceres, and the
reft of that tribe of Deities : But there is not a
Plcugh-boy now, that would not have been a God,
even to Jupiter himfelf, had he lived in his days,
with his prefent fkili in Hufbandry. ' Had the
' myftery of Printing been invented in antient times,
' Guttenberg of Mentz might have bt e:i a God of
' higher efteem throughout Germany, than Mercury,
* or Jupiter himfelf,' is a remark, which I think
Dr Jackfon fomewhere makes.
Would we be willing to change conditions with
our uncultivated Anceftors of this Ifland, and live
in thofe days when Men fcarce knew the ufe of
cloaths, or of any thing elfe .'' — Had nothing to pride
themfelves in, but the paint of their bodies— lived
promifcuoufly in little Huts —
■Cum frigida parvas
Praberet Spelunca Domos. Juv. Sit. VI. v. 3.
and were confined in their diet to Milk, and what *^
Animals they could kill in hunting ?
What vaft Improvements muft have been made in
this country, fince the time it was firft conquer'd
and civilized by the Romajis, to bring it to its pre*
fent ftate •, abounding with all the necefifaries, con-
veniences, and fuperliuities of Life, cultivated and
fertilized in its Soil, (See Ch. 4.) adorned with ftate-
ly Palaces, large Towns, and flourifhing Cities ;
flowing with Wealth •, furnifh'd with the moft valu-
able commodities of all the known parts of the
world, and polifli'd with every Art that improves,
or adorns Life !
^, Indeed, there are ftill too many Nations in re-
1 46 Reformatio of the^ World
mote corners of the Earth, who do noc feem to have
improved at all upon their Fore-fa(.hers, but rather to
have degenerated from them, and funk beneath
them in ignorance and barbarity. Thefe are left as
fo many melancholy inftances of what human nature
in general formerly was, and would have ftill conti-
nued to be, if the World had not been meliorated
and improved, as fome contend it is not. At the
fame t\rr,t they ferve as foyls to the more civilized
and enlightned part of Mankind, and by way of
contraft, in a lively manner fet off the noble privi-
leges and advantages, with which the due applica-
tion of the Talents entrufled to us by God is re-
warded.
One great difadvantage which thefe poor Crea-
tures generally labour under, is that they have been
fecluded, and fliut out in a manner from the reft of
the World ; having had no communication by traf-
fick or commerce with their Fellow-Creatures;
which has contributed as much as any one human
means to the civilizing of the world ; efpecially in
thefe latter ages, wherein, by the difcoveries and
improvements that have been made in Navigation,
and other Arts, an intercourfe hath been open'd
between the feveral parts of the world ; whereby
Mankind fupply their mutual wants and convenien-
ces, and copy from each other whatever new cufloms,
manners, inventions, i^c. they meet with, which
they efteem ufeful and ornamental in life.
Another Bleffmg which hath accrued to the world
in its civil capacity, and which hath greatly contri-
buted to promote and fettle the peace, fecurity, and
general welfare of Mankind, are the improvements
and regulations, which from time to time have been
made in civil Government -, which may be reckon'd
as
by means of the Gofpel. 147
as fo many fteps towards the removal of the Ciirfe
in this refpect ; for as all diforders of fociety are to
be efteem'd as confequences of the Fall, and of
Man's difobedience to the firft Law, fo thele difor-
ders are redlified, and provided againfl for the fu-
ture, by the enadling of wife and falutary Laws ;
by providing for the defects obferved time after time,
in the feveral Forms of Government -, and by the
refinements, which able and fkilful Statefmen, one
age after another, have made in the Art of Politicks ;
by which means the lives, liberties, and properties
of all ranks and orders of Men, are well defended
and maintain'd in civilized nations : A happinefs to
which former times, and worfe regulated Govern-
ments at prefent are Strangers ! Nor can it be fup-
pofed that fo complicated a Machine, confifting of
io many movements, fprings, and wheels, as every
fyftem of Government mull have, could be brought
into any tolerable harmony and order, without the
continued labour of many wife Heads for feveral
fuccefllve generations.
It is the opinion of a great Statefman, and Civilian,
' That there was no Magiftracy, nor any civil Go-
* vernment, in the Antediluvian world ; it being
' fcarcely to be imagined that fuch abominable li-
' centioufnefs, and the confufion of all Rights and
' Laws human and divine, could have been intro-
' duced, where the power of Magiftrates and Laws
' was exercifed.' And, as he adds, ' It is obferva-
' ble, that after once the rules of Government were
' conftituted, we do not find that Mankind in ge-
* neral did run into the fame enormities, of which
* God Almighty was obhgcd to purge the world
* by an univerfal punifhment •, tho' the root of the
* evil was remaining, as well after as before the De-
* luge.'* And a little after the fame Author obferves,
L 2 * That
• Puffendoifi Intiod. to Hiftory. Sub initlt.
148 Reformation of the If^orld
* as no numan affairs come immediately to perfec-
* tion, fo were the iirll inftitutions of civil Society
' very fimple and imperfed, till by degrees all the
* parts of the fupreme civil Power, together with
* ilich Laws and Conftitutions as were requifite for
' the maintaining of a civil Society, were fettled
*. and inftituted.'
And tho', upon the increafe of Mankind after the
Flood, the experience of the many evils of a ftate
of nature, foon put them upon forming themfelves
into Societies under fome fort of Government •, yet
how iinperfed: they were for many ages, may in a
great mcafure appear from the commotions and con-
tufions, the ufurpations, tyrannies, treafons and
confpiracies, malHicres, revolutions, and various
enormities, which occurr fo frequently in the
hiftories of all antient States : And the farther we
trace thtm towards their Infancy, the greater ge-
nerally are the violences and outrages committed in
them -, which were better provided againft when they
came to be well regulated and fettled. But when-
ever they happen'd, even thefe commotions in the
Body politick, like fermentations in the natural Body,
generally tended to purify and refine it.
The Laws of antient times were more fimpIe in
proportion to the fimplicity of the world ; and their
maxims of Government were more coarfe and fhal-
low, and were generally founded on arbitrary pow-
er: But as the world grew more fubtile, Laws and
Politicks became more fubtile and refined likewife.
Formerly, when the leaft difputes arofe between
ne«-hbouring Powers, recourfe was immediately had
to Arms, as the only way they knew of deciding
them ; and how many Lives have been often facri-
ficed, not only to ambition, but caprice and mere
punctilio's, no one needs be informed, who is in
the leaft converfant in antient ftory. And tho' the
Sword rages fo much at prefent, and makes its ra-
vages
by means of the Go/pel. 149
vages to be felt in neighbouring Nations, yet it ge-
nerally is ufed as the laft expedient, being feldom
unflieath'd till the more peaceable methods of ac-
commodation have been firfl tried, and found un-
fuccefsful. And it is to be hoped, that, at length,
all States will fee it their intereft ro fubmit their dit-
ferences to Mediation, and that War and blood (bed
will ceafe, at lead among Chriflians.
The Romans were reputed the wifeft People in
the World, as undoubtedly they were the moltcon-
fiderable, in other refpefts •, yet we can have no
great opinion of their Government, I mean the le-
giflative part of it, when we confider that it was
300 years before they had any written Laws among
them ; and thofe which they then enabled were not
of their own contriving, having been moftly borrow-
ed from a neighbouring (late : And it is but feldom
that the Laws of one Country fuit well with ano-
ther, whofe Government is different, and the Geni-
us of the People different too.
And that there were fome fundamental errors in
the conftitution of the Roman State, which they
never had fkill enough in Politicks to rectify (the*
Politicks was the h rt which they chiefly ffudied and
profeffed) is evident without entring deeper into it,
from the many changes and revolutions which from
time to time it underwent, fo as to run through all
the known forms of Government, and at length ta
end in atotal diffolution.
The fuperftru6lure was too large for tlie founda-
tion, infomuch that at length it fell by its own
weight : When its period of old age came on, it de -
cay'd apace, and by degrees made way for other
Powers, which grew out of its ruins ; and for one
of a different kind from, and I could wifh to have
added, of a better than, all others ; But it muft be
L z owned
150 Refonnation of the World
owned to have excellM them in nothing but heUlfh
policy and wickednefs.
Is not this, then, you'll fay, a plain proof, that
the World grows daily worfe and worfe ? Agreeably
to the Roman Poet's obfervation of his own times, —
AEtas parentumpejor avis tulit
Nos nequiores^ mox daturas
Progeniem vitiofiorem. *
— And abundance of Authorities more which might
be cited to the fame purpofe. With regard to which
I might content my felf with faying, that if all the ~
obfervations concerning the growing degeneracy of
human nature, which from age to age have been
made, were true, what a fad pafs muft the world
have come to by this time ! It would have been no
better than a mere Hell upon Earth, and Men had
been long ago degenerated into very Devils. But
to let the Reader fee that the other fide of the quef-
tion is not unfupported by Authority, I fhall give
him a few Inftances of it, which perhaps may be of
fome weight with him.
I fhall begin with one of the firft Writers of the
chriftian Church, Tertullian, who could obferve in
his time t ' that the world manifeftly improved
' every day, and was grown more cultivated in
* many refpeds, wherein he inftances, than it was
' formerly'. And Arnoh'ms^ another of them, main-
tained
* Uorat. Carm. Lib. iii. Ode 6.
\ Certe quidein ipfe Orbis in promptu eft, cultior de die, et
inftruftior priftino. Omnia jam pervia, omnia nota, omnia ne-
gotiofa. Soliiudines famofas retro fundi amoeniffimi obliteraverunt ;
iylvas arva domuerunr, feras pecora fugaverunt ; arens; feruntur,
faxa panguntur, paludes eliqiiantur, tan:ae urbesjam, quantae non
cafe quondam. Jam nee Infu'ae horrenr, nee Scopuli terrent;
ubioue domus, ubique populus, ubique refpublica, ubiqvie vita.
lertul. de Anima, Se5i. 30.
by means of Chrijiianity. 1 5 1
tained that it was not grown worfe, againft the
Heatht-ns, who complained of the badnefs of the
Times, and accufed the Chriftians of being the Au-
thors of it.
To thofe properly fucceeds xht judicious Hooker^
who may juilly be efteem'd a Father of our Church.
We all make complaint of the iniquity of our
times, and not unjuftly, for the xiays are evil.
But compare them with thofe times, wherein
there were no civil focieties, with thofe times,
wherein there was as yet no manner of publick
regimen eftabliili'd — And we have furely good
caufe to think, that God hath bleflfed us ex-
ceedingly, and hath made us behold moft happy
days.' *
' It is an error,' fays Mr Bayle, ' to believe that
the world grows daily worfe and worfe, fince it is
certain the age wherein we live, has not been able
to furnifh us in the weft, with a Series of enormi-
ties in a few years, comparable to thofe which
were committed between the years 1345, and
1390 1"-' And he mentions an Author, 1| whom
I have not feen, who has compofed a difcourfe in
cppofition to this error, viz. that the world grows
worfe and worfe. X
And an Author of our own, Dr Hakewell^ about
a century ago, wrote a large treatife, entitled, an
Apology for the power and providence of God, where-
in he thoroughly examines and explodes the com-
mon error touching nature's perpetual and univerfal
decay. And I have in a former chapter § cited an-
other confiderable authority to the fame purpofe.
But there is a more confiderable than all ftill in re-
L 4 ferve,
* Ecclefiaftical Polity, B. i. §. lo.
t Bayle\ Did. Vol. iv. p, 305 a.
II The Sicur de Ramp.ilU. See /^. F- 563. <?•
§ Sec p. ~ g - _^ J/
152 Reformation of the World
ferve, of one who for his knowledge of mankind, of
the world, and the whole courfe of nature, and for
the judgment which he paflfed upon them, juftly
claims the precedence in wifdom of all the Sons of
Men.
The renown'd Solomon I mean, who reproves this
querulous humour of magnifying the former times
at the expence, and to tlie diminution of theprefent,
which it feems prevail'd in his days, as well as it
hath done ever fince, tho' no People were ever hap-
pier than the Ifraelites under his Reign. Say not
thoUy what is the caufe that the former days were
better than thefe? For thou dojl not enquire wifely
concerning this. Ecclef. vii. 10. *
To proceed, The permifTion of fuch enor-
mous evils in the above-mentioned ages, might be
expedient to create in Mankind an abhorrence of
them, and fecuring againft the like in time to come.
And, bleffed be God, as bad as the prefent age is,
it is a golden one in refpe6l of fome former times y
and tho' diforders do ftill too much abound, yet
there are few amongft us who do not abominate the
thoughts of Crimes perpetrated in the days of our
Anceftors, a few centuries backward- Hence Peo-
ple have been moved to exert themfelves in defence
of their lives, liberties, and properties, and have
generally obtain'd better fecurity for them j fo that
now every Man fits under his own vine and fig tree,
and all orders and degrees of Men enjoy their rights
and privileges in greater fafety than was formerly
known.
This is the cafe, more or lefs, of all European
Nations :
* See a Sermon by Dr Ibbot on the abovcText, wherein he fhevvs
the groundiefsnefs of Men's complaints of the comparative badnel's
of their own time;-.
Tiiat there is more Good than Evil in the Wot Id, See Lazv'i
Trarflation of Dr A7/;/s Origin of Evil, p. 471. 4.
hy means of Chrijllan'ity. 153
Nations: But it may be faid without any nat'onal
prejudice, that none of them enjoys this Blefllng in
fo eminent a degree, as our own. Such is the hap-
pinefs and excellency of our Englijh Conftitution, fo
equally is the Balance of Power fettled between the
feveral parts of it, and fuch is the harmony that runs
thro' the whole, that the welfare of every Individual
is provided for, and the Peafant has the fame fecuri-
ty for every thing that is dear and valuable to him,
as the Prince.
' A Conftitution wifely moulded out of all the
* different forms" and kinds ot civil Government,
* into fuch an excellent and happy frame ; as con-
' tains in it all the advantages of thofe feveral forms,
* without (baring deeply in any of their great incon-
' veniences — A Conftitution nicely polled between
' the extremes of too much Liberty and too much
* Power ; the feveral parts of it having a proper
* check upon each other, by the means of which
' they are all reftrain'd, or loon reduced within their
' due bounds : And yet the peculiar Powers with
* which each is feparately invefted, are fure always
' in dangerous conjundures to give way to the com-
' mon good of the whole. A Conftitution where
' the Prince is cloath'd with a Prerogative that ena-
'' bles him to do all the good he hath a mind to ;
* and wants no degree of Authority, but what a
' good Prince would not, and an ill one ought not
' to have \ where he governs, tho' not ablblutely,
' yet gloriouily ; becaufe he governs Men, and not
* flavcs ; and is obey'd by them chcarfully, becaufe
' they know that in obeying him, they obey thofe
* Laws only, which they themfelves had a Ihare in
' contriving. A Conftitution where the external
* Government of the Church is fo clofely interwo-
' ven with that of the ftate, and fo exaftly adapted
' to it in all its parts, as that it can flourilh only
when
154 "Reformation of the World
* when that flonriflies •, and mull, as it hath always
* hitherto done, decHne, die, and revive with it.
' In a word, where the Intereft of the Prince and
' Subjedl, Priefl and People, are perpetually the
' fame, and the only fatal miftake that ever hap-
' pens in our Politicks is, when they are thought to
' be divided.'
Dr /f//fr^z/rys Sermon before the Commons, 1701.
But whoever is in the leaft aco^uainted v^th the
Hiftory of England^ muft know that our Conftitu-
tion was not brought to its prefent degree of per-
fection all at once i but that it was the work of ages,
and coft much blood and treafure, underwent many
violent pangs and convulfions, before it was efta-
blifhed on its prefent happy Bafis. And may it
long continue ftill advancing in perfediion ! May it
be the Model of other States to copy after ! And be
the Glory and Emulation of the Kingdoms around
it to the lateft Generations !
But of all human means, none hath contributed
fo much to the improvement and advancement of
human nature, as Learning and the attainment of
Arts and Sciences. The enlightning and cultivating
of the underflanding, the enlarging, elevating, and
enriching the mind by ufeful Knowledge and true
Philofophy, is the nobleft acquifition, the diftin-
guifhing felicity of a rational creature. But how
many and great difadvantages Mankind in the early
ages of the world labour' d under in this refped, and
how confined and low their knowledge was, will
not be difficult to conceive, if it be confider'd how
unexperienc'd they were — That they were, proba-
bly, for many ages unacquainted with the ufe of
Letters, as I lliall prefently fhew — That Arts and
Sciences were either not at all, or but inperfedly
difcover'd at bell— That they had nothing to work
upon
by means of Chrijlianity. 155
Tjpon but their own poor flock of Ideas — That little
was to be learn'd by converfing with each other,
where all were equally ignorant — And that the one •
Generation had no way of having the obfervations
of the foregoing convey'd to it, but by Tradition ;
till liich time as Letters were invented, and the ufe
of them became frequently known.
Of all the Inventions and difcoveries which the
world hath had the benefit of, this is certainly the
moft beneficial, as well as the moll wonderful. For
this art hath been experienced to be the bell means
of preferving and communicating Science in all its
parts, as well as the moft helpful in conducing the
various affairs of human lite : It fixes our fleeting
Thoughts ; expreffes the conceptions of our minds
with greater clearnefs and precilion than even Lan-
guage itfelfi ftamps them in legible charadlers;
makes us Maflers of the produdl or other Men's la-
bours and fludies, as well as of our own ; and is the
moll faithful repofitory of both that ever hath been,
or could be invented.
The learned Mr Shuckford attempts to account
for the Invention and gradual improvement of this
ufeful Art, in his connection of hillory. Vol. i. B 4.
whence, tho' I cannot agree with him in this parti-
cular, I fhall take the liberty of tranfcribing a paf-
fage, in whith that ingenious Gentleman's reafoning
concerning the rife and progrefs of Arts in general,
is very juft, as well as applicable to my preft at pur-
pofe.
' If we confider the nature of Letters', fays he,
* it cannot but appear fomething llrange, that an
' Invention fo furprizing as that of Writing is,
' fhould have been found out in ages fo near the be-
* ginning of the world. Nature may eaHly be fup-
* pofed to have prompted Men to fpeak,* to try to
' expreis
* See p. 26.
156 Reformation of the World
exprefs their minds to one another by founds and
noifes •, but that the wit of Man fhoiild, amongft
its firft attempts, find out a way to exprefs Words
in figures or Letters, and to form a method, by
which they might expofe to view all that can be
faid or thought, and that wijthin the compafs of
fixteen, or twenty, or four and twenty characters,
varioufly placed, fo as to form fyllables and words
— I fay, to think, that any Man could immedia-
tely and diredlly', or indeed at all, ' fall upon a
projedl of this nature, exceeds the higheft notion
we can have of the capacity we are endued with.
We have great and extraordinary abilities of mind,
and we experience, that by fteps and degrees we
can advance our knowledge, and make almoft all
parts and creatures of the world of ufe and fervice
to us ; but flill ail thefe things are done by fteps
and degrees. A firft attempt has never yet per-
fected any Science or Invention whatever. The
mind of Man began to exert itfelf as foon as ever
it was fet on thinking : And we find the firft Men
attempted many of the Arts, which after ages car-
ried forwards to perfection ♦, but they only attempt-
ed them, and attained no farther than to leave
imperfect effays to thofe that came after. The firft
Men, tho' they had a Language to be underftood
by, yet certainly never attain' d to an elegancy of
fpeaking. Ttibal-Cain was the firft Artificer in
brafs-work and iron, but without doubt, his beft
performances were very ordinary, in comparifon
of what has been done by later Artifts. The Arts
of building, painting, carving, and many others
were attempted, very early ; but the firft tryals
were only Attempts •, Men arrived at perfection by
degrees -, Time and experience led them on from
one thing to another, until, by having try'd many
ways, as their difi^erent fancies, at different times,
* hap-
hy means of the GoJpeL 1 57
* happen'd to lead them, they came to form better
' methods of executing what they aim'd at, than at
' firft they thought of/ And thus, he conckides, it
happen'd in the affair of Letters ibiit howjuftly will
appear prefently.
Another plaufible account of the rife and progrels
of Writing, is given us by the learned Author of
The divine Legation of Mofcs. Book the 4th.
Sect. 4.
He naturally enough fuppofes, that Man's firil
effays of this kind were made, by drawing, as well
as they could, the pi6lures of the things they had a
mind to exprefs. — That thefe were improved by the
Egyptian Hieroglyphics — and thefe again by more
contrafted marks, fuch as are at prefent in ule a-
mong the Chinefe — And that thefe laft were abridg-
ed, and by a fmall alteration turn'd into Alphabetical
Letters. This deduftion of Writing from piBures
to letters., feems eafy and natural enough, with re-
gard to the gradual change made in the fhapes and
figures of the feveral charafters : But if we confider
the difference between an Hieroglyphic and a Letter^
in their nature and ufe, it is not fo eafy to conceive
how the one Invention could arife out of the other.
For as the one kind of chara6ter was a fign of things .^
and the other oS. founds — As one Hieroglyphic, when
refined, was made to Hand for more than one, fome-
times for many things, together with their feveral
modes, qualities and circumitances — And on the
other hand, as there are often feveral founds that go
to exprefs one idea., and feveral Alphabetical letters
to exprefs one found — This change, as it was far
from being natural, fo neither could it be conceiv-
ed, before hand, to be more concife or exprefTive.
For how could it enter any human mind to paint
words, give colour and body to the thought ; or to
m2^t figures., and thefe but few in number, to re-
prefcnt
1 r8 Reformation of the IVorld
prefent ideas^ or founds^ both which are innumera-
ble * i and to imagine again, that thofe fliould ex-
prefs thhigs better than the figures of the things them-
felves? Nor is it iefs improbable, that they fhould
think of abridging the prodigious number of their
chara6tersby ynultiplying^ — or o{ contra^ing^ ^J dif-
fohing each of thofe characters into ten, twenty, or
perhaps a hundred •, which was the cafe in one fenfe,
tho' it proved to anfwer the contrary purpofe in
^Therefore I cannot be induced to think, that
Hieroglyphics c6uld ever lead Men into the Inven-
tion of Letters. And what ought to be admitted as
a convincing proof hereof is, that the Chinefe (whofe
genius and capacity forthelmprovement, if not Inven-
tion of all ufeful Arts, do not feem to be a whit inferior
to thofe of any people, antient or modern) have not, in
thecourfe of fo many ages ftumbled upon a thing fo
very obvious and eafy^ tho' they have been ail this
while groping upon the very borders of it, and beat-
ing about the bufh, when they had but one fiep to
advance, to Aide into it. f If the Egyptians could
find out this Art fo foon, furely this other People
too had, by fome chance or other, lit on it before
now : But fmce they have had fo many thoufand
years tryal, and are ftill as far from it, as when they
firft fet our, we have from hence good grounds to con-
clude, that it is not tlie objeft of human Invention ;
for Nature, as this learned Author juftly obferves,
is uniform throughout.
Therefore I cannot ftill but think, that the trueft
account of the origin of alphabetical Writing is, that
it was taught by God to Mofes., notwithftanding this
opinion
* '^jii jlv.os Vic'is, qui itifiniti I'idebantur, faudijitcrarum nctls
terminavit? Cicero, Tufc. Qusll. Lib. I.
f See Diving Legntio}i, Vol. ii. Part i. p. 78.
by means of the GofpeL 1 59
opinion is in fo low and indecent a manner ridicu-
led by this learned Writer *. For,
I The Scripture does not imply, but is repeatedly
exprefs, that the 'Ten Commandments were written
with /i?^ Finger of God.
II. This is the oldeft inftance of alphabetical Wri-
ting, not only that has been convey'd down to us,
but that we have any certain, or even probable tra-
dition of; and therefore it juftly carries the claim
of priority from every other, till luch time as Ibme
other is proved to have been prior to it.
III. There are fufficient reafons for this unparal-
lel'd inilance of divine condefcenfion, arifing from
the growing need, and, indeed, neceflity of this In-
vention.
In the firft ages of the world, when the Revela-
tions of God's will (as well as knowledge in general,
and the bufinefs of civil life) lay within a narrow
compafs, the whole was no more than what Men
might have carried in their heads, v/ithout over-
burthening of their memories, or requiring any ex-
traordinary provifion in aid or relief of them : And
efpecially as their lives were fo long. Tradition was
a fufficient means of conveying what Revelations had
been made to them, with fafety to pollerity. But
the age of Man being reduced to the prefent ftan-
dard, about tiie time of Mofes^ as appears from
Pfalm xc. the title of which Ihews it to have been
written by him -, and God being then about deliver-
ing a large body of Laws by him to the Ifraelites
(which were of too much importance, as well as too
nunierous, to be truftcd to n-^cmory and uncertain
oral Tradition, or to any method of record then
found out) more certain and durable means becamt;
expedient, in order to prcferve them from oblivion
and
• p. 139. He calls it a fancy that only fticb out of the tail of
an hypochdii.
l6o Reformatio}! of the World
and corruption ; and therefore God Almighty
thought fit to reveal the ufe of Writing \ which he
did by entring down the chiefeft part of his Law in
this manner, as a fpecimen for recording of the
whole •, which has been ever fince experienced to be
beyond comparifon the beft method of recording
things, of all others. But,
IV. The learned Author himfelf hath furnifhed
us with another reafon for the ufe of alphabetical
Writing at this time, viz. to preferve the integrity
of the true Religion from Idolatry. ' All Hierogly-
phick Writing', as he fhews, ' was abfolutely for-
' bidden by the fecond Commandment ; and with
' a view worthy of the divine Wifdom •, Hierogly-
' phics being the great fource of the moft abomina-
* ble Idolatries and Superftitions.'* In order, there-
fore, effectually to abolifh the ufe of them, and cut
off all occafion of danger from fymbolic Images^ was
it not as becoming the fame Wifdom to teach Men
a more commodious way of writing, and fuch as
was quite different in its nature, as well as form ?
This our Author feems to be aware of ; for finding
Hieroglyphics to be forbidden by the fecond Com-
mandment, he found it likewife natural to fuppofe,
that fome fuch expedient Ihould at the fame time be
invented to draw off the People from the ufe of them
as much as poffible •, and therefore he is eaftly per-
fuaded to believe, that to this end Mofes alter'd the
form of the Egyptian Letters, reducing them from
the refemblance they bore to the Hieroglyphic Marks
they were taken from, to fomething like thofe fim-
pie Shapes in which we now find them. So that here
is a conceffion of an Improvement at leaft made by
Mofes in Alphabetical Writing •, and were it not for
his favourite fcheme, perhaps he might as eaftly be
perfuaded to yield him the entire honour of the Inven-
tion.
* Divine Legation^ &c. Vol. ii, p. 140.
hy meaiis of the GofpeL i6i
tion. For what can be more natural to fiippofe,
than that God in communing with Mofes on the
mount, fhould addrefs himfelf to him in Ibme fuch
manner as this ? ' I find Hieroglyphics have been
' greatly abufed to Idolatry, and therefore I think
' fit absolutely to forbid all ufe of them : And to cut
' off all handle of excufe for ufing them, from their
* fubfervience in civil Life, I here give you an Ex-
' emplar of writing, far more commodious in all re-
* fpects, and for all purpofes whatfoever ; which
' you may teach the People, fo that they may have
' neither pretence, nor temptation to ufe any other.'
But, fays the learned Writer, ' If God was the
' immediate Author of the Artifice^ (as he is plea-
fed to call it) ' it could fcarce be but Mofes would
' have recorded the hiftory of its Invention, as the
' beft fanclion to its ufe, and beft fecurity from the
' danger oi Hieroglyphic Writing'. As this negative
objection is the only one the Author brings againft
this opinion, I Ihall confider it the more particu-
larly.—
I. If the ufefulnefs of Jlphahetical Writing was
not a fufHcient recommendation of it in preference
to Hieroglyphic^ are not we told, that there was an
exprefs Command, enforced with a fevere commina-
tion, againft the breach of it, exprefly inhibiting
Hieroglyphics ? And can we think, that the bare re-
cording the hiftory of the Invention of Letters could
be a better Sanction to their ufe than this, or a bet-
ter fecurity againft the danger o^ Hieroglyphics ? The
Author of the Invention was well known at firft, and
the knowledge of him fufficiently preferved by Tra-
dition, till fuch time as all fondnefs for Hieroglyphics
had been worn off. But in truth, we do not find in
fad, that there was any need of fuch a Sanction as
this, upon this account. For 2iS forcibly 2ls, the Ifrac-
lites were inclined to Egyptian manners^ it does
M " not
i62 Improvement of the World
not appear they had any inclination to this. But,
2. What, if after all I fhould prove, that the Fad
ftands fufficiently recorded by Mofes? Will he then
give up the point, and fairly own himfelf convinced,
when divine Teftimony is produced againil him ?
The firft accounts we have of writing occur in the
books of Exodus and Deuteronomy^ and that we may
form the better j.udgment concerning this matter,
I fhall confider the feveral Texts which make any
mention of it, in the order in which they there
ftand.
The firft that occurs is Exod. xvii. 14. where the
"Lord fays unto Mofes, Write this for a memorial in a
bcok^ and rehearfe it in the ears of Jofhua. Not to
infift that the Words by us tranQated Write^ and
Book^ are not neceffarily limited to the itViiOi^ which
they are now generally applied to, and underftood
in ; * nor that this and the following Text may be
interpreted proleptically, as fome underftand them,
I am willing to allow that Mofes could write at this
time, which was before the giving of the Law. The
next mention of Writir g is in ^ ha'p. xxiv. 4. where
it is faid, That Mofes wrole all the words of the Lord;
and V. y. that he took the book of the Covenant, and
read in the audience of the People. Thcfe words of
the Law are either all the Laws recorded in the four
preceding chapters, or at leaft the principal part of
them, The ten Commandments. And as this was be-
fore the delivery of the two tables written by God,
which are not promifed till afterwards, v. 12. of this
24th chapter, it may from hence likevv'ife beinferr'd,
that Mofes was fkill'd in writing before God deliver'd
him the Tables.
But what kind of writing this was which he was
il-:iird in, is the queftion. It is plain it could not be
^-zlphabetical Wnt'mg; becaufe if it were, what oc-
cafion
* Sec Mifcellaneous Rcfleft'ons on Mx Squired Eflayr. p. 5.
in its chil Capacity. 163
cafion had there been for God's writing thefe very-
Laws afterwards in this very manner ? Was it to give
any addition to their Authority ? It would hive an-
fwer'd that end much better to have written them
firfl himfelf, if indeed the bare writing of them could
have added at all to their Weight, after fuch a fo-
lemn and av/eful publication ot them. Was it then
for the better recording ot them ? There was no oc-
cafion for that neither, if Mofes had already done it
in a manner fufficient for the purpofe. But fince
God took upon himfelf to write the Law, after
Mofes had once done it, this feems to be a plain
proof that Mofes had not done it, and that he could
not do it, in a fufficient manner, and that this was
the true rcafon ot God's condei'cending to do it him-
felf What kind of Writing then was that which
Mofes was at this time fkill'd in ? In all probability-
it was Hieroglyphical Writing, which he had learned
in Egypt, this being the only method of recording
matters of importance, hitherto ufed or known a-
mong them : And this might ferve well enough for
recording Vidories and Triumphs, and other mat-
ters of a civil nature, and therefore God commands
Mofes to record the Vidlory over ylmalek in the cuf-
tomary manner. And as Mofes foon after received
the feveral Laws recorded in the 20th and three fol-
lowing chapters of Exodus, he of his own accord
took down fome memorandums of them in the
Hieroglyphical, that is, in the belt manner he could,
as he found that fome means of this kind were ne-
ceffary for the affillance of his memory in retaining
them. But thefe Laws were too numerous and of
too great importance to be entrufted to Hieroglyphi-
cal Writing, which cannot be conceived to be otiier-
wife than very imperfe(St at bell. And therefore
God Almighty immediately upon this calls him up
to him into ihe mount. Come up, fays he, to -m
M i into
164 Improvement of the World
into the mounts and he there, (7*. e, abide with me
there fort)'- days, as we find he did, and chiefly, as
is probaJDlf, for this very purpofe) and I will give
THE£ Tables cf Stone, and a Law and Commandments
WHICH I HAVE v/KiTTEN, (This Law and Com-
mandments were materially the very fame that Mofes
hr.d v/ritten, and God himfelf had deliver'd from
the mount, and could differ only in the form and
mramer of Writing them) that thou mayeji teach them,
i.e. that thou m.ayeil teach the Nobles, or chofenMen,
beforementioned i'. 11. to read and copy them, as
the late learned Mr Johnfon rightly imderftood this
Text. *
Agreeably to this promife we read, Exod. xxxi.
18. 'That God gave unto Moles two tables of tejti-
mony, tables of Jf one, writ en with the finger of Gqd\
and Chap, xxxii. 1 6. That the tables were the work
of God, and the writing was the writing of God,
graven upon the tables. And Deut. ix, 10. thefe
fame tables are again faid to be written by the fin-
ger of God. Which words are as exprefs as words
can be, that both the preparing of thefe two Tables,
and the writing or graving upon them proceeded
from the immediate efficiency of God himfelf
But now concerning the Fate of thefe two Tables
we learn, £aW. xxxii. 19. Deut.ix. 17. that Mofes.,
in his anger againft the People's Idolatry in worfhip-
ping the golden Calf, brake them in his defcent
from the Mount. To repair this lofs, God loon
after gives orders for the renewal of the Tables, y^nd
the Lord faid unto Mofes, Hew thee two Tables of
Stone like unto the firfi, and I will write upon thefe
Tables the words that were in the firfl Tables, which
thcu brakefi. Exod. xxxiv. i. And this matter is
related in much the fame manner in Deut. x. i.
whence
* See Mr Johrfoyih preface to the 2d Vol. of his Sermons cob-
cer nine the origin efalphabeiical Letters,
/;/ its chil Capacity. 165
whence we are given to iindcriland, that A'lofes pre-
pared this pair ot Tables, and that God wrote upon
them. J^ut'm Exodus xxyiw.iy^ 28. this matter i?;
related in another manner — For here the Lord lays
unto Mofes^ Write thou thefe words — and according-
ly He (undoubtedly Mofes) wrote upon the Tables
the words of the covenant^ the ten Commandments •, fo
that here feem to be two contradi6lory accounts of
the lame matter. In one place the Writing is afcrib-
cd to God -, in the other to Mofes. There are two
ways of folving this feeming contradiLlion, which I
fliall lay before the Reader, that he may chufe that
which pleafeth him beft.
I. When God was about to deliver the moral
Law in Writing the firft time, he both prepart-d the
Tables, and wrote upon them himfelf, which there
had been no neceflity for his doing, had not this
kind of Writing been at that time ui.terly unknown
to Mofes. But when the Tables came to be renesv'd,
Mofes., having feen a fpecimen in the former, was
capable of making another pair after their pattern •,
and accordingly God commands him. Hew thee
{f^ ^Ds!,) Hew unto they f elf., i. e. for tii^y own ufe
or writing, two Tables of 6 tone like unto the firft.
And when this was done, having likewife i>ttri. an
exemplar of this new method of Writing, which
without doubt he alfo diligently ftudied during his
Rrft forty days continuance on the Mount, God
farther orders him, Write thou., or according to the
original ("[h' nPD ) V/rite unto thy [elf thefe Words \
for after the tenor of thefe words I haroe viade a co'jt-
nant with thee and with Ifrael. And he was ther4:
with the Lord forty days and forty nights^ he did nei-
ther eat bread nor drink water. And he wrote upon the
Tables the words of the covenant., the ten command-
ments. As the continuance of Mj/^'j on the Mount
forty days and nights is mentioned between the com-
mand of writing, and his execution of it, this I
M 2 think
1 66 Improvement of the World
think is a plain indication, that his chief employment
during the time of this fecond continuance confined
in writing the Lav/, and ftudying it •, otherwife why
is this circumftance here mention'd ? For Mofes be-
ing but a young Scholar mufl have required more
time than perhaps we may imagine, to perfect him-
felf both in the one and the other. And having had
but one copy, * we cannot fuppofe he was very ex-
pert at imitating of it; and therefore God Alm^ighty
condefcended to fuperintend the work, and vouchfaf-
ed him his affiftance and direction as far as was ne-
cefTary, in order to the perfecting of it. And thus
this ad might properly be afcribed to both, as both
may be faid to have bore a part in the work.
The other account, which was communicated to
me by a Friend, fuppofes that, agreeably to Exod.
xxxiv. I . God made out a fecond original of the Law,
after the deftruftion of the firft •, and that the rela-
tion which follows, V. 27, 28. is an account of
Mofes taking a copy of it — That the original was to
be repofited in the facred cheft, and the Copy to re-
main with Mofes for common ufe, that the People
might be inftru6t:ed out of it in their duty, and taught
to read and write by it.
This accouftt likewife feems very natural, and
Mofes^ according to this fuppofition, having the o-
riginal before him, might the more eafily make out
a copy from it. The only objeftion that feems to
)ie againft it is, that mention is made but of one
pair of Tables prepared by Mofes^ v. i. neither does
he feem to have had any more than one pair in his
hands, when he came down from the Mount, x'. 29.
as it is certain, vv'hen he brake the firft Tables, he
had
"* Mofis might have gathered up ihe broLen Fragments of the
^a'it Table?, which miglic ferve as Patterns to copy the fecond by,
which it is diliicult to li;ppofe how he could have done, barely
u^)on Memory.
in its civil Capacity. 167
had none other j but was to have copied them after
his defcent. However, I think it is not very ma-
terial, whether the Tables which Mofes was concern'd
in writing, was a copy or an original. For undoubt-
edly many copies were afterwards made out both by
himfelf and others, by the heads of the People at
leafl, and carefully compared with the original. For
the conftant prefervation of which facred yMf^.n^^nv
an Ark, or Archive, which was therefore called the
Ark of the Covenant^ was by God's fpecial appoint-
ment provided for its reception, and lodged in the
moft holy place ; not to be approached but upon
fpecial occafions, and by Perfons fpecially appoint-
ed. For Mofes informs us, that having been com-
manded by God to make an Ark of wood, and to
put the Tables in it, he accordingly did put them in
the Ark which he had made, and there they he^ fays
he, as the Lord commanded me. Deut. x. 5.
And thus I have endeavoured to vindicate andiif-
certain the Invention of alphabetical Writing to its
true Author, and have fhewn that fuch extraordi-
nary provifion was made for preferving the original
ot it, as was never parallel'd with regard to any odier
Inflrument whatfoever, perfuant to which it was prc-
ferved mofb religioufly for many ages ; (o that troni
the whole I hope it appears, that this matter has been
fo well recorded., that it ftands upon recwd even to
this day. Mr JVarburton therefore was too hafty in
objedting tlie want of its being recorded.^ as well as in
pronouncing that this opinion has wo countenance
from Scripture.
Let us now fee how the Argument ftands.
Mr War bur ton afcribes the Invention of alphab-^ii-
cal Writing to the Egyptians. If it was known to
them before the time of Mcfes., it muft have been
M 4 known
1 68 Improvement of the World
known to him likewife, who ixias learned in all the
wifdom of the Egyptians. If it was known to him,
what need was there for God's writing an exemplar
of his Law, after Mofes had already written one him-
felf ? And what need was there for his undergoing
fo much inftmftion in this kind of writing, as it evi-
dently appears he did ? — Of having a fecond pair of
Tables written for him, after he had broken the firft
— at leafb, of beins aflifted in the writing; of them ?
No moral reafon can be affigned for this, as I have
already fhewn : Therefore we conclude it was a na-
tural one. God wrote the firft Tables, becaufe Mofes
could not then write alphabetically — If Mofes could
not, neither could the Egyptians — nor probably any
other People. Therefore this Invention was com-
municated to Mofes by God, and by Mofes to the
reft of the world. *
I fhall only obferve farther, that it hence appears,
that the f firft Body of Laws which was ever deU-
ver'd in writing to any People was that contained in
the Mofaic Tables : Whence it follows, that this
method of recording their Laws upon Stone-'Tahles
had not then obtain'd among the Egyptians^ and
therefore that they muft have borrowed this cuftom,
as well as others, from the Ifraelites^ and not thefe
latter from them, as Mr Warhurton imagines. Vol.
i. p. 178.
This learned Gentleman promifes to fliev/ that
many Egyptian cuftoms were indulged the IfraeliteSy
but I cannot find he has made it out as yet with re-
gard to any one : And indeed I fliould be furprized to
fee
^ That Letters were derived from the Hebrews to other Na-
tions, European and Jfiatic, is proved with great Probability in
Bifliop Wiiltarh Prolog. 2. to his Polyglott Bible. See likewife
Mr Z-tfff'o Corifidcrations, p. 158. where feveral Authors are meii'
tion'd who have written in fupport of this Opinion.
f Vide Cunai de Repub. Hebraorum, Li'p. i. cap. i.
in its croil Capacity. 169
fee he did, as I ihoiild then be quite at a lofs to re-
concile fuch an indulgence with many paflages of
Scripture, particularly with that prohibition which I
find in the Law — After the Doings of the Land of
Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, fhall ye not do — neither
fhall ye walk in their Ordinances. Lev. xviii, ^. And
I think it would become Gentlemen, who efpoufe
that fide of the queftion upon Principles ofreveal'd
Religion, firft to examine its confiilcncy with it, be-
fore they declare themfelves fo peremptorily. To
proceed.
The foundations of Learning being laid, thofe
who had leifure for Study proceeded to build upon
them •, but there were not many in the early ages of
the world who could afford time for Speculation,
when Mankind was hard put to it to provide them-
felves with the necefifaries and conveniences of Life ;
and therefore Learning was more confined, till na-
ture by degrees became more tradable, and fewer
hands were required for the neceffary employments
of Life. The fooner any Nation was fettled and ac-
commodated in other refpcdis, the fooner it had
leifure to cultivate the politer Arts ; and colonics
being tranfplanted out of the civilized into the more
barbarous countries, carried wliat knowledge they
had along with them : And a communication, by
thefe and other means, being opened by degrees be-
tween the feveral parts of the World and each other.
Learning became more difl'ufed, and like the Ri-
fing-Sun, extended its rays ftill wider and wider to
enlighten the dark corners of the Earth, Hill increa-
fing in ftrength, the nearer it approach'd towards
it5 Meridian, in the Augiifian Age \ which it had
fcarcely reach'd, before it prefently verged towards a
declcnfion. And in this declining {late it continued,
till at length it fuffer'd almoil a total Eclipfe in the
dark and ignorant ages, by the breaking in of the
barbar-
1 70 Improvetnent of the World
ous northern Nations. But it is here to be obferved
that when Learning left this weftern part of the
world in a ftate of Darknefs, it went to enlighten
the Eaft, where it was cultivated v/irh great fuccefs
among the Arabians ; by the vafb Extent of whofe
Language, it has lince been diffufed in all its Bran-
ches throughout a great part of the Globe.
A Writer of * great name and authority in this
refped, attributes the decay of Letters among the
antient Romans to the lofs of their liberty. And it
is certain in fa6t, that Arts and Sciences never flou-
rifhed fo much as in free ftates : Witnefs, thofe of
Greece^ as well as that of Room, in all which both
Arts and Liberty rofe and' tell together. And it is
no lefs obfervable, that as it was undoubtedly owing
to the Papal Tyranny, that the World was after-
wards kept fo long in ignorance, agreeably to its a-
vowed principles and intereft •, fo it was when its op-
preiTivc yoke began to be fhaken off, that Learning re-
vived, and emerged from under thofe thick clouds of
darknefs, which had fo long obfcured it. And indeed
the reftoring of Learning was one of the chief means
of retrieving the Knowledge of the true Religion.
For the IFickliffites and Hz/^/^j having had recourfe
to the Scriptures in order to find out the true Faith,
and detect the errors and corruptions of the Church
of Rome^ brought the ftudy of the divine Oracles
into vogue. Several Univerfities and publick Schools
of Learning v/ere erefted in this and the following
Century, which contributed much towards the dif-
peliing of Ignorance, and popifh Errors and Super-
ititions. f The difputes between the Latin and
Greek
* Lord SZ'.7//ji:-;'ys Charafterillicks, Vol. i. p. 219.
\ In the 14th Century there were founded Univerfities at
Jie'tddhiirg.^ Prague^ Cologne, Erfird in Germ my, and at Qracow
in Poland. In the enfuing Century there were founded no lefs
than fix in Germany, viz. in Rojloch, Fribtirg, Tuhiiig, In^oljlad^
Metitx, Br.vdw, one at B/ifil'wx i^zvitzerland, and three in Scotm
laud, sYi. at St Andn'uj'i^ Glajcow, and Abtrdctn.
in its civil Capacity. ij\
Greek Churches, about the beginning of the XV.
century, occafioned the Writers of controverfy to
ftudy the Greek and Lati7i Fathers in their originals:
And the taking of Conjiantiiiople by the Turks, about
the middle of it, having obliged the Chriftians of
the Greek Church * to betake themfelves for refuge
into Italy, Germany and France^ and being there well
received by the Family of the Medici, and other Pa-
trons of Learning, the ftudy and knowledge of the
Greek Language was ftili farther promoted in thefe
weftern Parts, where it was become fuch a ftranger,
that it was fcarce known for fome hundreds of Years
before. And the Art of Printing having been
found out about the fame time, became the Means
of reviving ufeful and polite Learning in general :
By the benefit of which excellent contrivance, it has
made fuch hafte to recover the ground it had loft,
that it is become more difflifed and general among
all ranks of Men, than ever it was before •, and io
quick has its progrefs been, that it hath advanced
more within thefe three centuries laft paft, than
otherwife it could have done in ten ; infomuch that
with regard to the folid and fubftantial parts of it at
leaft, if it be ftill queftioned by fome, whether the
Moderns excel the Antients, the next age, I doubt
not, will decide the controverfy : To which I ftiall
therefore leave it, and fliall only fubjoin the Judg-
ment of a great Man in this refpccft. ' We are ex-
* rremely miftaken,' fays he, ' in the computation
* of antiquity, by fearching it backwards ^ becaufe
^ indeed the firft times were the youngeft •, efpecial-
' ly in points of natural difcovery and experience.' -j-
With regard to the progrefs of Learning fmce its
revival, we may obferve, that as the Hrft thing to
be done, was to refcue the remains of anticnt Lite-
rature
* viz. Chryfiioras, Brf/iiiori, Gaa-Jln;, Z-;?,Vrr'.7.";,7, (Jaza^
Cr.Uondii'.s^ 5.:c.
f Sir//, Wi>tf/c/r*j Remain' , p. 298.
176 Improve?Jtent of the World
rature from the riibbifh and obfcurity in which they
were buried, fo this was the chief employment of
one century •, and this tallc was, with great coll and
pains, executed by learned Printers, who, excepting
Erafmus and a few more, * were the only Men con-
fiderable for Letters in that age. But in the follow-
ing, the number was much increafed \ and the Learn-
ing of thofe times confided chiefly in comparing and
adjufting the various readings, and reftoring the
true text of antient Authors, which had greatly fuf-
fer'd by the carelefTnefs and ignorance of Tranfcri-
bers. This kind of Learning, as it was then molt
in vogue, fo was it indeed the moft ufeful and ne-
cefiary : And it was perfued v/ith fo much diligence
and application, that the fubje6l of Criticifin was in
a manner exhaufted by the great numbers of thofe,
who then exceil'd in the knowledge of t'le learned
Languages •, infomuch that they left fcarce any
thing, befides fome few gleanings, for the Critics of
the fucceeding age to exercife their talents upon.
But all their great Learning was ftill but low and
fuperficial, and often trifling, being employed alto-
gether about Words, and confined to the letter of
Authors ; but wanted that tafte of their Beauties,
and that force and penetration to enter into the Spirit
and Genius of them, which is the diftinguifhing
chara6ler of the prefent Age : Neither is this now fo
much the ftudy as amufement of learned Men.
TiityBelks Lettres are little more than ornr.mental
accomplifhments ; and it may be truly faid, that
That is the ;.aft part of our knowledge, which is
derived from the fountains of Antiquity : That which
makes up by far the greatefl: and moif ufeful part of
it, (I need not remind the Reader, that I am here
fpeaking
■* Laurentius Valla, Baptijla Vhtlnn, M. iib Akxandro^ Pi em
Mirdndtila, Angeliis Fvlltianus, Cominaui, and foon after, Alcint^
Scaliger ; and Siif Ihimm More, and Linacie here in England, &c.
in its civil Capacity, 173
fpeaking of mere human knowledge,) the Moderns
may properly call their own, as it is chietly the pro-
duce of their own brains, raifed out of their own
Hock, and built upon their own bottom. Such is
that which confiils in good itw^^:, and clofe refined
reafoning ; natural and experimental Philofophy •,
Aftronomy, and mathematical Learning in all its
branches J in which, and in all other parts of uleful
Learning, fuch difcoveries and improvements have of
late years been made, efqecially by our great lumi-
nary Sir Ifaac Newton, as render the prefent age en-
lighten'd beyond the hopes and imaginations of for-
mer times. *
I fliall conclude this chapter with the comparifon
made by two eminent Critics between the fixteenth
and feventecnth centuries.
' I am of opinion,' fays one of them, ' that the
' fixteenth century produced a greater number of
' learned Men than the feventeenth, and yet the
' former was not fo enlighten'd as the latter. Whiht
* the reign of Criticiliii and Philology continued,
* every part of E^/r^^^ produced prodigies of erudi-
' tion. The iludy of the new Philofophy and of
* modern Languages having introduced another
' Tafte, that univerfal and profound Literature has
' difappear'd -, but in rccompence, a certain Genius
* more refined, and accompanied with more exqui-
* fite difcernment, has fpread itfelf over the com-
' mon-wealth of Learning : People are now-a-days
' lefs learned, and more fubtile.* Thus far Mr
Bayk, who prefcntly after brings in Father Rapn
* to confirm his opinion.
Thefe are his words — ' We live in an age where-
* in People attend more to good fenfe and reafon
' than
* For a particular Account of the Improvements made by fhe
Moderns in the feveral Bianclies of Learninf, fee Dr V'l'ottoth Re-
fleftion: upon anticnt and modern Learning.
174 Improvement of the World, &c.
' than any thing elfe ; and it may be faid in our
' commendation, that we are already better ac-
' quainted with the chara6ter of antient Authors,
' and more intimately familiar with their Genius,
' than thofe who went before us. The difference
' between them and us is, that in the laft age, Peo-
' pie were more ambitious of erudition, than they
' are at prefent — 'Twas the Genius of thofe times,
' wherein nothing was more in vogue than a vaft
* capacity, a great memory, and profound Litera-
' ture. They ftudied Languages to the bottom ;
' applied themfelves to reform or reftore the text of.
' antient Authors by far-fetcht Interpretations •, ca-
' vill'd about an equivocal word \ laid ftrefs upon
' a conjedlure, in order to eftablifh a corredion : in
* Jhort, they ftuck to the literal fenfe of an Author,
' becaufe they had not force enough to raife them-
* felves up to his Spirit, and to be thoroughly ac-
' quainted with him, as we are at prefent, becaufe
' we are more reafonablc, and lefs learned, and fet
' a greater value upon plain good fenfe, than an
' extenfive, but perverfe capacity. *
Prtv/f's Did. Vol, i. p. 92. ^.
CHAP,
CHAP. IX.
Contahnng fome Account of Notices grjen to,
a?id of the Notions and Rxpeclvtions which
prevail' d atnong the Antients, Jews, Hea-
thens, and Chriftians, ivith I'cgard to the
future Rejloraticn and Re7io^cation of the
World.
TH E learned Dr Burnet^ In his Theory cf the
Earth, has collecled feveral tefti monies of
the antient Philofophers, together with
fome traditions and typical allufions among the Jews^
to which he has added the opinions of the antient Fa-
thers of the Church, all concurring in the belief and
maintenance of this antient dodlrine, that after the
Revolution of certain periods, there will be a Renova-
tion of all things, viz. both of the natural and mo-
ral World. And tho' I differ from that learned
Perfon in the manner of explaining this do6i:rine,
and by which this Renovation will be brought to pafs-,
yet as I find feveral of his teftimonies are as applica-
ble to my Scheme, as his own, and fome of them
much more fo, I fhall take the Liberty of cxtnufling
from him what relates to the prefent fubjedl.
' 'Tis plain to me,' fays he, ' that th^re were a-
' mong the Antients feveral traditions, or traditionary
* conclufions, which they did not raife themfelv^s
* by reafon and obfervation, but received them from
* an unknown Antiquity — The Renovation of the
* World is an antient doclrine,' of this kind, ' both
' among the Creek and Enficrn Philojophers; but
' they fhew us no method hovo the World may bi*.
* renewed^ nor make any proof of its future Reno-
* vation \
1"]^ opinion of the Antients
* vation 5 for it was not a difcovery which they firft
* made, but they received it with an impUcit faith,
' from their mafters and anceftors. And thefe tra-
' ditionary dodrines were fore-runners of that hght,
' which was to fhine more clearly at the opening of
' the Chriilian difpenlation, to give a more full ac-
' count of the Revolutions of the natural World, as
* well as of the moral.
' The Je'ws^ 'tis well known, held the Renova-
' tion of the World, and a Sabbath after 6000
' years, according to a prophecy current among
' them" — Neither can I eafily believe,' as he goes on,
* that thofe Conftitutions of Aiofes, that proceed fo
' much upon a Septenary, or the Number Seven,
' and have no ground or rcafon in the nature of the
' thing for that particular Number ; I cannot cafily
' believe, I fay, that they are either accidental or
' humourfome, without defign or figniiication ; but
' that they are typical, or reprefentative of fome
' Septenary State, that does eminently deferve and
« bear that charader. Mofes, in the Hiftory of the
*■ Creation, makes fix days work, and then a fab-
* bath •, then after fix years, he makes a fabbath-
' year; and after a fabbath of years, a year of ju-
' bike, Lev. xxv. All thefe lelTer revolutions feem
' to me to point at the grand revolution, the great
* fabbath or jubilee, after fix millenaries •, which as
* it anfwers the type in point of time, fo likewife in
' the nature and contents of it, being a ftate of reft
* from all Libour, and trouble, and fervitude ; a
' flatc of joy and triumph, and a flate of Renova-
' tion, when things are to return to their firll con-
* dition and priftine order.'*
But thefe are not the only allufions to this reno-
vated ftate, which may be traced among the Jews.
The land of C^^/<?^;?, when it was inhabited and cul-
tivated,
* Theory of the Earth . Book iv. Ch.ap. 3, Englilh Treatife^
on the JForld's Refio'vatiof?'. lyj
tivated, was the moft fertile country in the world -,
and I take it to have been then a Type of the future
fertility of the whole earth, when the curfe fhall be
entirely removed from it. It is ufually reckon'd a
Type of Heaven, and the earthly, a Type of the
heavenly Jerufalem : Why therefore may not each
of them as naturally fignify that future flourifhing
ftate upon earth, which is filled the New Jerufalem,
Rev. xxi. and defcribed in chara6ters, of which the
fumptuoufnefs, as well as imputed holinefs, of the
temple and city of old Jerufalem, was a proper em-
blem ?
Moreover, under the reign of Solomon, the Jewifh
ftate was arrived at its higheft pitch of grandeur and
magnificence; which, perhaps, forpeace, plenty, rich-
es, renown, and all manner of worldly felicity, was ne-
ver equall'd by the moft flourifhing ftates upon earth,
either before, or fince : And therefore it was a pro-
per Type of the future flourifliing ftate of Chriji's
kingdom, as Solomon himfelf was a Type of Chrijl',
and agreeably hereto, the glorious and beautiful ar-
ray of Chriji's fpoufe, the Church, is defcribed in
the perfon of Solomon's, Queen, Pfal. xlv. and the
book of CanUcks is writ on the fame fubjeft.
The Jewifh policy and form of government,
which was Theocratkal, I apprehend to be typical
of that more perfecSl Theocracy which God fliall re-
fume and eftablifh, when he, according to his Pro-
mife, fhall rejlore the kingdom to Ifrael, and all the
kingdoms of the earth fhall become the kingdom of the
Lord.
Again, As Divines have obferved an analogy be-
tv/een the Egyptian bondage, and the tyranny ot fin,
fo the continuance of tlicone for ilich a precife num-
ber of years, may polTibly denote the term of the
other's duration, tho' it continues as yet a fecret to
us : And as the Tfraclites were dchvcr'd from Egvpt,
N ' by
178 opinion of the Antients
by having a pafTage open'd to them thro' the Red
Sea, fo the true Ifrael fhall be deUvered from the
worfe than Egyptian flavery of fin, by means of the
waters of Baptifm, as they were baptized in the fea
and in the cloud. Their forty years wandering in and
paffage thro' the wildernefs, before they arrived at
the promifed land, reprefent the many labyrinths of
fin and error, which mankind fhould run thro', to-
gether with the tedioufnefs and diliiculty of extricat-
ing themfelves out of them : And their entrance at
length into the Holy Land, under the Condud of
Jojhua, cr Jcfus, aptly fcts forth the future delive-
rance and triumph of the Church, the Woman in the
Wildernefs^ Rev. xii. 6. and its final fettlement in a
ftate of peace and holinefs, under the Conduct of
Jefus Chrijiy the Captain of our Salvation. So again,
in the many legal wafhings and purifications, and
other performances of the Ceremonial Law.^ are ty-
pified the purity, fandlity, and other moral excel-
lencies to which mankind fhall be reftored by means
of the Chriftian Law. Thefe, and the like, were
figures for the time then pre fent, and fhadows of good
things to come. 'They were our examples, and were
written for our admonition. Heb. ix. 9. — x. i. — i
Cor. X. 6, II . — In a word, I take the whole CEco-
nomy of Judaifm to be typical of Chrijtianity •, and
if we were able dextroufly to unravel its myftick
fenfe, I am perfuaded, the hiftory of the Jewifh
Church and ftate would open us a profpect into
futurity, and every difpenfation and revolution in it
would appear to have a reference to fomething pa-
rallel under the Gofpel.
Accordingly the antient Jews had very exalted
Notions of the Age of the Mefliah, * wherein they
' believed there would be a Change of Nature — *
' the Earth would become Hke Paradife, where
' Fruits
• Kimchi on Hof. xiv. 8. Jarchi. Maim.
on the IVorld's Renovation, lyg
* Fruits growing of their own accord. Men fhould
* lead tlieir Lives in Plenty without Labour or Sor-
* ror jl — the wild Creatures like wife Ihould be tamed,
' wiien the Jews tamed their Faflions, and War
' Ihould not reach the Country of the Godly — that
' the Meffiah fhall fubdue all Nations, and extend his
' conqueils for the good of the conquered * — that
' the Geniiles fliall be converted, and forfake their
' own Laws and Cuftoms for thofe of Mofes^ -f and
' that God fhall bring forth a plentiful Crop of Vir-
* tue in thofe days ; infomuch that Man Ihould re-
* turn in the times of the Mefllah to that primitive
* ftate he was in before the fin of the firft Man, who
' naturally did whatfoever was good, neither was
* there any thing and its contrary then in his choice.*
All which how agreeable it is with fcripmre will be
feen in its proper place.
Let us now fee what notions and expe(5bations of a
renovated State prevail'd among the Heathens. To
this purpofe it is to be obferved,
I. That it was the profefs'd end and defign of the
Heathen Philofophy and Religions, to reftore men
to the Hkenefs of God, and to their original purity
and perfedion. Nothing can be more admirable,
nor breathe more of the Spirit of Chrifiianhy^ than
what Pythagoras taught in this refped, "jiz. that the
ftudy of Philofophy tended to make Men like unto
God, which was likewife maintain'd by Socrates and
Plato\ to be the true end of it. Thus Hierocles^ in
the Introduction of his Commentary on the Golden
Verfes of Pythagoras^ fays, § ' That Philofophy is
N 2 the
11 Philo de Opific. * Id. de Pracm. & Poen. f Vit. Mofis.
SeeBifhop Chnniilerh D.'fence of Xty, Ch, i. S. i. and SMi(i>\Sc-
left dilcourfef, p. 294.
Hlerocl. in Carm. Pychag,
i8o Opinion of the Ant tents
' the purgation and perfe^ion of our Naturc5, as it
' doth cleanfe and purify us from the brutal corrup-
' tions of our carnal part, reftores us to our native
* excellence, makes us whole, pure and perfedt ;
' enables us to recover the form of our firft ftate,
' and to be made like unto God.' — And with regard
to Religion, Plato fays, f ' That it was the aim and
' drift of initiation into their facred myfteries, to
' rejlore the Soul to thzt perfeotion, from which, as
' from its original ftate, it firft fell.' But this Doc-
trine is fo largely and fully difcourfed of by all the Py-
thagoreans and Platonijlst that it is needlefs to infift
upon it. Whence it manifeftly appears, that the
Heathens had a tradition convey'd down to them, of
the original Perfection of Man, and of his Fall from
it ; and likewlfe, that they defpair'd not of being
reftored to this their original ftate, however obfcure
their notions were of that ftate, and however infuffi-
cient the means v/ere wh'ch they ufed for the reco-
very of it.
2. That a notion was current among the antient
Heathens^ that the world Jhould be reftored to a
ftate of great happinefs, peace, and tranquillity, is
evident from the Doftrine of Two Principles, and
the happy iftlie of the conteft they maintain'd with
each other ; as it is reprefented by Plutarch : who
tells us, ' That it was a moft antient opinion, deri-
' ved from Divines and LegiQators, the author un-
' known, but the belief of it firmly eftablifti'd, not
' only among the Vulgar, but Philofophers, and
' that it was admitted into the religious Rites both
* cf Greeks and Barbarians — * That there were two
* oppofite Principles, the one the author of good,
'the
* Nop^tfiTi yocf vi«5 iivcit o^ul Kct^ctiT'-f avltls^vfii'rcj [Ah yxe */«6wi'>
071 the Wo7'U'i Re?iovatiofi. i8i
the other of evil — that Zoroajires^ the Magian, na-
med the one, Oromazes,\\-\t other, Arimanius — That
Oromazes co\x\6. not be better compared to any ob-
je6t of fenfe, than to Light ; nor Arimanius to
any thing more fitly than to Darknefs and Igno-
rance— that between thefe there was a middle Be-
ing, call'd Mithras^ which in the Perjian Lan-
guage, fignifies Mediator. That Oromazes^ the
God of Light, and Arimanius, the God of Dark-
nefs, conftantly wage war with each other. But
that the time appointed by the Fates lliall come,
when Arimanius fhall be entirely vanquifli'd and
deftroy'd, by the Evils which he himfelf had in-
troduced— That the furface of the earth lliould
then become fmooth and even — that mankind
fhould lead one uniform courfe of life ; fliould live
in one happy community together, and all fpeak
one and the fame language/ He adds, ' That
Tbeopompus relates it as the opinion of the MagianSy
that this ftruggle is to continue 6000 Years, where-
in both parties fliould alternately prevail, and be
employed in demolifhing each others fchemes and
operations. And that at the end of this term, the
evil Principle fhould be utterly overthrown, and
that then mankind fliould be happy.'
This antient Tradition has fvich a mixture of
truth with its errors, as proves it to be a manifdl
corruption of the hiftory of the Introdudlion of Evil
by Satan at the Fall, and of the contcft which he has
ever fince maintain'd with God. And it is the more
remarkable, as its agreement with Scripture may be
traced in many particulars. As ift, in comparing
the good Principle to Light, and the evil one to
Darknefs. For agreeably hereto. Light is in feve-
ral places of Scripture made the emblem of the di-
vine Majefty. Thus St John fays, God is Light. 1
Ep. i. 5, — James i. 17. he is call'd The Father of
N 3 Lights^
1 82 opinion of the Antients
Lights. Pfal. civ. 2. he is faid to be cloaihed with
Lights and to dwell in Light, i Tim. vi. 16. And
our Saviour Chrift is likewife frequently call'd the
Light of the JVorld, Johnviii. 12. — ix. 5. On the
other hand, the Devil is, in Scripture, called the
Prince of Darknefs, and his Power, the Power of
Darknefs. Luke xxii. ^^. And he and his Angels
are call'd Rulers of Darknefs. Eph. vi. 12. And to
mention no mere, God, with a particular view to
the doftrine of Pwo Principles, tells Cyrus — I form the
Lights and create Darknefs : I make Peace., and create
Evil: J the Lord do alt thefe Things. Ifa. xlv. 7.
With regard to the conteft between them, we are
told, there was war in Heaven \ that Michael and
his Angels fought againji the Dragon, and the Dra-
gon fought and his Angels., and prevailed not, neither
was their place found any more in Heaven. Rev. xii.
7, 8. So again, we read, that for this purpofe the
Son of God was inanifefied, that he might dejlroy the
works of the Devil, i John iii. 8. And the Devil on
his part is call'd, 0 ' ATroA^iti-^i', The Deflroyer. Rev.
ix. II. With regard to the final prevalence of good
over evil, the unity and felicity in general confe-
quent thereupon, its agreement with Scripture will
fuhy appear in the following chapters.
What is farther remarkable in this Tradition, is
the circumllance of time, viz. the period of 6000
Years, wherein it fo exadlly agrees with the Jewifh
Prophecy above-mention'd, concerning a Renova-
tion of the World at the end of that period ; whence
therefore it was probably derived : For it is not to be
imagined, that fuch an agreement in the precife num-
ber of years, as well as in the fubllance of the Pro-
phecy, could have happen^ by chance. For which
reafon it may be hence inferr'd, that, that Prophe-
ry was much more antient than the time of Rabbi
Elia'^ to wi^om it is ccnvnonly ajrcinbed, as l.e did
on the World' $ Renovation, 183
not live but about 200 Years before Chrift -, and that
EUas^ the TiftMte^ has a better title to it, if it be
not more antient even than his time.
3, Another Dodtrine uiiiverfally current among
the antient Heathen, from which their notions con-
cerning the Renovation of the World may be plain-
ly inferr'd, was that of the Golden Age, and the
renewal of it.
Whoever confiders the defcription of the Golden
Age, which is given us by the Heathen Poets, and
compares it with the paft ftate of the world, thro*
every period of it, muft be convinced, that the tra-
dition of its former exiftence could have no real found-
ation but in the Paradifiacal State. For, ( i .) The
Golden Age is fuppofed to have been the firftage
of the World, and the original ftate of nature. And
accordingly Saturn is with great probability by fome
fuppofed to have been Adam, under whom the Gol-
den Age was. The purity, plenty, and fehcity of
it in general, is fuitable to no fucceeding age or
ftate. And therefore, as a notion prevail'd, that
this ftate was to be reftored, the reftoration of it car.
be no other than that of the ftate of man in Para-
dife. For,
1. This Reftoration is not to be till the laft age of
the world ; for fo Virgil defcribes it from the Sibyl-
'line Oracles.*
2. It is to be a ftate wherein the natural and mo-
ral world will be renovated, and reftored to their ori-
ginal Perfection.
3. As the world is by the tradition fuppofed to
have degenerated by degrees, the fucceeding age
being ftiil defcribed by the bafer meral, in this or-
der, the golden, filver, brafs, and iron •, fo the re-
ftoration of the Golden Age is to be brought about
N 4 but
* Ultima Cumai venitjam Car mini i Mt.ai. Ec!- iv. r. 4.
184 opinion of the Antients
but by degrees likewife, as is evident to any one who
reads the lines quoted below. *
4. This defcription of Virgil's Golden Age has
a remarkable agreement, in feveral Particulars, with
many pafiages of IJaiaFs, Prophecy concerning the
flourifhing Kingdom of the Meffiah ; which is none
other than the primitive ftate reftored, as I fhall
hereafter prove at large.
Upon the whole, this Tradition of the Golden
Age, and of its Reftoration, comes as fully up to
the point, and is as plain, as can well be expedted,
and as confonant to the Scripture-Do6trine in this re-
fpeft, as will appear hereafter.
Nor is it fufficient to fay, that this ftate has been
intentionally reftored by the coming of Chrift, and
the preaching of his Gofpel •, for tho' the defign and
tendency of the Chriftian Religion is to bring peace
upon earth, and all the other blefllngs which confti-
tute the Golden Age, yet a defign'd accompHfli-
mcnt of a Thing, is in truth no accomplifliment at
all.
This tradition had the authority of the Sihylliyie
Oracles for its fupport, which were of great reputa-
tion in the old Heathen World : But it was more di-
vulged than the contents of thofe books generally
were, and was likewife of more certain and greater
antiquity -, for we find it defcanted upon by Hefwd,
and the old eft Heathen Poets. And as it has its
foundation in the earlieft times, fo the rife of it is
rot otherwife to be accounted for, than that it was
derived from Noah^ the fountain of all traditionary
learning,
* Pauca tamen fu'erunt prifca VeJIigia Traudis,
^lute tentare Thitin Ratibus, qua cingere Muris
Oppida, qua iuheant TiUuri irjindere Jukos.
Jlter erit turn Typhis, &c.
Uhic ubijamfrmata Virum tefecerit jEias,
Cedet isf ^p e Mart f'eclor: Nee Nautica Pinici
Mutabit Merc a : omnisferet omnia Tellui. ib, v. 31 . & fcqq.
on the World's Renovation. 185
learning, and probably made one of the Dogmata
Ncachidariwi.
4. That the antient Heathens believe the world
would be reftored to its primitive ftate, is farther
evident from that dodlrine of the Revolution of all
things, and Renovation of the World confequent
thereupon, which was held by Plato and his follow -
ers, and, as Dr Burnet Ihews, was current among
the Greeks in general, and among the Barbarick
Philofophers likewife, which were more antient, viz.
the Egyptians., Perfians., Chaldeans., Indian Brach-
mans., * and other eaftern nations. This Doctrine
fuppofed an Annus Magnus., or great Year, at the
end of which an entire mundane revolution fhould
be perforni'd •, when all the celeftial bodies lliould
have finifhed their courfes, and be come about to
the fame point of the heavens, and the fame pofi-
tion with regard to each other they were in when
firft created. And that when this great round of
time fhould be performed, a relloration of the mo-
ral world likewife fliould at the fame time enfue, and
univerfal nature fhould be recover'd from all its dif-
orders, and reinftated in its priftine happy condition.
Accordingly this doftrine is called by the Name of
A7ro^7aV<2<7<i", and A7ro»(^TO9a(Ti; xccryu/x/ > which
what elfe is it than St Peter's K.-uox^-wLqaLaic, -Truvrc^v ?
A^s iii. 2 1, of which 1 fhall hereafter offer an expla-
nation.
It is likewife call'd TlccAiyyiviaict, the fcripturc-
term, whereby the Regeneration or Renovation of
our natures is exprelTed.
It is obfervable that Plato, who was a great efpou-
fer of this doctrine, from whom, as the fuppofed
author of it, it is fometimes called the Platonick-Tear
— it
Bpa-^M^s/ati — x«Ta(pfoi'«o-| Sa»«Ttf, xal vyo ndiv riytivra-i to C*)"' ts'-
ScvTat yx^ iiKxi •!raAt/y5V£(7if»». Clcm, Akx. Strom.' Lib. 3.
i86 Opinion of the Antimts
' — it is to be obferved, I fay, that he placeththis grand
Inftauration of all things before the general Confla-
gration ; infomuch that he makes the conflagration
to proceed from this as its caufe : Tho' Dr Burnet,
to fuit it to his fcheme, would fain confound both
together.*
How agreeable the divine Plato's, fentiments are
to fcripture in this refpecl, as well as they are known
to be in others, will appear, when the fcripture-doc-
tiine relating hereto, comes under confideration.
The Stoicks, indeed, fuppofe a new world after
the Conflagration ; but this opinion is not fo uni-
verfal as the former ; nor, if it were, would it be at
all inconfiftent widi it : On the contrary, this, as
well as the other, feems to have fome countenance
from fcripture, as there may hereafter be occafion to
ihew.
We have only "now to enquire what the fenfe of
the primitive Chriftians was in this matter. And it
is well known, that mofl: of the antient Fathers of
the Church held a Renovation and Reftoration of the
World. The conftant and every- where-repeated o-
pinion of Iren^us is, ' That we are to recover the
*■ fame happinefs in the fecond Adam^ which we loft
' in the ftrft.' Clemens Alex, very plainly profefTes
his Belief of this doftrine ;i" and Jujlin Martyr, in
iiis Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, tells him, ' That
' he himfelf, and all orthodox Chriftians, unani-
' moufly maintain' d the felicity of the laft age of
' the world.' Which Teftimony, as it contains a
.cloud of witneffes, renders the addition of more
quite needlefs and fliperfiuous. This opinion they
held
* See Bnrnrfs Theory. Vol. 2. B. 3. ch. 8.
jt3C-f.«.i; crv^<-7ri(py^t«vji» sVtas, T»! ai«£t'jT)jT» TTjJo^-iii^^o^'T^i. Strom. Lib. 3.
on the JVorld's Renovatiofi^ 187
held under the notion of a Millennium *, which they
conceived to be a ftate of the greateft peace, plenty,
and all manner of felicity imaginable. But as I fhall
hereafter have occafion to fhow more particularly
what their Notion of a Millennium was — what mif-
takes they were in about it — and how they fell into
thofe miftakes — I fhall wave this matter at prefent,
and proceed to the confideration of other arguments.
CHAP. X.
Wf^erein it isprcved, that this HypotheJiSy which
maintains the Rejioration of the World to its
07'iginal PerfeBion^ before its fnal Dijfolii-
tion, is agreeable to our Notions of the At-
tributes ofGoTiy to the Nature of Man ^ and
Reajons of T^hings.
OUR enquiries have hitherto been chiefly
employ'd about fact and hiftory : We come
now to examine the fubjeft of them by
the touchftone of Rcafon. This, it mull be own'd,
is of it felf but a very uncertain guide in the cafe
before us, it not being fafe to conclude, from what
nve conceive fuitable for God to do, that it/ballczY-
tainly be done, were there nothing elfe to fupport
this reafoning. But tho' this carries not the weight
of a fole or principal argument, yet it may be uied
as a concurrent or fublidiary one : And efpecially,
when God, by wiiat he hath already done, fignifies
what he intends to do, and has moreover told us, as
will appear hereafter, what he w/// do, we may in
this cafe venture to fpeak after him, and lay, that
That is fuitable to be done.
\\^ may, therefore, take ronBdencc, and afTc-rt,
that
1 88 T/6/i Hypothefis agreeable
that the Reftoration of the World to its native ftatc
of Order and Perfedion, is a work every way wor-
thy of God, and fuitable to the Wifdom, Power,
Dominion, Juftice, Honour, and Goodnefs of the
divine Being.
For though the almighty creator, in his infinite
wifdom, thought fit to permit his works to be dif-
turb'd and put out of their regular courfes for a
time ; yet the notion we have of the fame wifdom
will not give us leave to think that it will be always
fo, and that he will permit his power to be infulted
to the end, and the defigns of his providence to be
finally perverted and triumph' d over by his rebelli-
ous and apoftate creatures. For what can be more
worthy of his Wifdom to contrive, or of his Power
to effeft, than to vindicate his own works from the
abufe they have fuffer'd ? It is no more than what in
juflice he feems to owe to 'himfelf, to make the
world, the workmanfhip of his hands, to appear
once more in its native beauty and perfedlion, and
to afiert that dominion over it, with which in right
of creation he is invefted. Is it to be conceived,
that God fhould fuffer his Glory to be thus echpf-
ed, in its- Dawn, as it were — in the morning of
time — and that it will not emerge and appear again
in its firft Brightnefs, till time be fet in the ocean of
eternity ? Is it not rather to be fuppofed, that it
will break through this cloud in which it is now be-
nighted, and appear with double luftre ? He who is
fo jealous of his Honour, and has declared he will
not give it to another, will hardly be content to be
roWd of it. As his own glory, and the good of
the creatures he made, were the great ends for which
God framed the world at firft, fo it is not to be
doubted but thefe ends, upon the whole, will ftill
be moft effeftually promoted, by thole very means
which to us feem to have a quite contrary tendency.
It
to the Attributes of God. 189
It is a favorite maxim in the divine politicks to
bring Good out of Evil •, and by how much greater
both the good is, and the evil out of which it is
brought, by lb much the more does it tend to dif-
play that darling attribute of his, hisGoodnefs: Now
I need not add, that more good is brought out of
the evil of the Fall, according to this notion of our
redemption from it, than any other.
Indeed it is offering violence to Reafon to fuppofe,
that he who is the God of Order, and not of Confu-
fion, will fuffer Confufion finally to prevail. On
the contrary, it is moft natural to think, that he will
adjuft and compofe every difference, reform what
is irregular, reduce what is out of courfe, correft
what is erroneous, compleat what is imperfed:, fill
up what is wanting, and in every refpeft red:ify
what is amifs both in the natural and moral World.
For if God once brought Order out of Confufion,
and caufed a moft beautiful and regular Syftem to
arife out of an uninform'd indigefled Chaos^ why
may, and will he not do the like again ? Is it more
difficult to reform the World, than it was at firft to
form it ? — To mend than to make it ? Or is it not
eafier to rellore things to their firff ff ate of Harmo-
ny, than to produce Harmony where there was none
before .^
If a curious piece of clock-work be put out of or-
der, by accident or defign, and be capable of beino-
repair*d, and perhaps improved beyond what it was
before, the artift who made it will undoubtedly
think his fkill well bellowed for that purpofc. And
that the prefent ftate of things is not fo bad, as to
render them incapable of being fet at rights, and
xeftored to their original pcrfedion, is evident, tho*
from no other coniideration, yet from this, that
God Almighty continues them lb long in being -, for
which
190 ^his Hypothe/is agreeable
which no other realbn worthy of him can be af-
fign'd.
No Phyfician of chara6ter will continue prefcrib-
ing for a Patient, and keep him upon his hands,
when at the fame time he defpairs of his Recovery ;
and had the fhock of the Fall been fo terrible, as not
to admit of a Cure, or poflibility of recovering
from it, I cannot help thinking that all things would
have been immediately diffoived, and we fhould,
long ago, have had new Heavens, and a new Earth
in their ftead. But on the contrary we may obferve
that all parts of Nature are eiidued with a principle
not only to preferve their ftate, but to advance it,
and that every thing has a tendency to its own perfec-
tion. This is a general law imprefs'd upon Nature,
which muft at length attain its end, unlefs we fup-
pofe that Nature, or rather its author, doth fome
things in vain, and particularly that this law is given
and operates to no end. In a word, either this world,
as it is at prefent, is capable of being alter'd for the
better, and reflored to its original Beauty, Order,
and Harmony, in all and every Part, or it is not :
If not, why is it continued fo long in Being ? If it
be, we have all the reafon in the world to expeft,
that a good and gracious God will in his good Time
bring it to pafs.
' But the continuance of the World fo long with-
' out any remarkable Change for the better,' as the
Objeclor will fuppofe, ' may be rather thought an
* argument of the contrary. Where is the promife
* of his coming'^, faid the Scoffers of old, 2 Pet. iii. 4.
' fave that the fathers are fallen afleep^ all things
* continue as they were from the beginning. He that
' made the World in fix Days, might furely have
' repaired its Breaches in Icfs than 6000 Years, if
' he had been minded to have done it at all : But
' iince
to the Attributes of God. 191
• fince he has delay'd it fo long, it is to be prefum-
* ed he never intends it.*
Now, that it is wrong to fuppofe the World is
not confiderably reform'd and improved, 1 have al-
ready fhewn at large in the foregoing chapters,
Notwithflanding, it rnuft be owned, that at firit
fight it is matter of wonder, that the works of the
Creation, which were finifhed in fo fhort a time,
could be thrown fo much out of order by any crea-
ted power, as not to be reduced to their firft harmo-
ny and regularity in the courfe of fuch a number of
ages as have fince palTed. But it the matter be con-
fider'd a little more nearly, our wonder will ceafe :
For we miiji not be ignorant of tbis^ that one day
with the Lord is as 1000 Tears^ and 1000 years
as one day — T^he Lord ii not Jlack^ as men count jlack-
nefs. 1 Pet. iii. 8, 9. All Time is alike to him,
and bears the fame proportion to Eternity, which is
none at all. He, for his part, could inftantly liave
fet all at rights again, but the Remcra is owing alto-
gether to ourfelves. When he made the world, he
had only lifelefs matter to work upon, the lav/s of
which being few and fimple, occafioned no delays,
and therefore he had nothing to do, but to ifllie out
his Almighty Fiat^ and at once to fpeak it into be-
ing. But when the world came to need his hand a
fecond time, the cafe was altcr'd. The great Ma-
chine was then in motion, and nature alive in all its
parts, conduced by an infinite variety of fecond
Caufes, and thefe again fubjefled to an infinite va-
riety of Laws, which the great author of nature had
impofed upon it.
The World was alfo ftock'd with various kinds
of inhabitants, the chief of which was Man, a com-
pound being, endowtd with freedom of will. There-
fore the laws relating to him muft be more com-
pounded
192 ^his Hypothefis agreeable
pounded and complicated in their nature, and all
confiftent with his native liberty.*
Now as God governs all things according to their
natures, the laws of nature muft be the rules of his
conduft, in his Redintegration of the World, other-
wife it would be dejir eying inftead of rejloring : And,
particularly, no one meafure could be taken, that
violated or infringed human liberty.
Therefore, as the Reformation of the World is
not in the nature of the thing to be completed by
God alone, but requires the joynt-concurrence of
many others — As there are feveral parties that muft
be concern*d in it, and contribute their parts to-
wards it — In this view of the matter the Renova-
tion of the World feems to be a more tedious and o-
perofe talk than the firft Creation of it, tho' that be-
fpeaks the greateft exertion of power. But, in truth,
both are equally above our comprehenfions, and both
equally eafy to him in themfelves.
The only difference is, that in the one cafe Hcl
afted alone, in the other, the Concurrence of his
Creatures is neceffary ; and therefore God, by the
laws of his conduct, cannot proceed any fafter in
this great work than Man co-operates with him. In
the nature of the thing it can advance but by flow
degrees, and that it goes on no fafter, proves no-
thing but the long-fuffering of God, and perverfe-
nefs of Man. How long this frowardnefs will con-
tinue, is among the fecrets of the Almighty, who
alone fees the hearts of all men that are, and are to
be, and what degrees of depravity are to be over-
come in each -, but that an univerfal Renovation will
at length take place, can admit of no doubt, unlefs
we think the Goodnefs, the Wifdom, the Power of
pOD muft yield to the Wickednefs of Man.
More-
* See Dr /r,'>?'s Origin of Evil. B 5. Sed. 5. Siibf.a. 3. Or
Mr iflfw's Tranflation of it, p. 415.
en the World's Retiovatiori. i
93
Moreover,
Why was the firft and belt fcene of the World fo
fliort, that it pafs'd away hke a dream or Ihadow,
if it never is to come on the ftage again ? Why were
only one man and woman admitted to be fpedators
of it, and all future generations not only tor ever
deprived of enjoying it, but moreover mortified
■with the defcription of what had been lb entertaining
to behold and bear a Part in? Surely the conclufion
of this great Drama will not fall fo far fhort of its Be-
ginning ! It miift end with univerfal Applaufe ; but
hoiv can it end fo, if it ends worfe than it began ?
The confummate Wifdomofthe great contriver and
conduftor of it will not permit fuch a thought.
' What,' fays a late Writer, who feems to be no
hearty friend to Revelation — ' What could 'Tully
' have judged of the formation of a Paradife, and
' all that apparatus and provifion for the blifs and im-
' mortality of the firft Pair ; which was no fooner
. ' made than forfeited, and like a theatrical Scene,
* changed in an Inftant to a profpe6l of mifery and
' barrennefs * ?' Why, prefented thus funply
and abftraftedly in itfelf, I believe he would have
been at a lofs what to have judged of it. But fliould
you tell him, that this ftate was defign'd for Man
tliroughout tJie whole period of the World's exif-
tence— that he very early and unhappily turned him-
felf out of it— -but that God, notwithftanding, from
that very moment, hath been contriving, and con-
tinually making proper difpofitions for his Reftora-
tion to it— and that, as foon as his own perverfenefs
yields to it, he fhall b.- actually fo reftored, and fe-
cured in the enjoyment of it, till the end of time-
In this view of the matter, 'Tully would be lb far from
thinking the formation of Paradife a vain work,
without any final caufe, and would be fo far from
O cenfur-
* Letter to Ds Wattrldnd, is'c^
194 ^f^^^ Hypothefts agreeable
cenfiiring the Immutability of God upon that account,
that he would be prefently ftruck with a profound
admiration of the length and breadth, depth and height
of the divine wifdom and goodnefs in this great
work, and would have left us fome fine reflection to
this purpofe. And it is to be hoped, that the learn-
ed writer of his life^ when he feriouHy confiders it,
will be no lefs affe<5led with a pious adoration of it.
To draw to a conclufion of this argument. He
who has the reins of the world's government in his
hands, will undoubtedly guide it at length into its
right courfe, and improve it to the perfeft model
after which he at firft framed it. He whofe Provi-
dence interefls itfelf fo much in the Confervation of
all things, will furely think their Reformation like-
wife at lead equally worthy of his regard : Nor will
he content himfelf with reforming by halves, but
will in the end make it a perfect work. On the
other hand, if the Continuation of all things in their
prefent ftate furnifhes an argument in proof of a Pro-
vidence, how is this argument ftrengthen*d and im-
proved on fuppofition of a melioration ? In a word,
he who is Goodnefs itfelf will furely heal all the ma-
ladies and evils of the World, and convert every
thing into Good.
Thus we fee how all the Attributes of God are
concerned for the Recovery of the World to its firft
ftate, and how the reafons of things concur there-
with.
L-ct us now fee how agreeable this notion is to the
nature of Man. And what can be more natural to
fiiT:)Dofe, than that Man fhall be what he was before ?
'J hat he (hall get the better of an old hereditary dif- ^
temper ? Shall overcome an infirm fickly conftitu-
tion, derived to him from his anceftors •, and by a
proper care and regimen be reftored to perfect health,
vigour
to the Nature of Man, 195
Vigour and vivacity ? It is a common Aphorifm,
that what has been may be : And a very wife Man
goes farther, and fays, — that the thing which hath
been is that which jhall he — and that there is no new
thing under the fun. Ecclef i. 9. And again, Ch.
iii. 15, That which is to be, hath already been., and
God requireth, er (according to the Vulgate) renew-
eth that which is pafi. Dens inftaurat quod ahiit.
It will then be no new, nor unnatural thing for Man
to regain his firft fituation, and become the creature
that God made him.
This cannot furely be thought an extravagant fan-
cy, to fuppofe Man not to change his Nature, but
to perfedH: it. It is not fuppofing iiim to be changed
into a Cherub or Seraph (tho' that is not too great a
change to be hoped for in a future ilate) but to con-
tinue mere Man ftill, or rather to become more a
Man than he was before. As this is a ftate which
mankind has been once in, the cafe is different, and
the recovery of it much cafier, than if we had been
to attain fome exalted (late we never were in before.
For fince Man fell from his original innocence, why
may he not rife to it again } The diftance and tran-
fition being the fame from a fuppofed ftate of cor-
ruption, to a fuppofed Hate of righteoufnefs, as from
the like ftate of righteoufnefs, to the like ftate of
corruption. In a word, this fuppofition has nothing
difficult or fupcrnatural in it, except that it requires
fupernatural aid to bring it to pafs -, it being really
no more than what is every way rational, and fuitable
to our nature, and perftcflive of it, and what we
may well conceive our natural powers able to pro-
duce, when ftrcngthen'd and affifted by divine
Grace.
In moft other cafes Men are apt to think more
highly of themfelves than they ought to think, and
they are rarely known to err on the contrary fide :
O 2 And
196 I'his Hypothejis agreeable
And yet in this refped they are humble to a fault,
being poiTefsMwith a ftrange prejudice againft them-
felves and their own abiHties. Nor is it the moft in-
confiderable misfortune occafioned by the Fall, that
Man fhould defpair of recovering from it, this be-
ing the way effectually to prevent it. There is no
greater injury done to human Nature, than to have
this mean opinion of it. Falfo quei'itur de natura
fua genus humanum quod imhecillis fit, * All thofe
complaints v/hich are made of the weaknefs of
human nature are for the moft part falfe and
groundlefs, and are more juftly chargeable on our
own indolence : For had we but induftry to make a
due application of our faculties, we fhould find that
we wanted nothing elfe ; the greateft differences
which appear between one man and another having
been obferved to proceed generally from this fingle
virtue ; but a languid Diffidence is ever a fatal ene-
my to great attainments. ' Men feem,' fays Lord
Bacon, ' neither well to underftand their riches, nor
* their ftrength -, of the former they believe greater
' things than they ihould, and of the latter much
' lefs. And from hence certan fatal pillars have
' bounded the progrefs of Learning,' -f — and, we
may add, of Improvement in general.
As it is more for the honour of our Nature to
think the beft of it, fo this principle alone carried
into praftice would go a great way towards proving"
itfelf. For many there are, who, with a moderate
fhare of abilities, have, by dint of refolution and ap-
plication, made themfelves mafters of attainments,
which at firft exceeded their utmofb hopes and ex-
pectations, (I and which greater Genius's never had
the courage to attempt. And if Men would ufe the
fame
* Salufl. Bell. Jugurth. f Lord Bncoti's Remains.
■ ■' ' Cknens Ales, Pa dag. Lio, i. Cap. 12.
to the Nature of Man, 167
fame diligence in correfting the depravity and vici-
oufnefs of their Natures, as they do in mafteria^ o-
ther difficulties, it would appear how tar hu.nan
Nature were able to go towards perfedion. Difco-
veries and improvements have been made in thefe
latter ages in feveral aits and fciences, which to for-
mer times feem'd as impoflible, and as tar beyond
the power of Man, as what I am arguing for can
feem to any one now : And no doubt but there are
difcoveries referved for future ages, of which we at
this time never dream. The ufe I would make of
this Refleftion here is only this, that we ought not
to be too diffident of ourfelves, nor too raffi in un-
dervaluing the abilities of human Nature, and the
talents with which God hath endow'd us.
It is a common faying, that few People know their
own JVeaknefs •, but it is as true a one that few Peo-
ple know their own Strength, till they are put to it,
and refolved in the Profecution of any Defign. And
the Obfervation that none ever pufh'd their Capacity
in matters of Knowledge as far as it was able to ex-
tend, holds as true in matters of Morality ^ that few
or none ever exerted their Abilities, as tar as tiiey
were able to carry them, to the utmoft ftretch of
their power in the puriuit of Virtue. Seed\ Sermons,
Difc. I. It is falfe Humility — and Ingratitude to
God to have low derogatory Thoughts of human
Nature in general^ as if it were entirely and effencial-
iy corrupt, without any Mixture of Goodnefs. ih.
Vol. 2. Serm. i.
I fliall conclude this Head and Chapter with the
opinion of a great Man of our own, of the laft age,
who, from his own experience, ought to be allowe J.
capable of forming a good judgment of the matter
in hand : I mean the Honourable Mr Boyle -, part of
whole excellent charaiter it is, ' That he had great
' notions of what human nature might be brought
O 3 ' to.'
198 l^his Hypothejls agreeable, &c.
' to.' * And it is much to be regretted that any oF
his notions ihoiild be lolt, but efpecially, that he
was difcouraged from propagating his notions in this
refpe(5l, by the incapacity, as he complain'd, of
mankind to receive them. This confideration, I
mufl own, is a great condemnation of the rafhnefs
of this undertaking, v/hich perhaps had been pre-
vented and render'd unneceffary, had he made his
thoughts known to the world.
However, as he himfelf was one of the greateft
inftances of the capacity and improvement of human
Nature, which the age he Hved in, or any other ever
produced, this judgment of his was probably form'd
upon the experience of his own extraordinary attain-
ments -, none of which, however confiderable they
were in other refpedis, refined and ennobled his
Mind to fo great a degree as the remarkable heights
in piety and religion, to which he advanced. Con-
cerning which it is obfcrved, ' That it Ihews Merv
* in the fimpleft and moft convincing of all argu-
' ments, what the human Nature is capable of, and
' what the Chriftian Religion can add to it — how far
' it can both reward and exalt it.* f And a little be-
fore, ' what a-thing would Mankind become, if we
* had many fuch ?' Would it not then incline us to
think that the Recovery of human Nature is not im •
pofllble ?
* See his Funeral Sermon, by Bilhop Burnet, p. 25.
t ib. p. 28.
CHAP.
C H A p. XI.
Wherein it is fiewji, T'hat the Chrifiimi Reli-
gion, in the general Defgn and T^endency of
it, is calculated for the Recove7'y of fallen
Man to his primitive State.
THE Arguments which have been hitherto
ufed in behalf of this Doctrine, were de-
fign'd only as auxiliaries to the main force,
which lay behind, and is now advancing. As it is
the holy Scripture alone which gives an Account of
the Fall of Man, it is upon the Scripture we muft
build our hope of Recovery, which alone can afford
any certain light concerning this Matter. To the
Scripture therefore let us repair, ' To the Law, and
' to the Teftimony.* Ifa. viii. 20. And let the pre-
fent Hypothefis either ftand or fall by it.
I'he lad Difpenfation that either hath been, or will
be vouchiafcd unto Men, is the Gofpel. It is then
in virtue of the Gofpel Difpenfation, that human
Nature fliall recover its loft eftatc, if it is to be re-
covered at all. Let us therefore examine how tar
our Saviour Chrift doth propofe, and the Gofpel
doth afford a remedy for the corruption of our Na-
ture , and what foundation it yields to believe, that
Man fhould be reftored by it to the fame perfection
in which he was created. And as we are now come
to the merits ofthecaufe, I fhall be the more parti-
cular in the examination of it.
In order hereto, let us confider, firft, the Na-
ture and Befign of Chriftianity in general, the Ufe
and Ry^d tor which it is intended.
And this will appear to be none other, than the
O 4 rebuild-
200 T'endency of Chrifiianity
rebuilding of the ruins of our Nature •, healing tlic
difeafes of our immortal Souls •, the purifying and
refining of them from the Corruptions they are de-
filed with i repairing the divine Image in them ; and
reltoring both them, and the Tabernacles they fo-
journ in, to their primitive Integrity and Soundnefs:
Which as it is the nobleft and moft generous defign
in itfelf, and the moft worthy of its author, fo is it
the profefs'd defign of the Gofpel, as is vifible from .
the whole fcope and tenor of it,
For this purpofe it was that the Son of God took
human nature upon him, njiz. to fanftify, elevate,
and ennoble it by its union with the divine \ and ap-
plied to it the merits of his own fufferings, in order
to expiate its guilt, and to reinftate it in the favour
of God, and its primitive innocence. This was the
end for which, as the Apoflle declares, he gave
himfelf for us, viz. 'That he might redeem us from
ALL iniquity^ and purify unto himfelf a peculiar peo-
ple zealous of good tvorks. Tit. ii. 15. Wi'Ji this
view he likewife gave us a moft divine body of
Laws, in their own nature admirably fitted for this
end, recomm.ended by his own moft holy example,
enforced by the moft powerful fanftions, and fur-
nifh'd with fuch external means, and internal alTif-
tances, as will enable us to perform them. Accor-
dingly, very great effefts are afcribed to the Gof-
pel, with regard to the Reformation of the World.
It is called the Power of God unto Salvation. Rom.
i. 16. And the Gofpel-Age is call'd the Time of
Reformation. Heb. ix, 10. and the Regeneration.
Mat. xix. 28. AndChriftianity is reprefented as a
very exalted ftate, as a ftate of great attainments^,
both in knowledge, and fanftity of mind and man-
ners. Thus the light of the Gofpel is every where
in Scripture fpoken of in very high terms, as it real-
ly has already brought great light into the world ;
and
to rejlore fallen Man. 201
and Chriftians are fuppofed to be greatly illuminated
in their minds, and faid to be filled with the know-
ledge of God's w///, in all ivifdom and fpiritual un-
der/landing. Col. i. 9. And, ch. iii. 10. having
put on the new Man, to he renewed in knowUdge af-
ter the image of him that created him.
So likewife in refpedl of Holinefs, wc are faid to
he purged and purified from cur fins — to have cfcaped
the corruption which is in the world through lujl —
that Chrifi may prefent us holy and unhlameahle^ and
unreproveahle in his fight. Col. i. 22. And left we
Ihould imagine that the improvement and reformn-
tion fuppoied to be wrought in us by Chriilianity,
amounts to no more than fome partial alteration for
the better, we are given to underfcand, that it is de-
fign'd to work a thorough change in us. Thus it is
reprefented as a llate ot Regeneration, or new Birth ;
of Renovation, or new Creation: Which feveral
terms fuppofe a ftate of greater purity than the pre-
fent, from which we are departed, and to which,
by our Regeneration or Renovation, we are to be
reftored. Thus, if any Man be in Chriji, he is faid
to be anew Creature. 2. Cor. v. 17. Nay, that to
this End, it is abfolutely necefTary we fhould be re-
generated and born again. Jo. iii. 3. — that we put off
the old man, be renewed in the fpirit of our mind, and
put on the new man, which after God is created in
right eoufncfs and true holinefs. Eph. iv. 22. So again,
we are faid, to be wcffd, to be fanSlified, to bejuf-
tified, in the name of our Lord Jefus, and by the Spi^
rit of our God. i Cor. vi. 11. Now, to be fandi-
fied, in the proper fjiife of the v/ord, is to be made
holy i and to be juitified, is to be made juft : Nor
are we any farther fantlified or juftified in Chrill,
than we become aclually holy and juft in our lives,
and are cloathed with real and inward righteoufnefs.
Some Divines have fancied an imputative kind of
riglN
202 1*endency of Chri/rianity
righteoufnefsjandthatwearenootherwifejuftify'dthan
as the righteoufnefsofChrift is imputed, and, as it were,
transferr'd to us : But this notion of Julliiication has
been fliewn to have no foundation in Scripture, and
to be attended with dangerous confequences.* In-
deed, in fome places of Scripture, Juflification fig-
nifies being accounted juft through the Merits of
cur Saviour, when we ar." not really {o in ourfelves.
And this is a very neceffary fenfe of it, that finners,
as men in this imperfeft ft ate are, can be juftified
at all. But then they are no farther juftified even
in this fenfe, nor receive the rewards cf Juftification,
than in proportion to their feveral attainments of real
and inherent Righteoufnels. And this, as I faid, is
what is meant by Juftification, in the ftri6l and pro-
per notion of the word, viz. adual and inherent
Righteoufnels. And in this its proper fenfe, it is
neccfTarily to be underftood in feveral places of holy
v/rit, as m James ii. 21, 24. and Rev. xxii. 11.
Since then the holy Scriptures promife and under-
take to juftify and fandtify the difciples of Chrift in
the proper fenfe of the words, our holy religion hath
undoubtedly in itfelf virtue and efficacy fufficient for
that purpofe : viz. to make us holy as he is holy, and
righteous., as he is jujl and righteous •, and will ac-
cordingly render us lb, and fave us to the uttermofi.,
when we co-operate with it, and permit it to have
its perfect work.
Moreover, we are taught, that there is a myfti-
cal union and communion between Chrift and his
Church — that he efteems it as his body., and Chrifti-
ans in particular, as his members ; whofe bodies are
likewife call'd, the temple cf the Holy Ghojl., to
which, when fitted for his reception, we are ailured
he will vouchfafe his prefence in fo intimate and ef-
feftual a manner, that it is expreiTed by his dwelling
and reftding in them, Thefe are fome of thofe ex
ceeding
* See Bifi^op BulPaExamen cenfunf, &-c.
to rejlore J alien Man. 203
ceedmg great and precious promifes which are given
us, that, in virtue of them, we may be partakers of
the Divine Nature. 2 Pet. i. 4. and be made the
fons of God : All which muft give us very exalted
notions of the power and influence of our moft holy-
religion, and of thofe high degrees of excellence, to
which our Nature, in virtue of it, is capable of be-
ing advanced.
But, which is more to my purpofe, the defign of
Chriftianity is in Scripture fet forth to be the perfec-
tion of our nature -, and accordingly it is, in its mofl
advanced ftate, reprefented as a Itate of Perfe6lion.
That this is the defign of it is occafionally fhewn
by the author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews -, who,
to convince them of the fuperior excellence of the
Chriftian Religion, and the necelTity of its inftitution,
makes a comparifon between it and the Law o^ Mo-
fes, in which he fhews the Infufficiency of the one,
and the Sufficiency of the other for the perfeding of
our Natures. For thus he argues, ch. vii. 11. If
perfection were of the 'L.QNiiicdX priejthood, what fur-
ther need voas there., that another priefi fhould rife
after the order ^/Melchifedec ? implying undoubted-
ly, that Perfection was to be attain'd under the
priefthood of this latter order. But, v. 19. he ex-
preflfes himfelf in moredire6tand pofitive terms. For
the Law made nothing (i. e. no Man) perfect, but
the bringing in of a better hope — Our 1 ranllation
adds — did. But I fhould chufe to fupply the de-
I fign'd omilTion of the Verb in the original by — -fliall
do, or, is capable of doing i fince this is not aftually
done, or efFecfted as yet. To the fame purpofe he
reafons, ch, x. i . For the haw having a fhadow of
good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with thofe facrifices, which they
offered year by year continually, make the comers there-
mto perfe^. On the other hand , fpeaking of Chrifl,
204 ^tendency of Chrijlianity
he fays, By one offering he hath perfe5fed for ever
them that are fanSiified, v. 14. And the fame dc-
fign is perfued throughout the Epiftle.
That Perfeftion is the deligii of Chriftianity, is
evident from other parts of Scripture. Thus, the
ufe and end of Scripture in general is faid to be, That
the man of God may be perfe^, thoroughly furnifh'd
unto alt good works. 1 Tim. iii. 17, And the chrifti-
an minifcry was inftituted for no other end, than the
ferfeEling of the faints^ the work of the miniflry^ ihs
edifying of the body of Chrifi ; //// we all come unto
a -perfect man, unto the meafure of the flature of the
fulnefs of Chrifi. Eph. iv. 12, 13.
Accordingly, the great Defign of our Saviour's
coming is faid to be, in order to promote and per-
fedl an exafl obedience to the whole body of the mo-
ral Law ; as he himfelf informs us, that He came not
to defiroy the Law, but to fulfil it. Matt. v. 1 7. and
that, not only by paying a full and perfe6l obe-
dience to it himfelf, but by requiring and enabling
his difciples likewife to fulfil it in fuch a manner, as
is evident from the following part of the Chapter ;
where he lays down the precepts in a ftrifter fenfe
than they were before underftood to have : And
what may ferve as a confirmation hereof, St. Paul
likewife tells us, that the end of God's fending his
Son was, That the righteoufnefs of the Law might be
fulfilled in, or. rather, by us (as it may be tranllated,
more agreeably to the Context) who walk not after
the flefh, but after the Spirit. Rom. viii. 4.
Agreeably hereto, Chriftianity, in its moft ad-
vanced flate, is, as I faid before, reprefented as a
ftate of Perfedion. Thus Chriftians, as foon as the
foundation of their rehgion is laid, and the firft prin-
ciples of it learn'd, are exhorted to go on unto Per-
fection. Heb. vi. I. And that we may the better un-
derftand what is meant by thatwerd, St James com-
ments
ryjlore fallen Man, 205
ments upon it, ch. i. 4. where he exhorts his Jewijh
Converts, to let patience have her perfe5i work, that
they might he perfe£f a?2d entire, wanting nothing.
And St Peter, i £p. v. 10. where he prays in this
manner — The God of all Grace make you perfect, ftab-
lijh, firengthen, fettle you. And St Paul, Col. iv.
1 2 . where he tells them that Epaphras labour'* d fer-
vently for them in prayer, that they might ft and per-
fect and complete in all the will of God. And to
mention no more, our Saviour gives us an exprels
command to this purpofe, Matt. v. 48. Beye per-
fe^, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfeof.
Where we fee there are no bounds fet to this duty,
but we are to imitate and afpire to the Perfeftion,
not of Angels, or any created beings, but of God
himfelf, as far as the limits of our nature will admit.
This is to be the ftudy and endeavour of Chriflians :
Perfeftion is the mark they are to aim at, which is
nothing elfe but the moral accomplifliment of hu-
man nature. Or, as the Roman Orator defines Vir-
tue, ' Eft virtus nihil aliud quam in fe perfecta, ^
' ad fummum perdue t a Natura.*^ which gives us a
juft idea of human perfection. This is to be attained
by a diligent cultivation and improvement of our
natures, and by making fuch a conftant and vigor-
ous progrefs and proficiency in Virtue, as at Lift will
bring us to fuch a maturity in it, as Man in this life
is capable of
But low and grovelling minds cannot look up to
fuch heights. ' They are ftartled at the very men-
* tion of Perfeflion, and have entcrtain'd fuchhumbhi
' thoughts, not only of human Nature, but as it
' feems of divine Grace too, and evangelical righte-
* oufnefs, that all talk of Perfeftion feems to them
* like the preaching ot a new Ciofpel, and an obtrud-
' i"g
• Ci(. de kgil/tis, Lib. I.
2o6 Chrijiianky calculated for
*■ ing upon the world a fantaftic fcheme of proud
* and pretended Morality.*
Is Perfection therefore only an empty name ? a
mere ideal thing, mention'd and recommended in
Scripture only to amufe and tantalize us ? but never
feriouQy intended for the attainment of weak mor-
tals, however peremptorily commanded and en-
joyn'd ? Or rather, does not this fingle confideration,
that it is enjoyn'd, fufficiently imply that it is at-
tainable •, fince it is abfurd and impious to fuppofej
that God would be fo fevere a tafk-mafter, as to re-
quire (^nV^ without 7?r<3w, and impofe fuch a com-
mand upon his creatures, as were either naturally or
morally impoflible to be fulfill'd by them ?
Notwithilanding, as it is notorious in fadl, not
only that the very beft Chriftians of our own times^
but the mod eminent Saints recorded in Scripture,
have not been without their failings and infirmities,
nay, have fallen into wilful fins, and thofe of the
deepeft dye -, and as fo very few have been able to
attain Perfe6lion in any eminent degree ; for this
reafon, the pofiibility of its being attain' d by any is
queftion'd not only by ordinary Chriftians, but
moreover by many eminent Divines: And therefore
feveral, both antients and moderns, who cannot be
perfuaded, that Perfection belongs to this ftate, are
contented to place it in a progrefs towards it in this
life, referving the full attainment of it for the next.
Now, tho' I grant, that Man is not capable of ad-
vancing to fuch a ftate in this Life, nor perhaps in
the next,'}" as not to admit of any Improvement ; yet
it is needlefs to obferve, how low and inadequate a
notion of Perfection this is, and what an imperfect
thing it makes of it. The truth is, the mean opi-
nions
* Lucas, or. Peifcftion.
f See ScQi\ ChriAian Life. 0/ the La:o of Pafefuon. Part
2d. ch. vii.
the Recovery of fallen Men, 207
nibns which Men have of the abiUties of human Na-
ture, form'd upon the poor proficiency which they
obferve Chriftians generally to make, have occa-
fion'd the ftraining of Scripture, in order to make it
iloop to the prefent ftate of Religion in the world.
Hereby they fix the ftandard of Perfe6lion, and
Scripture is made a leaden rule of, which they bend
to their own pre-conceived notions, inftead of rai-
fing their notions to a conformity with it.
Nature, I own, ought to be confulted as well as
Scripture •, and if it be alleged, that they are not re-
concileable to each other, whilll the former conti-
nues in its prefent infirm and corrupt ftate, other-
wife than by interpreting Scripture-Perfedioa in
fome fuch a reftrain'd and qualified fenfe as this — i
grant it : But then I fhould be glad to know why
fuch a continuance of Nature in its prefent corrupt
ftate is fuppofed, when it is the protefs'd defign of
Chriftianity to remove it-, unlefs we think it an in-
fufficient means for this end j or that God will fuftlr
Ills own defigns to be defeated.
Various have been the difputes which, from St
Aujiin\ days to the prefent, have been agitated be-
tween feveral fedls and denominations of Chriftians,
cgncerning Perfeftion, and the attainablenefs of it :
The chief ground of which I take to have been the
fuppofition, that human Nature is not generally capa-
ble of rifing above its prefent level. And, there-
fore, thofe who have form'd the higheft notions of
Perfedlion — have pretended moft to it — have moft
ftrongly recommended it to others, and pleaded for
the attainablenefs of it, have met with fo little fuc-
cefs ; but have generally been look'd upon as not
much better than Enthufiafts -, and their labours have
cither tended to make odiers fuch, or have been re-
ceived with coldnefs and indifference, if not rejeded
with contempt. And indeed, while we fuppofe the
prefer t
2oB Chrijlianify calculated for
prefent degeneracy of human Nature to be invincH
ble, we cannot form any notion of human Perfeftion,
but what neceflarily includes a contradiction in it.
For, either we muft fuppofe it greatly alloy'd with
Imperfection, which dellroys the very idea of it ;
or, if we underftand it in its juft fenfe and full im-
port, we muft, by the fuppofition, give up the at-
tainablenefs of it. So that all talk about Perfection
muft, on this fuppofition, be abfurd and idle, and
all pretences to it muft become airy and chimerical.
But if, on the other hand, we fuppofe, that Na-
ture fhall by degrees be fo refined by Grace, as at
length to be fully recover'd of its prefent diforders ;
then all difficulties immediately vaniih, and we may
eafiiy apprehend what is meant by Chriftian Perfec-
tion in its full extent ; this being but another word
for the Recovery of the original Perfection of our
Nature, to which, when it is arrived at its full
Height, I conceive it will be in no refpeCt infe-
rior.
This, and this alone, in ftriCt propriety of fpeech,
deferves the name of human Perfection : But as Per-
fection admits of degrees, and as there are feveral
intermediate ftages of it, through which we muft
pals in our progrefs towards it, our arrival at any of
rhefe may, in a lower and lefs proper {(tn'it^ be
term'd a ftate of Perfection, and the higher we
climb, the more perfeCt we ftiall be ; till at length
we are fafely arriv'd at, and firmly eftablifti'd in the
higheft and moft confummate pitch of it, from
which at firft we fell.
That human Nature ftiall in this life arrive at fuch
a complete ftate of Perfection as this, befides what
hath been already obferv*d, may be farther argued
from the confequences of the oppofite opinion. For
I conceive, that the doCtrine of the impoflibility of
attaining Perfection, and ireedom from Sin, is in-
jurious
the Recovery of fallen Man. 209
jurious to our Saviour Chrift, derogates from the
power and virtue of his Sacrifice, and renders his
miflion and miniilry, as to the main end of it, in a
great meafure inefFedual.
For Chrift, among other ends, appear'd princi-
pally for this, i/'z. to remove and make an end of
Sin^ to finijh "Tranfgrejfion^ and to bring in everlaft-
ing Right eoufnefs. Dan. ix. 24. Hence he is faid to
have given himfelf for us, that he might redeem us
from ALL Iniquity y and purify unto himfelf a peculiar ^
or (as the Word ^im^cnoi may as juftly, but in a,
more enlarged fenfe, be render'd) an excellent peo-
ple, zealous of good works. Tit. ii. 14. This re-
demption from all iniquity muft be made in this life,
as appears from tlie chara6ter of this excellent Peo-
ple, that they are to be zealous of good IVorks, for
which this is the proper feafon ; as we are told, that
we mufi work the Lord's work while it is called
Day, becaufe when the , Night cometh no man can
work.
Therefore to affirm, that we are never to be pu-
rified or redeem'd from all Iniquity in this life, is
to contradict the Apoftle, and to make Chrlft's gi-
ving himfelf for us, in a great meafure, void and in-
effeftual. Moreover, it is faid exprefly by St John,
as a known truth, that /or this purpofe the Son of
God was manifefled, that he might take away our
Sins, and deflroy the works cf the Devil. 1 Jo.
iii. 5, 8.
We are likewife told, that all Power is given unto
him in Heaven and Earth for this purpofe, and
that He is able to fiihdue all things unto himfelf.
Therefore, if we deny the poffibility of thefe ends
being attain'd, we overturn the do6lrine of Chrift,
and are injurious to the power and efficacy of his ap-
pearance.
It being, therefore, evident from hence, that
P Per-
210 Chrifiianity calcuhted for
Perfedlion, not only may^ hwlfhall be attain'd by
Mankind in virtue of the Gofpel, however fhort of
it they generally are as yet : I proceed now to fhew,
that Chriftian Perfection fliall be equal or original
Perfection, and evangelical or original Righteouf-
nefs-, which I Hiall endeavour to do from certain
marks and characSterifticks of our mofl holy Reli-
gion, as well as from the conftituent parts ot it.
I. This may be argued from the character, ofEcc
and example of our Saviour Chriit.
And,
I. From his charafter and office as a Redeemer,
and from the nature of that Redemption which he
wrought for us.
It will not be difputed by any who believe the
Divinity cf Clirift, and allow of a Redemption
wrought by him, but that it muft be full, perfed,
and complete in itfelf, and that, as our Church ex-
preffes it, ' our Saviour Chrift, by his one oblation
•• of himfelf, once oifer'd, made a full, perfed,
' and fufFicient facrifice, oblation, and fatisfadion
' for the fins cf the whole world.' This, I fay,
tho' it be virtually denied, is not openly difputed,
even by the Papijls themfdves.
Now, as our Saviour has paid down the full price
of our redemption, commutative juftice requires,
that our redemption fhould be full and complete
likev/ife. Indeed, if any thing in his part were left
undone — If he had not fully atoned and fatisfied for
all our fins, original and adual — If he had fail'd in
his obedience in any particular — If any one Jot or
Tittle of the Law had not beenfulhll'd — In a word,
,if he had been defedive in any one branch of his
oftice of Mediator, or Redeemer, that had been an
unfurmountable obftacle in our way.
But fincc he did not give up the Ghofi: till he
cried.
the Recovefy of fallen Man. 2 1 1
cried, It is finijhW — Since he accompliflied every
thing written in the Law and rrophet^-, and wrought
a tuil and pcrl'cdl Redemption for us — have we not
reafon to think, that he will make the utmoft ad-
vantage of it in our behalf? And ttiat he will, as
our Advocate and Intcrcefibr, infift upon the riglit,
which he purchafcd at fo dear a rate ? Undoubtedly
he will : For cur Redeemer isfirciig, and he will tho-
rciighly plead cur Caufe. Jer. 1. 34. Since he hath
undertaken our Deliverance, he will uncioubtedly
complcat it effedually, and in his due tiir.e bring it
to a perfedl Work.
Now, it may not be amifs to enquire, with mo-
delly and humility, as efpecially becomes us wh.vn
we enter into the difquifition of the great Myfrery
of our Redemption-— it may not, I fay, be amiJs
thus to enquire. Whether, according to the com-
mon notion of Redemption, it fully anfvv'ers what
may be thus reafonably expecled from it,
A Redemption of perfons fuppofes a ftate of foine
great evil : Captivity, for inilance, or flavery, into
which they are fallen, and from which its buiinefs is
to fet them free, and re-inftatc them in the fame
circumftances and fituation they were in before. Now
mankind, by the tranfgreffion of our firft parents,
are fuppofed to have faU'n into fuch an evil ftate, a
flate of captivity and flavery of the worft fort, the
captivity and flavery of fm •, which they are bound
to chey in the lufts thereof^ and there becom.e obnox-
ious to death, and all the other ill confequences of
it, tem.poral and eternal. This is the ftate, and
thefe the evils, from wliich the Redemption of man-
kind by Jefus Chrifi undertakes to deliver them ;
which, according to the above definition of Re-
demption, it ought completely to do, and to reftore
them to the ftate they were in before they fell. Let
us, therefore, examine how far our Redemption, as
P 2 yz
2 21 Chrijliamty calculated for
it is commonly underftood, may be faid to be pro-
ducflive of thele efFecfts ?
The evils of the Fall may be confider'd as twofold,
Tiz. temporal and fpiritual : And yet our Redemp-
tion, in the common notion of it, is not fuppofed
to be defign'd as a remedy for the temporal evils of
it at all, but for the fpiritual only : Tho' one would
think, that what is propofed as a cure for the greater
evil, might at the fame time remove the lefs. But
becaufe all Adani's, Pofterity have hitherto experien-
ced themfelves liable to labour and forrow, pain,
ficknefs and death •, therefore they conclude it al-
ways will be fo, and that God never in the leaft in-
tended to remove thefe ill confequences of the Fall,
and therefore our Redemption is not underftood to
extend to them. And yet, inccnfiftently enough,
they as generally fuppofe it to have obtain'd a con-
qutfr over Death ; as if this were no temporal evil,
which yet is the grcateft of all. But, as Scripture is
fo repeatedly exprcfs, Vv^ith regard to our vi6lory
over this enemy, it could not but be taken notice of
as an ^^^ct of our Redemption ; tho' the overcom-
ing of Sickncfs, which tends to it, and other inferi-
or evJs of the fame kind, hath been overlook'd as
fuch, and hath not been expelled from it.
2. Vv^ith regard to the fpiritual evils of the Fall,
our Redemi.ition, even upon the moil enlarged
fcheme v/liich men have framed of it, notwithftand-
ing its univerfality in the intent, yet in reality is fup-
pofed to extend but to few ; and with regard to
them, not to take place, at leaft as to any confide-
rable effecl, till an afcer-ftate. For tho' it is allowed
to be dellgned as a deliverance from the dominion
and power of Sin here, as well as from the guilt
and punifliment of it hereafter ^ yet as it is the cur-
rent opinion, that no man can arrive at a ilate of
fmlefs Perfection in this life ; but that all men muft,
more
the Recovery of fallen Man. 2 1 5
more or lefs, continue under the power of their fins
— if it were really fo, it would follow, that our Re-
demption had not fufficient efficacy to free us from
Sin, as, on this fuppofition, it dill leaves us in fome
degree of bondage to it ; although we are told,
That Chriji gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem
us from ALL Iniquity. And unlefs we are redeemed
and purified from all Iniquity here, we cannot,
upon any rational or fcriptural grounds, that I know
of, be, in virtue of our Redemption, fo fully glori-
fied hereafter, as Adam would have been, had he
continued in his Innocence ; which yet we ought to
be, in order to render our Redemption from the
fpiritual evils of the Fall complete, even in our fu-
ture ftite.
On the other hand, it muft, with the utmoft Gra-
titude, be acknowledged, that fuppofing our Re-
demption fhould extend no farther tlian it is gene-
rally apprehended, and has been hitherto obferved
to do (as I dare not be over-pofitive in maintaining
the contrary, or any other opinion, wherein I hap-
pen to be fingular) yet would it itill be infinitely
greater than v/e defcrve, or could hope tor, as well
as of infinite value to us, fince therein confiils th^
main end of it, viz. our Reftoration in a future
ftate to a bleffed Immortality both in body and
foul. And that our Redemption hath not hi-
therto been attended with all thofe other effcds abov j
taken notice of, viz. the removal of the temporal
evils of the Fall, as well as the fpiritual, and o:"
thefe latter in a fuller and more abfolute manner,
muft, in juftice to the Author of it, be acknowledged
to proceed only from the perverfenefs and obltinacy
o^ Man, and not from any imperfection in our Re-
demption itfeif. And hence it is, viz. from their
obfervation of the inefficacy of it, that Chriftiani
have accullomcd themfelves to form no higher no-
tions of, nor expectations from it — that fome havvi
P 3 Gon-
214 Chrijiianity calailated for
confined it within fuch narrow limits, and other
have underilood it to be a Redemption, not in the
proper, but in an improper and figurative fenfe,
and have funk it fo low, as in a manner to explain
it away, to tlie no fir.all difparagem.ent .of this great
work of our Redemption. The defign of what is
here offered, and indeed of this E_lfay in general, is
to endeavour, as far as 1 am able, to refcue this great
Myftery from the unworthy reprefentations, v/hich
have been made, and mduftriouQy propagated con-
cerning it ; to reftify all mifapprehenfions of it ; and
to aiTift Chriflians in general to entertain juftcr, more
confiftent, and more enlarged notions of Chriftian
Redemption.
Accordinsf to the Definition laid dov/n above of
Redemption in general, ' The Redeinption of Man-
' kind by Jefus Cfmft is a deliverance from the evils
' of the Fall, and a re-inftating them in the fanie
' circumftances and fituation they were in before
* they fell.' z. e. the Refloring them to the fame
happy ftate in which they were at firft created, in
this life ; and to the fame profpeft, and future pof-
feffion of Immortality and endlefs felicity, in the
hfe to comr.
Agreeably to this Definition, my perfuafion is,
that our Redemption by Chrifi will, when it hath
its perfect work, be productive of all thefe great
and happy effects — That the human Nature fhall,
before the end of the gofpel-age and confummation
of all things, be delivered from fin, forrow, and
ficknefs, and all the other miferies and evils of this
life, proceeding from the Fall of our firft Parents,
and in the end, from Death itfelf •, without tafting
of which it fhall be tranQated from an earthly Para-
dife, which it fhall once more enjoy, to an heavenly
one, which it iliall enjoy for ever. And moreover
that all the diforders of Nature in general fhall be
re
a-i.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 215
reflified, and that there fliall be a Redemption of
the whole Creation to ifs firll ftate, as well as of
Man, the lord of it.
Now, if there be any foundation for this notion of
our Redemption in Scripture, I prefume it will not
be denied but that it is the mofl proper and ade-
quate, the moft complete, enlarged, and exalted
idea of it that we can frame ; at leail, it is more fo,
than what I have happen'd to meet with in any of
the received fyftems, or other treatifes on the ilib-
jeft. And if I miftake not, it will be likewife found
leait liable toxhtSocinian objections againftthis fun-
damental article of our taith. For as this is a Re-
demption the moil comprehenfive that can be ima-
gined, a Redemption from the captivity and (lavery
of fin and Satan, from banifhment and from Death,
and from all other inconveniences, from which a Re-
demption can be thought necellary— fo is it a Re-
demption in the moft proper and abfolute fenfe,
even fuch as is more fo than that which Socinus con-
tends for, whofe Definition of a Redemption is, .^.
' The deliverance of a perfon out of captivity by
' the payment of his ranfom to him whofe captive
' he is.' For our Redemptionby C/^r//? will be effec-
ted by leading captivity captive— hy vanquifliing,
imprifoning, and finally deftroying the captor him-
felf, the grand adverfary of mankind, in whofe
chains they have for fo long a time been held cap-
tive : Wherein the Parallel v/hich Socinus draws be-
tween tlie Redemption of the Ifraelites by Mofes^
and that of Mankind bv Jefus Chrijl^ holds better;
as the former was wrought by the overthrow and
deftruftion of their enemies, and not by any price
paid them, wliich they were neither intitled to, ''r
nor in a capacity of receiving, when deftroyed. In-
P 4 deed,
* Liberutio cr.ith-i c mambus dcthietiHs, prctia detiiienti d<ito.
-j- yicle \[A. lii. 3. cw'i comment, in locum.
2i6 Chrijlianity calculated for
deed, as Man was a debtor only to the Law, and to.
the juilice of God, the Satisfaction was properly to
be made only to them.
But as Socimis and his followers are fuch fbrenuous
advocates for the Devil's right to the price of our
Redemption, what if, inilead of difputing it, we
lliould allow the right, and join ifTue with them for
trying the matter on this footing ? And what, if it
fhould come out at laft, that the price has been paid
to him, and that there is evidence of the payment
now upon record ? Would they be any better recon-
ciled to the doctrine of Redemption ? — The price
of our Redemption was the death of Chrift—Yit
that had the Power of Death was the Devil^ who,
accordingly, in virtue of this Power which was de-
legated to him, rigoroufly exacted this Price of our
Saviour : and for that end made ufe of the inftru-
mentality of wicked men, by whofe hands, Chrifty
as knowing their Hour^ and the Power of T>arknefs
for this purpofe, fubmitted to be crucified and flain,
to difcharge this Price of our Redemption \ which
at the fame time proved to be very dearly bought
by Satan, as this very thing became the means of his
deftruflion. This is not my argument, but St Paul's^
Heb. ii. 14, 15. where his reafoning is to this effeft.
For he tells us, that Chriji took Flefh — that through
Death he might dejlroy him that had the Poiver of
Deaths that is^ the Devil ; and deliver them who,
through fear of Death, were all their life-time fub-
ject to Bondage. Where the Ranfom, Death, is
fuppofed to be paid to him who had the Power of
Death, and in virtue of that Power a Right, viz.
the Right of Conqueft, but which is the moil imper-
fedl right of any, and as fuch is feldom claim 'd but
by tyrants and ufurpers : But even this we fee was
iktisfied, to obviate the cavils which the Ploly Spi-
rit
the Recovery of fallen Man. 217
rit forefaw would be raifed about it -, tho' I do not
know that it hath been oblerved by any one before.
Here then the Socinians may fee, it their prejudi-
ces will give them leave, a proper Redemption, on
their own principles : Or, to ule the language of
one of their own v/riters, whom I am willing to af-
fillin his Enquiry concerning this Subjedt, — ' They
^ may here lee a literal Redemption, of a literal
* Slave, or perfon in a ftate ot literal Slavery to a
*. literal Mafter — and alfo, a literal Price, or valua-
' ble confideration paid by a literal Redeemer, to
' that literal Mafter, in order to ourchafe this lite-
' ral Redemption to that literal Caprive.' *
Moreover, from this view of our Redemption it
appears how great its efficacy will be with regard to
the dominion and power of Sin, from which, as we
have feen, it will at length entirely let us free, as in-
deed it ought, in order to its being complete : Ac-
cordingly, the eternal Redemption which Chrifb ob-
tain'd for us is reprefented as fanctifying. purifyingy
and purging the conscience from dead works to ferve
the living God. Heb. ix. 12, 13, 14. The end of
his appearance is faid to have been, to put away /in
by the facrifice of himfclf v. 26. And, i Jo. i. 7, q.
his blood is faid to cleanfe us from all fm and iniqui-
ty, and Jo. i. 29. he is call'd, the Lamb of Gon
that taketh away the fin of the world.
When it is confider'd, that our Redemption will
have this pov/erful effed:, not on a few feleil perfons,
but on the human nature in general, it may help to '
enlarge the narrow notions which a certain fett of
Divines have entcrtain'd concerning this great work
ot our falvation, and may contribute to decide the
controverfy, which hath been kept fo long a-fcK)t in
the Chriftian Church, concerning the extent and u-
niverfality of our Redemption. And that our Re-
demp-
* Chulb'^ Enquiry concerning Redemption, p. 80,
2 1 8 Chrifiianify calculated for
demption will be attended with this effeft, in as full
a manner as hath been fet forth, may be inferr'd
from what the Apoftle intimates, E-ph. i. 14. Where
the Spirit is call'd The earnejl of our inheritance un-
til the Redemption of the purchafed pojjeffion. Which
words, as they imply that our Redemption is not
compleat as yet, fo they contain a virtual promife
that it fliall be completed hereafter, of which the Af-
fiftance of God's Holy Spirit is both an earneft or
pledge, and a powerful means of bringing it to pafs :
W^hen Chrift will fiilly alTert his claim to that his
flock which he hath purchafed with his blood, and
redeem them, from all fervitude and mifery, into
the perfect liberty of the Sons of God, as will be
more fully and particularly made out in the following
part of this treatife.
In the mean time, it is fome prefumption in fa-
vour of this notion of our Redemption, that as our
Saviour Chrifi hath removed fo many obftacles that
lay in our way to the Perfe6tion, to which it is fup-
pofcd v/e fnall be reftored in virtue of it — fo, I fay,
from what he hath already done, it may be prefum-
ed he will complete what is wanting, and finijlo his
work. Jo. iv, 34. He hath already difcharged all our
old debts, and fully fatistied for our guilt : The in-
finite merits of his blood have atoned for all our fins,
original and actual : He hath blotted cut the hand-
writing of ordinances that was againjl rs, which zvas
contrary to us., taking it out of the way., and nailing
it to his crcfs — He hath fpoilcd principalities and po-
wers., and triumph'' d over them. Col. ii. 14, 15.
'I'hefe obftacles therefore need not retard us in our
progrefs towards Perfedion. And as our Redeemer
has furmounted fo many difficulties, v/ill he not
likewife afiift us to overcome whatever lefTer hin-
drances arife from the frailty and remaining corrup-
tion o\ cur nature ? And fmce he is able to do exceed-
ifig
the Recovery of fallen Man. 219
ing ahundantly, above all that we ajk cr think, Eph.
ii. 20. h:tving begun this good work in' us, will he
notfinijlj it unto the End? So that we may at length
jiand perfe^i and complete in all the will of God ?
The Prophets have foretold that the Sun ofRigh-
teoufnefs Jhall arife with healing in his icings, and
that by his firipes wc Jljall be healed. Mai. iv. 2. Ifa.
liii. 5. And can thefe Prophecies be fully accom-
phihed, tin he hath healed us effectually ? Does it fuic
the charafter of the great phyfician of fouls to make
a partial cure of his patients ? Or is it not more a-
greeable to the notions which Revelation hath taught
us to form of liim, to fuppofe that he will at length
reftore them to their original foundnefs and integri-
ty ? His power over unclean fpirits, and of healing
all manner of bodily difeafes, feems an indication of
his power to heal the difeafes of the foul Hkewife ;
and the miraculous cures he wrought of the former
kind, qre a fort of earneft, that he will no lefs effec-
tually remove all the remaining maladies both of
body and foul in due time.*
2. Ti:at Man Ihall regain his original Reditude
and Perfection may be inferr'd, not only from the
character and office of cur Saviour as Redeemer,
but likewife, as I faid, from his life and example.
For in the Man Chrijl Jefus is exemplified to us
what human nature is capable of. He was the im.-
maculate Lamib of God that knew no iin, and per-
form'd that perfeCt obedience, which it was the ca-
pital crime of our Father Adam to fail in. I have,
in the beginning of this Trea:ife, p. 25. drawn a
Comparifon between the firft and fecond yiVr?;;?, .iiid
fhewn that the one, not only equal' d the other, but
greatly
* O CI oiya^cx; Tla.i^a.yuylu 17 So^i«, 5 A070J t« war^o?, o or,^^
okxiiTon uvra 0 irofvafxr.^ [til. 7rix.vccxY,(;) rn<; uyB^wsjvTr.roi; lar^o?, i
Zfc'Ti?^. CUm. Alcx.Padi.g. Lib. \. cup. 1.
220 Chrillianity calculated for
greatly excelled him, in that he hath exhibited to
us, not only what Adam was in his ftate of inno-
cence, but moreover what he might have been ad-
vanced to, had he continued in that State. It will,
therefore, be readily granted, that the human nature
in Jefus Chriji^ not only recover'd its former lofs,
and was reilored to its original Perfeftion, but that
it moreover became a great gainer, and was advan-
ced much beyond what it was before, even in this
life.
What, therefore, part of our nature hath already
obtain'd, that we may hope the remainder of it fhall
in duetinie obtain likewife : And that portion of it,
which was perfonally united to the divine Nature in
Chrifi^ being thus exalted and advanced, have we
not encouragement and grounds to believe, that this
is a fort of earneft or firft-fruits, that our nature in
general being myftically united to him, fhall, in pro-
portion to the ftri6lnefs of the union, and in an infe-
rior degree, which may at leaft equal that degree of
Perfeftion in which Man was created, be made par-
taker of the like exaltation and advancement ? ' For
' this is a clear manifeftation to the World, tliat
* God hath not caft off human nature, but hath a
* real mind to exalt and dignify it again.' * St.
Paul makes ufe of this argument to prove the gene-
ral Refurreftion. viz. 'That Chrifi being rifen from
the dead., is become the firft-fruits of them that Jlept.
I Cor. XV. 20. Why then may it not be extended to,
prove the refurre£lion of human nature from the
death of fin unto the life of righteoufnefs ; efpecially,
fince the Scripture teaches us that there is fo great an
analogy between this and the final refurrecflion ?
To this end, therefore, vix. that we may be con-
forrr^d to the image of his fan., to which God halh
■pyedrftinated us, Rom. viii. 29. our Saviour hath left
■ us
* :^:.iifb\ Sekd Difcourfes. p. 544.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 221
ks an example that we Jhould follow hisjleps. i Pet.
ii. 21. And as it follows in the very next verfe, who
did not fin, neither was guile found in his mouth.
Here, indeed, it may be objecfbed, that however dili-
gently we may imitate^ yet we muft for ever de-
fpair of a near refemblance of fo perfedl a pattern.
Now, befides what the Apoftle fays, as I ob-
ferved above, that we are predeftinated to be con-
form'd to the image of his Son, and what God hath
predeftinated will moft alTuredly come to pafs ; yet
in order to a fuller Anfwer to this Obje6lion, as well
as for our encouragement to follow the Iteps of our
lord and mafter, I Ihall tranfcribe a paiTage to this
purpofe out of an approved Author.
' Though there be fome actions of our Saviour's
* life, which are never intended for our imitation,
*• viz. fuch wherein he either exercifed or proved his
' divine authority •, yet whatfoeverhe didofprecife
* morality, and in perfuance of his own laws, he
* defi2;n'd and intended for our imitation.' * With
regard to which he fays a little before, i' ' Though
* the example of the great mafter of our religion con-'-
' fifts of an unfpotted innocence and perfeft virtue,
* yet it is every way accommodated to the ftate and
* condition of human nature and converfation. For
* he converfed among men with a m.odeft virtue,
* and fuch as was every way confiftent with an or-
* dinary courfe of life. His piety was even, antl
' conftant, and unblameable, but fuch as fairly com-
* plied with civil fociety and a fecular converfation.
' It affected not high tranfports and raptures of de-
* votion, but was Ibch as was both fit and eafy for
' mortals to imitate. His virtue confifted not in
* prodigious faftings, or four and impradicablc ab-
* ftradlions from fenfe ; but in a life of juftice and
tempc-
* S'rc/Z's Chriftian Life Vol, i, p. 24.4.
t lb. p. 241. 8". Edit.
522 Chrijiianity calculated for
' temperance, of humility arid charity, and patience^
* and the like -, that is, in fuch a lite as is not only
' proper, but pojjthle for us to tranfcribe. So that
* in his glorious example, he hath tranfmitted to us
* an hmtahle virtue ^ tor he took care not to outrun
' the capacities of men in inimitable expreffions of
' fandity and virtue -, but, fo far as he could inno-
' cently, complied with our weaknefs, and kept
' pace with our ftrength ; that fo he might enter-
' tain us all along with the comforts of his company,
* and the influence of a perpetual guide. And as that
' Ruleof Faith which he hath propounded to us, is
' fitted to our underftandlng, being very fliort, eafy,
' and intelligible ; fo that Copy of Manners which
* he hath let before us, is not only fitted with ex-
* cellenciLS worthy, but alfo v/ith compliances pof-
' fMe to be imitated by us.'
Our Saviour's example therefore being all im.ita-
ble, nothing hinders but that we may attain to a near
refemblance and conformity, tho' not to a perfedl
equality wich it. We maift allow him the prehemi-
nencein all things. Col. i. i8. which we may fafe-
ty do without degrading ourfelves. And as on the
one hand, we need not fear too clofe an imitation of
him ; fo on the other, as t'lis is no miore than what
is pra6licable and feafible, we need not defpair of fo
clofe a one, as will reftore us to our firft eflate.
But it may be dill replied, that granting it pofTi-
ble to imitate, and even equal the moral perfections
of our Saviour, yet this would not exempt us from
natural evils, any more than it did him, who was
made in all things like unto us, and was obnoxious
to all the evils of life, and even to death itfelf I
anfwer, that thofe natural evils were partly owing
to outward circumftances, in that he v/as placed in a
world not redeem'd from the curfe of the Fall, but
in a o:reat meafure labourino- under all its ill confe-
quences ;
the Recovery of fallen Alan. 223
quences •, and partly to his bearing our tranigrefiions,
and being made fin for us, which render'd him ha-
ble to the effeds of fin, tho' he knev/ no fin himfelf
For this reafon it was that he fuffered death, viz. for
our fins ; otherwife he would undoubtedly have been
tranflated, as Enoch and Eli^s were, and faould ne-
ver have tailed of death, as he did but taile of it.
This is fufficiently intimated in Scripture in that it
fays. He died for us not for himfelf.
II. It may be inferr'd from the nature and genius,
the defign and tendency of the laws and precepts ot
Chriilianity, that we may and Ihall, by a due ob-
fervance of them, arrive at fuch a ftate ot Perfedion
under the Gofpel, as will equal that in which we were
created. For as the end and defign of them is to ob-
lige us to perfe6t holinefs, fo have they an admirable
tendency to enable us for the, performance.
1 . 1 fhall confider the nature and defign of Chriffs
laws. I have already (hewn that the defign of Chri-
ilianity in general was the reformation and reditu -
tion of our nature to its original Perfe£lion. p. 199,
1 am to flieWthis now of C/^r//?'s laws in particular.
In order hereto, let it be confider'd, wherein Man's
original Perfeftion did confid, viz. in the univerfal
rectitude of all his ficulties, in the fubordination of
his paffions to his reafon, and in a due regulation
and government of all his appetites, or, in other
words, in Righteoufnefs ond true Holinefs. And is
not this the great end that the Chrillian religion aims
to promote by all its laws ? Do not all its precepts
tend to this point ? 7\nd if they were as punctually
obey'd, as they arc (Iridtly commanded, v/hat would
there be wanting to render Chrillian Perfection equal
to the original Perfecftion of our Nature? For does
not the Gofpel injoin the greateft fanftity of mind
and nianners } Do not its laws extend even to our
thought?.
234 Chrifiianity calculated foY
thoughts, and to the firft motions and defires of our
fouls ? Is not the ijoord of God quick and powerful^
and Jharper than a two-edged [word.? Heb. iv. 12.
Doth it connive at any the leaft appearance of evil ?
Or difpenfe with the offending in any one point ? 'The
law of the Lord is a perfect law, without any defe6t,
and without admitting of any evafion to which hu-
man laws are fo liable ; and his commandment is exceed-
ing broad, conprehending the whole and every part
of man's duty. Pf xix. 7. cxix. 96. Such, in
fhort, is the excellency of Chriji's lav/s, that they are
defigned to promote in mankind all virtue and god-
linpfs of living, and, as one well obferves, ' to reftore
* them to their primitive Jiaie^ and eftablifh upon
' earth the pradiice of univerfal righteoufnefs -, which
* would have been the religion of Men, had they
' continued innocent, in paradife •, which nov/ is the
' religion of Angels, and hereafter will be the re-
* ligion of Saints in heaven, and of juft men made
* perfed.'
it is true, the Gofpel-Covenant Is a covenant of
grace and mercy ; and tho' God Almighty requires
an entire and univerfal obedience to his laws, yet at
the fame time he has left us grounds to hope, that
he will not he extreme to mark iniquity, but will make
all equitable allowances for the imperfection of our
obedience, provided it be fincere : Whence it may
be inferr'd that no fuch heights of holinefs are expe(5t-
ed of us.
But to this it may be faid, that hecaufe of the
hardnefs of our hearts, and the hldierto reigning cor-
ruption of our nature?, God Almighty fuffcrs this
relaxation from the rigour of his laws ; hut that from
the heginning, in the original defign of them, it was
not fo. Neither is this lenity and indulgence to be ex-
peded any longer than the real undiflembled necef-
fity of our cafe requires it: And tho' it doth require
it
the Recovery of fallen Man, 225
it at prefent, yet it doth not follow that it always
will: Nay the ftridlnefs and univerlality of the
obedience enjoin'd, implies that it will be one
time or other in our power to perform it, elfe
why was it enjoin'd in fiich peremptory terms ?
The fame may be inferr'd from the tenor of onr
Baptifmai Covenant, in which no provifion is
made for its renewal upon our breach of it •,
neither does God Almighty therein ftipulate his
acceptance of an after-repentance. And tho' we are
otiierwife aifured of its acceptance, yet why is it ac-
cepted of? Why does he pardon our frequent fail-
ings and mifcarriages upon repentance and amend-
ment, but in order to allow us repeated opportuni-
ties of tryal, to the end that we may bring our obe-
dience flill nearer to perfeftion, and daily more and
more overcome the imperfediions we labour under ?
And as this is the end of God's forbearance with In-
dividuals, we may, by analogy of reafon, conclude
the ground of his conduft to be the fame with re-
gard to human nature in general, viz. that by its
continued efforts, it may by degrees overcome all
defeats and failures in its obedience, and at length
render this a perfect work.
Suppofing, therefore, a Chriftian arrived at fuch
Perfection, as to be able to pay a perfect obedience
to the precepts of the Gofpel, I would afk how far
fhort fuch a one would be of Adam in his Innocence ?
The one is fuppofed to have as perfed: a Law as the
other, and to live as perfectly by it ; and were we
to lit down to draw a Parallel between both, I would
fain know what might be faid of the one that would
not fuit the other ? I can conceive no other difference
between them than this \ that the one preferved his
Innocence, but that the other had perform'd the
more difficult talk of regaining it, when it had been
once loft.
Ct 2. As
226 7he ^endejicy of Chrijlianit^ ■
2. As the laws of the Gofpel are thus holy, juft
and goO(', {o have they a natural tendency to pro-
mote thefe divine qualities in us. For Chriftianity
doth not operate like a charm •, neither on the other
hand are its laws mere pofitive and arbitrary inflitu-
rions : But the wile Author of it hath fo contrived
it, that, like other natural caufes, when duly ap-
plied, thefe are none other than its natural and ge-
nuine effects, and indeed the moft rational means of
reforming and perfefting our nature : Every rule of
it, if rightly obferved, hath a natural tendency to
produce one good difpofition or other in us ; and
v/e may here find an eafy and effeftual remedy for
every malady we labour under. It deftroys all the
feeds of wickednefs, kills every root of bitternefs,
and fo correds, fweetens, and improves the frame
and temper of our minds, that it gives us fuch a
delightful enjoyment of God, ourfelves, and of each
other, as cannot eafily be conceived by thofe who
have no experience of it.
Could Chriftians therefore be prevail'd rpon to
ufe their utmoft endeavours to perform, with fmce-
rity and zeal, the whole will of God — If, perfuant
to the Apoftle's advice, they would ^/t'^ all diligence
to add to their faith virtue — knowledge — temperance
• — patience — godlinefs — brotherly kindnefs — charity,
2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7. human nature would appear to be
quite a different thing from what it is at prefent.
Were the Chriftian religion fufFer'd to have its per-
fect work upon us, it would foon purify us from all
the corruption of our nature, and reftore us to the
loft image of our maker. It would enlarge and en-
noble our fouls, it would enlighten our underftand-
ings, purify our wills, and regulate our affe<5tions.
In a word, it would redify all our diforders, and we
fhould becoirie new creatures : And fuch good-na-
tured, well-difpofed, happy people would it make us,
that
to rejlore fallen Man. 227
that were all the Chriilian graces exemplified to our
view in a fociety of Ciirillians polTels'd ot them, we
fliould then be experimentally convinced of the hap-
py fruits of the Gofpel •, infomuch that I am fatisfied
we fliould fee little caufe to regret the lofs of Para-
dife.
Thus is Chriftianity its own reward \ it is perfec-
tive of itfelf, and of us too. The ufe and pra6lice
of every art begets a fkill and perfeftion in it ; but
much more fo does it in Chriftianity, which being
fo well adapted to the improvement of our natures,
cannot fail of producing great and happy effeds of
this kind, provided due application be made of its
rules in general ; and particularly of thofe inftrumen-
tal helps it affords and ordains, as the means of ob-
taining all thole graces and virtues which adorn and
perfect our natures.
Thefe divine Appointments are,
III. Another confiderable advantage and Privilege
of Chriftianity ; as they greatly contribute to the ad-
vancement of virtue, and the confequent perfeftion
of our natures. For, however well calculated the
Precepts of our moft holy Religion are for our moral
accomplifhment, yet fuch is the imbecillity and de-
pravity we labour under, that we cannot of ourfelves
torm our lives according to thefe precepts, without
fome additional helps to this purpofe. Therefore
the wife Author of our Religion hath, in aid and
fupply of our wants and infirmities, appointed cer-
tain means, by the due ufe of which we fhall be en-
abled to perform all that he requires of us, for the
ends of our own edification and advancement. Thefe
are chiefly Prayer in the Name of the Mediator,
the IVord^ and the Sccrcar.ents ; which are fcverally
inftnimental in procuring us conftant fupplies of
grace ; nourifhing and improving religion in us ;
cultivating, and ftrengthening our union with Chrift
Q 2 our
228 The tendency of Chrifiianlty
our head, and with each other as his members •, and
in lupplying our fouls daily with renovated vigour
for the difcharge of our duty, and enabHng us to
■proceed from firength to ftrength^ fo as by degrees /o
run the way of God's commandments. But particu-
larly— I . Prayer, being a dire6l application to the
tiirone of Grace, is a ready means of obtaining that
Cjrace for us which worketh all in all-, and the great
efficacy of it is fet forth fo many ways, by parable,
example, and in pofitive terms, that it were endlefs
to cite Scripture in proof of it. I fhall therefore ob-
ierve but one thing particularly concerning it, that
in the excellent Form v/hich our Saviour hath pre-
fer bed to his Church, he hath taught us to pray,
"i'hcit God's -ivill may he done on earthy as it is in
heaven., i. e. that it may be obey'd in the fame
pcrk-6L manner by his fervants on earth, as it is by
the holy faints and angels in heaven ; which Peti-
tion he never would have inferted, if what is alk'd
in it were not attainable in proportion to the meafure
of man cloathed with flefh : And I think it more-
over implies, that it will at length be aftually at-
tain'd, in as full a meafure as it is attainable ; for we
cannot fuppofe that our Saviour Chrift would diredl
his Church to make conftant application for any re-
quell, which he does not intend to grant in the end.
But, 2. As this perfe6lion of obedience is not to be
attain'd without knowing wherein it confifts, fo it is
the Word of God that inftrufls us in this Icnowledge :
And how excellent a means it is to this en(i, the
Apoftle informs us, 2 Tim, iii. 16. where he tells us,
that all f crip ture is given by infpiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof for corre^ion,
* for infiruofion in right eoufnefs ; that the man of
God
* w^'o; ivuvo^^uffiv, which properly figniiies Redintegrtition, or
Rifor^ition to a right flate^ aad ciien fitly follow s, V:al the Man of
f^od miy be ^erfed, &c.
to rejioi'c fallen Man, 229
God may be -perfect^ throughly furnijhed unto all good
works. 3. With regard to the Sacraments of the
Chriftian Church, I fliallonly obferve, thatBaptifm
is the facrament of our regeneration or neiju birth ;
whence it is called, the wajhing of regeneration. Tit.
iii. 5. And the neceffity of it under this emblem, is
exprefly declared by our Saviour to Nicodrrnus^ Ex-
cept a man be born of water., and of the fpirit., he can-
not enter into the kingdom of God. Jo. iii. 5. Which
fufficiently implies the ufe and confequent defigii of
it, with regard to the renovating and purifying of
our natures ; that cleanfing our f elves from all filthinefs
offlefh andfpirit., we may perfect holinefs in the fear of
God. 2 Cor. vil. i. The Lord's Supper may be
term'd the Sacrament of Perfeftion : The fpiritual
food of thofe who require to be fed ivithjirong meat,
in order to their growth in grace and virtue, and
to their fpeedier progrefs towards that mark, which
it ought to be the aim and endeavour of every Chri-
ftian to attain. St Paul teaches us to efteem the fa-
cred Elements in the Lord's Supper, as the commu-
nion or comjnunication of the body and blood of Chriji;
I Cor. X. 16. which furely implies no fmall degree
of efficacy for the purpofes above-mention'd, and
for all good purpofes whatfoevcr. Wherefore our
Church teaches us, ' that our fouls are hereby ftreng-
' thened and refrefhed, as our bodies are by the
' bread and wine — that we dwell in Chrifb, and
' Chrifb in us, and become one with Chrifl:, and
' Chriit with us.' And by virtue of this fpiritual
union, we are transformed into his image*., and made
partakers of the divine nature.
All the foregoing means of grace have a natural
tendency to promote their ends : But as they are the
pofitive inflitiitions of our holy religion, we have
Q^ 3 reafon
* €>xoW T«0£8/x£9' ojxoiwVfWf, as Cicnen^ Akxcid. oxprefTe"
himfelf, Protrept. juxta finen.
230 ^he T'endency of Chrijnanity
reafon to think that the author of it is more imme-
diately interefted in their efficacy and fuccefs. For,
IV. He is undoubtedly concern'd for the honour
and fuccefs of his Religion in general : And as he
hath already enforced it with the moft powerful fanc-
tions, fo we may conclude, he will not ceafe to pro-
mote the due obfervance and influence of it, by ail
methods confident with the liberty of free-agents.
'Tis true, his laws have hitherto been but too much
• negledec', defpifed, and even trampled upon : But
are we hence to conclude that it will be always fo ?
If that indeed be the cafe, we muft either infer, that
they are infufncient in themfelves for the end de-
fign'd by them, or elfe that the law-giver is uncon-
Cern'd for their fuccefs — That they have nothing of
that excellency in them, which I have above been en-
deavouring to fhew •, or elfe that they are proftitut-
ed to very unworthy purpofes, and our Saviour, con-
trary to his own Advice, has given that which is
holy to the dogs^ and caji his pearls before fwine. But
as thefe are fuppofitions too impious to make, we
have nothing left but to conclude, that God will
arife and vindicate his laws from abufe — that in his
good tim.e he will affert their dignity — that he will
convince mankind, by degrees, of their worth and
excellence, and caufe them to be obey'd in the love
of them.
Then will they appear in their native beauty and
luflrc, when they fhall be written in our hearts, and
fairly copied out in our lives ; and then, and not till
then, will the efficacy and virtue of the gofpel pre-
cepts for the reformation and renovation of our na-
ture clearly demonftrate themfelves; which great
truth is at prefent too much obfcured and beclouded
by the wicked lives of Chriftians, the fcandalous be-
haviour of fome, the hypocrify of others, and luke-
warmnefs and imperfeftions of all. Thia caufeth un-
fpeaK -
to rejlore fallen Man. 231
fpeakable prejudice againft Religion; gives Men
low and unworthy opinions of it ; and tempts them
to think that it hath no fuch power to reform our
minds and manners, as is here attributed to it. Thus
the faults of the profeffors of Chriilianity are charged
upon the profeflion itfelf, which is furely very inju-
rious treatment of it. Let it but once have its full
and perfed: work, and then it will vindicate itfelf
from all the mifconceptions and wrongs which it fuf-
fers in the opinions of men.
V. This reafoning drawn from God's regard for
the due obfervance of his laws, in favour ot their fu-
ture univerfal prevalence, is confirm*d by what I
have to offer in the next place, concerning the Aid
and Affiilances of his holy Spirit -, which is an actu-
al proof, and the beft that can be given, in behalf
of his concern for the obfervance of them, fince he
vouchfafes them fuch extraordinary helps for this
purpofe. The obtaining of thefe internal fupplies
of Grace and Afliftance, is indeed the main end of
thofe external means above-mention'd : And for this
purpofe chiefly do they feem to have been inftituted.
That the holy Spirit of God is prefent with all good
Chriftians, by his reftraining, converting, prevent-
ing, aflifting, ftrengthening, and fandtifying, i^c.
Grace, is evident from feveral pafTages of Scripture.
Thus Rom. viii. 26. the Spirit is faid to help cur in-
firmities^ and we are elfewhere faid to be fanctified
and purified by the Holy Ghofi. And fo plentiful an
effufion is fometimes given of him, that God, by
his prophet Joel promifes, / will pour out my Spirit
upon all fie/h^ ch. ii. 28. And this prophecy was in
an eminent manner fulfiU'd on the day of Pentecofie.^
to wliich it is applied. Acts ii. 17. when we are told,
'U^4. the Apoftles were all filled with the Holy Ghofi;.
And Jo intimately prefent is he with fuch as endea-
vour to fit themfelves for his reception, that he is
0^4 faid
232 Chriftianity calculated for
faid to refiupon ibem, 1 Pet. iv. 14. and to dwell in
them, Rom. viii. 11. And accordingly they are call'd
the'J'e^vpk of God, i Cor. iii. 16. and their Bodies
ftiled the Temple of the Holy Ghoji, ch. vi. 19. And
fo powerful a principle of fpiritual life and adtion is
he, ?:hat it is by the Spirit of God that we are Jlreng-
theit'd with might in the inner man. Eph. iii. 16.
And our ahcunding in hope, and being fdledwith all
joy and peace in belie'uing, is afcribed to the power
of the Holy Ghoft. Rom. xv. 13. Hitherto may be
referr'd what our Saviour, for his comfort, tells St
Paul, 2 Cor. vii. 9. My Grace isfufficient for thecy
for my firength is made perfect in weaknefs •, as well
as that triumphant exultation of his, grounded un-
doubtedly on experience, lean do all things through
Chrift that Jlrengtheneth me. Phil. iv. 13.
The pious Mr Hales, in his Sermon on this text,
entitled, Chrijiian Omnipotence, has thefe remarka-
ble words, which tho' they run in fo high a fbrain,
yet it cannot be faid, but that they have fufficient
fupport from St PauVs Authority. ' From hence-
' forth,* fays he, ' let all complaint concerning the
' frailty and weaknefs of man's nature for ever ceafe :
' For behold our weaknefs is fwallowed up of
* firength, and man is become omnipotent — The
* firength we loft in Adam, is with infinite advan-
* tage fupplied in Chrifl — who is ten-fold better un-
' to us than all the good of paradife — the lofs of
* that portion of firength wherewith our nature was
' originally endued, being made up with fulnefs of
' power in Chrift. — Again, let us conceive unto the
* utnioil what our firength might be in our firfl
' eflate, yet fhall we never find it to be greater than
*^"what is here exprefTed — For greater ability than
•^ power to do all things is not imaginable.'
To proceed.
Agreeably to the above teftimonies concerning
the
the Recovery of fallejt Man, 233
the afiiftance and efficacy of divine Grace, God Al-
mighty was pleafed, in fa6t, to give a mod power-
ful Demonjlration of the Spirit, and of his mighty
working in the minds of men, at the firft planting
of Cnriilia^iity, not only in thofe extraordinary and
wonderful gifts and graces with which he infpired
the holy Apoftles, but alfo in his common opera-
tions in the primitive Believer. For, ' what won-
' derful alterations,' by means of his powerful aid
and influence, ' were made in the lives and mati-
' ners of men, transforming in an initant the de-
* bauched and diflblute into patterns of the ftrideft
* temperance and fobriety — turning wolves into
' lambs, and vultures into turtle-doves ! Which
' wondrous efi\;(5ls were fo very frequent, that the
* Heathens themfelves took fpecial notice of them -,
* which, as St Auftin tells us, made them to attribute
' the fuccefs of the Gofpel to the power of Magic,
* thinking it impolTible it Ihould do fuch wonders,
* without the afiiftance of feme powerful Spirits.'*
In the lives of the primitive Chriflians we have a
(landing monument of the efficacy of this and other
gofpel means for tlie perfefting of holinefs. This
lively fpecimen is an undeniable proof of the fuffi-
ciency of thefe means for this purpofe, and at the
fame time may ferve as a fpur and incitement to all
future Chriftians to imitate and equal, if not to out-
do them. For why need we defpair of this, fince
the fame affiftance is offered us as was afi'orded them?
For, as the fame Author goes on, though * now
' that Chriftianity hath gotten fuch footing in the
* world, and is become the religion cf nations, the
*• divine Spirit does not ordinaiily work upon men
* in fuch a ftrange and miraculous w..y ; but pro-^
' ceeds in more human methods, by jv fining in
t with our underftandings, that whatfoever aids it
* affords
• S«//'s Chriftian Life. Vol. iv. p. 246.
234 Chrijiianity calculated for
affords us, they work in the fame way, and after
the fame manner, as if all were perform*d by the
* ftrength of our own reafon. We have however a
' flanding promife which extends to all ages of
* Chriftianity, that to him who improves the grace
' which he hath already, more grace fhall be given
' — That if we work out our fahation with fear and
* tremblings God will work in us to will and to do —
' that he will give his holy Spirit to every one that
' ajks and feeks it.* Nay moreover, we have his
own infallible promife, that he will abide with us
for ever : And in affurance hereof it is obfervable,
that the plentiful etfufion of the Spirit vouchfafed to
the firfl Chriflians, is by the Apoille called the
First Fruits, and Earnest of the Spirit, Rom.
viii. 2, 3. 2 Cor. v. 5. which plainly implies, that
there is to be a ftill more plentiFul effufion, when the
prophecy of Joel, abovementioned, will have its full
and final accomplilTiment. / will pour out my Spi-
rit upon ALL Flefh : I fay more plentiful, in pro-
portion as the harveji exceeds the firft-fruits, and
as the remainder of that, whereof the earneft is one
part, is by far the more confiderable.
In the fecond Chapter of this Effay, I endeavour'd
to (late the meafures of grace, and to trace out the
laws of the divine conduit in the difpenfmg of it.
And if the pofitions there laid down are true, the
divine grace, tho' the gift of God, is in our own
power to obtain in what meafure we pleafe: For as,
according to the reafoning in that place, to which I
refer the reader, it depends altogether on our own
free-w;ll — by aflferting and increaling our freedom to
good (which the very notion of freedom implies to
he in our power) we proportionably increafe our por-
tion of grace : And as it is in our power to increafe the
one in a manner as much as we pleafe, fo is it no lefs to
increafe the other-, except thatFreedoin muft ftill con-
tinue the more powerful and governing principle ; the
other
the "Recovery of J alien Man. 235
other as an inferior force tending towards the fame
end, co-operating with, and acting in Subfervience
to, and Aid of it ; and both together fuch as will be
tully fjfficient to enable i:s to recover our loft up-
rightnefs. For there is fuch an analogy and clofe
connexion between thefe two Principles, that Grace,
according to the moft rational definition I ever met
with of it, is nothing elfe than an improvement or
heightening of the taculties of our nature.
But in oppofition hereto, it may be faid, that as
Grace is here made to depend entirely upon Free-
Will — as it is no lefs in our power to diminifli our
freedom to good, than to increafeit, and to increafe our
ireedom toevil, thantoleffen it, andconfequently todi-
minifh Grace in proportion— it may hence be argued,
that we make Grace a very precarious thing ; and that
there is as great a probability, as well with regard to
individuals, as human nature in general, of their
lefTening, as improving their talent of Grace -, nay
greater, fince the balance is deftroy'd, and the biafs
inclined to Evil •, and confequently that no argument
can be drawn from God's otfcrs of grace and affif-
tance, for the recovery of our original ftate •, nor
from any other methods of his providence, fincc
they all may, and mod probably will, be rejefted.
For an Anfwer to this Objection I refer the reader
to the inference, p. 46. To what is there proved I
fhall here only add, that as the hearts of the fons of
men are in the hand of the Lordy and he turnctb
them whitherfoez-er he zuill. Pro v. xxi. i . fo he may
eafily influence them to good by the fecret impulfes
of his Spirit, as well as by feveral other ways, with-
out over- ruling, or in the leaft infringing their Li-
berty •, even as we fee, in civil affairs, one man, by
luperior management and addrefs, to difpofe whole
bodies of men to promote his viev/s and purpofes,
and to make his defigns the fubjeft of their own free
choice.
236 Chrijlianity calculated for
clioice, even without perceiving the firft mover.
And is it not much more in the power of the Al-
mighty, who knoweth whereof we are made^ and who
hath fajhioned all our hearts^ by working upon the
lecret fprings of their minds and actions, to turn the
difohedient to the wifdoni of thejuji? And may we
not conclude, that what is thus in his power, is no
lefs in his will, and that he, the Lord, will hajien it
in his time, and moft allured iy bring it to pafs ?
If thefe Principles are right, they may be of fer-
vice to put an end to thofe various difputes relating
to Grace and Free- Will, which have fo long difturb'd
the peace of the Church, and which are ftill unde-
termined. And that they are right, may be prefumed
from their agreement with Scripture, which exhorts
us to grow in Grace, and improve our talents -, and
promifeth that to him that hath, it fhall be given,
and htfjall have more abundantly. And Jo. iii. 34.
it is faid of our Saviour Chrift, that God giveth not
the Spirit by measure unto him* {(k pLirpi)
whence it may be inferr'd, that he giveth it by
Meafure unto other men •, and in fo doing obferves
certain rules of proportion, for fo the word fxiTPQv
fometimes fignifies, as will be fhewn hereafter.
Nor are thefe principles lefs agreeable to the di-
vine attribute of Goodnefs, which cannot be re-
ftrained from exerting itfelf towards us by any thing
but its oppofite, i. e. man's wickednefs, i. e. his in-
creafing his liberty to evil, and diminifhing his liber-
ty to good.
I fhall conclude this Head and Chapter in the
words of Dr Scott. * From hence we may difcern
* the poffibility of keeping the commands of God,
* in that, God, by his Spirit, doth fo powerfully
* aid and aiTift us. For fuppofing we cannot keep
* the divine law by our own fingle fcrength and po-
* wer,
* F'ae Syrpjin Cnf in locum.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 237
' wer, yet it is apparent, that we can do that which
* will engage the divine Spirit to afTift and enable us
' to keep it •, that is, we can do our endeavour,
' which being done, entitles us to the promife of di-
* vine Grace and alTiftance. And tho' we cannot do all
* ourfelves, yet fince we can do fo much, as will
* certainly fwg-<?^^ God to impower us to do thereft,
* it is already in our power to do all, if we will.' *
Thus I have endeavour*d to fliew— from the ge-
neral Defign of Chrillianity — the Charader and Ex-
ample of our Redeemer— the Nature and Tendency
of the Gofpel-Precepts---the Concern of their Au-
thor for their Succefs — and the Means, Helps and
Afliftances he affords to render them fuccefsful— that
the Gofpel-Difpenfation is calculated for the Reco-
very of our firft Eftate, and that in virtue thereof
Mankind fhall at length be reftored to it.
I fhall now proceed to the confideration of fome
particular Pafiages of Scripture, which concur in
proving the fame great truth.
* $cotf^ ChrilVian Life, ib. p, 258.
Bifhop Bull lays down this Thcji:, and largely pro^'e" it from the
reftimony of the Father?, as well as from Reafon and Scripture,
that the Gofpel, or Law of Chriil, iho' it prefcribes a Religion
of great excellencc,--yet erjoins nothing to fallen Man, which
may not be fulfilled by theaifilbnce of the Grace which it prc-
miles for that purpofe.' Append, ad Examer, &c. Animad,
7. Vide etam Harm. Apoft. Dilitr. z. cap. 7.
CHAP. XII.
Containing particular P?'oofs jrom Scripture^
of Mail's future Recovery of his primitive
State.
I SHALL begin with fuch texts as relate to the
enlargement and univerfal extent of Christ's
Kingdom, and the converfion of Jews and Gen-
tiles to the Chriftian faith. For as it is in virtue of
^3^ Scriptia-e Proofs of
Chriilianity that nature is to be perfected, if at all,
the whole world mud become Chnftian, before this
Perfedlion can be fully accomplidied.
The mofl remarkable prophecies concerning the
future prevalence and eitablifl-iment of Chrift's king-
dom, are thofe of Daniel^ chapt :rs n. and vii. In
the firft of thefe the Mejfiah^ as is generally under-
llood, or rather his Kingdom, is reprefented by a
^tone cut out without hands^ which jmote the image^
reprefenting the four great monarchies, and brake ;/,
and became a great mountain^ and filled the whole
earthy v. 34, 35. which is thus explain^, v. 44.
And in the days of thefe Kings (i. ^. while fome of
thefe kingdoms are yet in the height of their power,
viz. the Roman) * fhall the God of heaven (begin to)
fet tip a Kingdom^ which fjall never be defrayed •, and
the Kingdom f mil not be left to other people (i. e. it
fliall not be fupplanted and fucceeded by any other
kingdom, as it happen'd to the former kingdoms
of this world) but it fJjall break in pieces and confume
all thefe Kingdoms (not at once, but by degrees •, not
by open force, but by a fecret inviffole power : nor
will they be entirely demolifhed at its firft ereftion ;
on the contrary, the total deftruftion of them will
not be accomplifhed but in its fnal eftablifliment,
to the end of many ages) and it fhall fl and for ever .^
i. e. till the confummation ot all things, -f
This Kingdom of Chrift is no lefs clearly prophe-
fied of, ch. vii. 13, 14. in thefe words— y/^ie; /k the
night -vifions., and behold one like the Son of Man
came with the clouds of heaver^ and came to the An-
tient of Days^ and they brought him near before him.
And
* See Bifhop Chi:uttdlcr\ Vind'cation of his Defence of Xty,
Vol. I. p. 260,
* See ihis Prophecy explain'd at large in Bifhop Chaundler'^
Defence ot Xty, p. 95. and Vind. CL. 2.S. 2.
the Reco'Vcry of fallen Man. 239
^fid there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages
Jfjould ferve him : His dominion is an everlafiing do-
minion, which Jhall not pafs away, and his Kingdom,
that which Jhall not he dejiroyed. -\ This Kingdom is
to have its full eflablifhrnent in the deftrudion of
Antichrijl, which tht beft interpreters agree to be re -
prefented by the little horn, v. 8. 20, cjff. which
had its rife out of the fourth, viz. the Roman mo-
narchy : And then the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatnefs of the kingdom under the whole heaven Jhall
be given to the people of the faints of the mofi high,
whofe kingdom is an everlajiing kingdom, and all do-
minions Jhall Jerve and obey him. v. 27.
There are feveral other Prophecies no lefs exprefs
concerning the amplitude of Chrift's Kingdom. Of
him it is that the Pfalmift fays. He Jhall have domi-
nion from fea tojea, and Jrom the river to the ends of
the earth— All kings fh all fall down before him, and
all nations fhall do him fervice. Pf Ixxii. 8, 11. So
again. All the ends of the earth fjj all remember end
turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations
fhall worpip before him ; for the kingdom is the Lord^s.^
and he is the governor among the nations. Pf. xxii.
27, 28. And Pf ii. 8. AJk of me, and I will give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utter-
moji parts of the earth for thy poffejfion. Perfuant to
which promife, and agreeably to all the foregoing
prophecies, St John, in the vifion he faw relating
to this great event, fpeaks of it in fuch peremptory
terms, as if it had already happenM. The Kingdoms
of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord,
and of his Chrijl, and he Jhall reign for ever and ever.
Rev. xii. 15.*
All
■\ Sec ChaundUr^ ib. p. ig6.
* ^etlix. ix. 7. Lukei. 32, 33. Micah v. 4. Zech, xiv. 9.
24.0 Scripture Procfs of
All this miifl fignify fomething more than mefe
right and title to the Kingdoms of the world, which
were always the Kingdom of Chriit in this fenfe ;
and in confequence of which, we muft conclude,
that the time will come, when he fhall be invefted
with the dominion and adiial pofTeffion of them,
and fhall receive their homage and obedience ; which
is what thefe Prophecies do fo exprefly foretel. But
as nothing hke this hath as yet happen'd, this fuffi-
ciently authorizes us to conclude, that thefe Prophe-
cies have not had their accomplifhment in any paft
Hate of the Church, either Jewijh or Chriftian^ as
Grotkis and fome others imagine : And to put the
matter out of all doubt, our Saviour has, in the
Form of Prayrr which he hath taught us, inferted
a Petition for the coming of this Kingdom •, whence it
appears that it is yet to come, and to continue ad-
vancing till the end of the world ; fince probably the
ufe of this Prayer may continue in the Church, as
long as there is a Church upon the eartli.
On the otiher hand, by comparing the petition
for the coming of Chrifc's kingdom, with the pro-
phecies relating to it, we are led into a more diilinft
notion of what we afk therein, and enabled to pray
with the underjlanding •, which, if it be not confi-
der*d in this view, hath no great fhare in it : And
yet I doubt this is too generally the cafe, notwith-
itanding it is among the fiifl: rudiments of Chriftian
knowledge, and is of fuch frequent and neceffary
ufe.
That which I apprehend to be the true fenfe of
this Petition, I find well expounded in an extra^l
out of a Latin Catechifm publifh'd in the time of
king Edward VI. and by his authority, which is to
be feen in Mr Mede^s works, and which is to this
etFe6l * — ' In the fecond place, we pray, that his
' King-
* Secnru'c loc: tctimui, ut adveniat Regnum ejus j Adkue enim
the Recovery of fallen Man. 24 1
* Kingdom may come : For as yet we do not fee that
' all things are fubdued unto Chrift — We do not
' fee that the ftonc, cut out of the mountain without
* liands, hath broken in pieces, and confumed the
' ftatuc defcribed by Daniel — that that Rock alone,
' which is Chrift, is in a6bual pofTcfllon of the do-
' minion of the whole world, which was conferr'd
' upon him by the Father. Antichrift is not as yet
* deftroy'd: and therefore we pray, that this at
' length may be brought to pafs, and that Chrift a-
* lone may reign with his faints, perfuant to the di •
* vine promifes •, and that he may live, and bear
' rule over the world, according to the inftitutions
' of his holy Gofpel, and not according to the tra-
* ditions and laws of men, and the arbitrary diftates
* of the rulers of this world.'
For our further aftiftance in forming right concep-
tions of ChriJTs Kingdom, it will not be amifs to
make fome enquiry into the nature of it, together
with the manner of its growth and progrefs.
The antient Jews, of whom were our Saviour's
firft difciples, had very grofs notions of the Mejfiah^s
Kingdom, as appears particularly from Matt. xx.
21. Luke xv'n. 20. A^s \. 6. for they imagined it
confifted altogether in earthly glory and grandeur :
Nor have their defcendants to this day learned to
corred their opinions, or to form much better judg-
R ments
mtt z'idemus Res omnes Chrijlo ejje fu'ijeSIas ; Non videmui ut Laph
de monte nbfd£us fit fine Opcre hiimnnOy qui contrivit, i^ in mhihm
redegit Statu am drfcriptant n Danicle : Vt Pctra join, qui eji Chri-
ftus, occupet y cbtiveat totius Muudi Imperium a Patre coiicejfum.
Adhuc Jien ejl occijus Antichrift us : quo fit, ut ms defideremus iff
precemuty ut id tandtm aliquando contitigat i^ implcatur ; utquefiolus
XHhrifius regnet cum fiuis Sanfiis, ficcundum divinas Promifiiones i
iitque vivat ijf dominetur in Mundo, juxta fauSii Evangelii Decreta,
vonautemjuxtaTraditioties Iff Leges Hominum, iff Fo/untatem Ty-
r>vimrum Mundi.
5ce Mr M.\k\ Work?, publifli'J by Dr irorthitigion, p. 8 f ^
242 Scripture Proofs of '
ments concerning it ; for they dream of no lefs tanh
reing invefted with iiniverfal monarchy, when the
beign of their Mejfiah fhall commence. On the other
hand, fome modern Chriftian divines feem to be as
far gone towards the other extreme, who would
ftrip Chrifi's Kingdom of all temporal authority and
power, and make it to be of fo abflra(5ted and fpi-
ritual a nature, as if it were to be no more z>, than
it is (?/ this world.
That this Kingdom will not be altogether fpiri-
tual, but that it will be likewife invefted with tem-
poral power and polity, and all other outward elTen-
tials of a Kingdom, cannot be doubted, if it be con-
fiderd, that when it comes to be fully eftabliflied,
there will be no other form of government : There.
will be then no fuch thing as hnperium in Imperio — no'
two diftindl Powers independent of, and clafhing
with each other, but the civil and ecclefiaftical will
be duly tempera together, and run into each other ;.'
or rather both will be loft in the divine, which (hall,
then be eftabliflied. However abfurd or ridiculous
this conclufion may feem to fome, it is what the fore-
cited Prophecies of Da7iiel authorize us to make, as
they are exprefs that the MeJJiaFs Kingdom Hiall be
erected upon rhe ruins of the other kingdoms of the
earth, and fucceed in their ftead : And hence, I fay,
it follows, that it muft have a form of outward po-
lity, and be fupported likewife with fome outward
far.itions, fuch as are at leaft equipollent with thofe
of the kingdoms it iliall have deltroyed : For this
much is included in the very eflence and idea of all
Government, and without which no Government
can be conceived capable of being adminifter'd, or
even of fubfifting. Befides, it is hardly credible,
that our Saviour would make fuch frequent mention
of the Kingdom c/God in his Gofpel, which he like-
wife fometimes calls his Kingdom^ if it were not to
be
the Recovery of fallen Man, 243
be a Kingdom indeed : For why elfe does he chufe this
idea of a Kingdom to reprefent his Church on earth
by?
If the controverfy about Church-Government,
which, fome years ago, was, with more heat than
light, carried on among us, had been confined to
this its firfl and moft proper view, I humbly con-
ceive, with fubmiflion to the great writers concern'd
in it, that the difpute might have been fooner ad-
jufted, and a more fatisfaftory decifion given of it.
On the other hand, as this Kingdom is not to be
eftabhfhed by human means, and as our Saviour
himfelf not only doth not require, but even exprefly
difclaims the affiftance ot the fecular arm, Jo. xviii.
36. here is no ground of umbrage given to earthly
ppwers on the one hand, which other wife are all
fubjecft to the over-ruling power of God's provi-
dence, who removeth kings, and fetteth up kings. Dan.
ii. 21. nor, on the other hand, is here any en-
couragement for Subjedis to rebel againft their earth-
ly Sovereigns, under pretence of fetting up King
jefus, as was the cafe of fome mad Enthufiafts, who '
appear' d in this nation about the middle of the lafl:
century. The fifth monarchy will be erefted in a more
peaceable filent manner. Thus our Saviour correds
the grofs notions of the Pharifees concerning his
Kingdom, when he tells them, that the Kingdom of
God Cometh not with obfervation. Its progrefs will
be lb fecret and invifible, that men Jhall not [ay, to
here, or lo there •, for, as he adds, behold the King-
dom of God is within you. Luke xvii. 20, 21. or,
rather, is among you, which is the more proper ren-
dering of the Fhrafe iv1S<; v/ul'£v i^iu- The Mejt-
ah is among you, and his reign is already commen-
ced.*
Or, according to the former fenfe, it is to be be-
R 2 gun
* See Archbiihop TiIUtfon\ Sermon x!.
244 Sa'ipfure Proofs of
gun by fubdiiing mens unruly lufts and paflions,'
bringing their wills into fubjeflion, and their hearts
and lives to the obedience of Chrift's laws. And
hence likewife the fecret and fpreading influence of
it is compared in the Parable to a little leaven hid in
a large quantity of meal, and by degrees leavening
the whole mafs. Luke xiii. 21.
To give us a farther infight into the nature of this
Kingdom, he who is Lord of it hath told us, that
it is not of this -world, tior from hence, as in the fame
place he farther explains it, Jo. xviii. 36. that it is
not of earthly and human, but divine and heavenly
original — that it is not of the fame tranfitory totter-
ing nature with mere earthly kingdoms •, nor built
upon fuch wretched maxims of policy, as they are •,
-nor like them liable to be difturb'd and overthrown
by diforders, tumults, and convulfions : but that its
conftitution is of a more firm and permanent nature,
as well as more peaceable, flourifhing and happy in
every refpedt ; as it is founded, and will adlually be
eftabliflied on the moft unerring principles of divine
government.
But we cannot, from fuch fhort hints, as are gi-
ven us in Scripture concerning it, pretend to trace
out a juft defcription of it ; efpecially while it is as
yet but in its infancy, as it were, being not grown
to fuch a ftate of maturity, as thoroughly to unfold
it felf. Notwithftanding, if 1 may be allowed a con-
jecture, I imagine, that when it fhall come to have
its thorough eftabhihment, it is to be an Universal
Theocracy ; fuch as the Jewilh ftate, in fome re-
fpe6ts, under its Kings, David and Solomon, and in
other, under its Judges, bore a diilant refemblance
of, as I am perfu.nded this was a type of it. For thus
we are told, Ifa. i. 26. / will rejlore thy Judges as
(it iheTiKST, a?id thy Counsellors, as at the be-
c,i>:NiNG j afterward ihou floalt he cdkd the city of
righ-
the Recovery of fallen Man. 24^
right eoufnefs^ the faithful city. Zion fhall be redeemed
ivith judgment^ and her converts 'with righteoufnefs.
Judges as at the firjl — i. e. fuch as Mofes and AaroUy
Jofhua and Eleazar^ ^c. Then all apparent inequa-
lities in the ways of providence fhall difappear. E-
'very valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and
hill fhall be made low : and the crooked floall be made
flraight, and the rough places plain. Ifa. xl. 4.
which I apprehend to be one fenfe of this Prophecy,
in which it Ihall be fulfilled, by redlifying all the dif-
orders, unjuftly charged upon God's providence in
the government of the world, but really proceeding
from the wickednefs and finfulnefs of mankind, the
genuine caufe of all irregularity and confufion •, as
God himfelf complains. Hear now, O houfe of Ifrael,
// not my way equal ? Are not your ways unequal ?
Exek. xvii. 25. Which words plainly imply, that
the feeming inequalities in God's ways are owing
to the real ones in the ways of men.
I fhall now proceed to fome Prophecies which
predift the converfion of all nations to the Chriftian
taith, under other characters no lefs plain than the
former. Such is that in Ifa. ii. 2, 3. It fhall come
to pafs in the laft days, that the mountain of the Lord
fhall be eflahlifjed on the top of the mountains, and
exalted above the hills, and all nations fhall flow into
it. * Which Prophecy harmonizes with that ot Da-
niel already cited, 1^ he Stone became a great 'moun-
tain, and filled the whole earth. Where we fee an
agreement in the ufe of the fame image, a mountain^
and in the fame application of it.
To proceed -,
The Gentiles fhall come to thy light, and Kings to
the brightnefs of thy rifing. Lift up thine eyes round a-
bout and fee ; all they gather themfelves together, they
come to thee ; thy fons fljall come from far, and thy
R 2 datigh-
• Sec 7y"^. xlix. 6. J(y- iii. 17. xvi. 19. Mkah iv. i, 2.
246 Scripture Proofs of
daughters Jhall he nurfed by thy fide — the abundance
of the fea Jhall be cowverted unto thee^ the forces of
the Gentiles fh all come unto thee. Ifa. Ix. 3, 4, 5. As
it is generally agreed, that thefe and the like Prophe-
cies are to be underftood of the converfion ot the
Gentile world to the Chriftian faith, fo it is plains to
any one who confiders the force of the words, and
the univerfality of the terms, that they cannot have
their full and final completion, till the fulnefs of the
Gentiles he come in •, which the Apoftle St Fatd like-
wife fpeaks of as a thing to be. He at the fame
time acquaints us that there fhall be likewife a na-
tional converfion of the Jews, who fhall once more
become a famous and flourilhing Church. / would
not that you fhould he ignorant of this myjlery^ that
Vlindnefs in part is happened unto Ifrael, until the
fulnefs of the Gentiles he come in. And fo <3// Ifrael
jhall be faved -, as it is written., 'There fhall come out
of Sion the Deliverer., and jhall turn away ungodli-
nefs from Jacob, for this is my covenant unto them^
when I fhall take away their fins. Rom. xi. 25, — 27.
from li'a. lix. 20. The Apoftle' s appHcation of this
Prophecy juftifies our interpreting others in the fame
manner. In Deut. xxx. i — 5. we find a remarka-
ble promife, that upon their converfion, God would
at all times reftore this people to their own land. It
Jhall come to pafs when — thou fhalt return unto the.
Lord thy God — that he will turn thy captivity., and
have compajfion upon thee., and will return and gather
thee from all the nations whither the hard thy God
hath fcattered thee. If any of thine he driven cut unto
the outmojl parts of heaven., from thence will the Lord
thy God gather thee., and from thence will he fetch.
thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the
land which thy fathers poffeJJ'cd., and thou Jhalt poffefs
it. Compare Nehem. i. 9. Agreeably to this Promife
Ifhiah prophefies, In that day the Lord flj all fet his
hand
the Recovery of fallen Man. 247
hand again the second time to recover the remnant
of his people^ and fljall ajfemble the outcafts <7/irrael,
and gather together the difperfed of Judah from the
four corners of the earthy Ifa. xi. u, 12. where men-
tion is made of the fecond time undoubtedly in con-
tradiftincftion to the deliverance from the Babylonifb
captivity; that being iho. firfi and only time hither-
to, that there hath been any national return of the
Jews'. And that was only out of Babylon, and not
out of all the other countries mentioned in the Pro-
phecy ; fo that xht fecond time is yet to come, when
not only the two Tribes of Jz/^^^^ and Benjamin, but
all the other Tribes of Ifrael, fhall return to their
own land, out of all the countries, where they are
difperfed, as is evident from this and many other
Prophecies, which the Reader may think too tedious
to be cited particularly, and therefore I fhall only
refer to fome of the moft remarkable of them, *
which generally relate as well to their converfion as
return.
The whole nation being thus reftored to, and re-
poiieffed of their native country, fhall no more be
difpoffefied of it. / will bring again the captivity of
my people Ifrael — and I will plant them upon their own
land, and they fhall no more be pulled up out of their
land which I have given them^ faith the hard. Amos
ix. 14, 15. And they fhall worfhip the Lord in the
holy mount ^/ Jcrufalem. If xxvii. 13.
For which purpofe their city and temple Ihall be
R 4 re-
* See T>eut. xiv. i, z, 3. xlix. 12. Ifa. xliii. 5, 6. xlix. 22.
l£c. !xvj. 20. 'Jer. iii, 18. xvi. 15. xxiii. 3, 7, 8. xxxi. 8, I2.
xxxii. 37. (ifr. Exek. xi. 17. ijc. xx. 41. xxviii. 25. xxxiv. 12.
l^c. xxxvi. 24. xxxvii. 12, 21. xxxix. 27. Hofea i. 10, 1 1 . com-
pared with Ro7n. ix. 2!;, 26. Hof. iii. 4, 5. xi. 11. Miaih ii, 12.
(v, 3,4.^viii. 20. vt'n\\ Grot: Hi's Annor, upon it. Ze^b. iii. uJt. Zecb.
viii.7, '^•^- 6, 10. xii. 6. tffc. Note, Zeckiiriah prophefied after tiiC
Bab^lmjh Captivity, lb that none of liis Propiiccies can relate to it.
24S Scripture Proof of
rebuilt : For fo hath God promifed, to glorify the
houfe of his glory ^ beautify the place of his fanhuary^
and make the place of his feei glorious. Ch. Ix. 7, 13.
But in what manner fhall it be rebuilt ? And for
what Purpofes ? For the Revival of the Jewilh Wor-
ihip ? The Re-eftabli{hment of the Type, v/hen the
Antitype had taken place ? This is a notion too ab-
furd, one would think, for any Chriflian divine to
entertain.
The Temple indeed fliall be rebuilt, but after the
Chriftian model, and the Chriflian worfliip Ihall be
eftablifhed in it, as is fufficiently intimated to them
by their own prophets. Thus Jeremy affures them,
that in thofe days the ark of the covenant, the fym-
bol of the divine prefence under the law, Jljall no
piore come to mind, nor be vifited, or defired any
more by them. Jer. iii. 16. The Circumcifion,
which upon tlieir reftoration will take place and be
required of chem, is the circumcifion of the heart,
as their own lawgiver Mofes informs them, Deut.
XXX. 6. Vv'hich is the Chriflian Circumcifion. And
the Covenant which will then be eftabliihed with
them, Ihall be the Chriflian Covenant. For, Be-
hold the days come, faith the Lord, that I will make
/7 NEW Covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and with
(he houfe of Judah: Not according to the Covenant
which I made with their fathers, in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt — But this flo all he the Covenant that I will
make with the houfe of Ifrael, after tho[e days, faith
the Lord : I will put my law in their inward parts,
andzurite it in their hearts, and I will be their God,
and they fJjall be my people. Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, 33.
* And St Paul interprets this of the Chriflian Cove-
nant. Heb. viii. 8.
The xlth and following Chapters of Ezekiel con-
taii>
* Compare Ezekiel xvi. 60. 6 1,
the Recovery of fallen Man. 24^
tain a prophetical defcription of this Temple and
City, as they are to be built, and of the divifion of
the land among the twelve Tribes, and their fettle-
ment in it. And that this ftatc is ftill future is mani-
feft, as the twelve Tribes have never returned, to
make any fuch divifion or fettlement. The dry bones
of the houfe of Ifrael, mentioned Chap, xxxvii. have
not as yet been breathed upon^ nor reflored to life.
The two Tribes and the ten, reprefented by the two
fticks of Judah and Ephraim, v. 15. &c. have ne-
ver been re-united. No iuch fignal Deftruftion of
their Enemies hath happen'd as is foretold. Chap,
xxxviii. xxxix. Neither hath any fuch City been
built, or Temple raifed ; as maybe concluded from
the unfuccefsfulnefs of the Attempts of FillalpanduSy
and other learned men, to fuit this defcription to
either of the former Temples. For as the event
clears all Prophecies, fo tlie obfcurity which this
Prophecy ftill labours under, is an unconteftable
proof that it hath not been as yet fulfill'd.
It is indeed fuppofed by many, I believe, I may
fay, by moft, excepting the Jews themfelvcs, that
the ten Tribes v/ere fo difperfed among the Hea-
then, that all diftinction between them and the na-
tions they mixt with hath been long ago deftroyed :
But even this ought not to be made an argument a-
gainft the poiTibility, or even probability of their
reftoratipn.
For not to enquire, whether they are continued a
dillindl people * or not, which I take to be an en-
quiry
* Jefuita qui in China vixerutit, re/eiufit, Judasorum SynagO'
gaiquafdam rtpcrt-is fiajfe, Ju'jicos vero iftos de Ch rift o nihil ur.-
qua7n audivijjl' ; (undc liquet ante ejus adz'entum eos illuc tippnlijfc)
imovome7i JudjEOiuni ign'jrahant, fed Ifraeliias fe eJJ'e dixeruut.
Vnde prctbahile ejl, eoi it/iqiiias qunjJ.imfuiJJe decern tribuum qui a'^-
duilt erant ; nam pnjl iilud teinpus nomen Itraelitarum in ufu vulga-
ri non crat, fed JudjEoriim.
W'lltoui Prolcg. iii. p. 24. ex Samcdo, 1. 3. c, 13;
lu
2^0 Scripture Proofs of
quiry rather curious than neceffary for this purpofc,
is it not as eafy for God Almighty to gather them
out of all lands, whither he hath fcattered them,
from the eaft, from the weft, from the north, and
from the fouth, as it is to colled: the fcatter'd par-
ticles of every individual body of all the tribes of
the earth, at the refurre6lion, to make the hones come
together, bone to hone^ and the finews and flejh to
come upon them^ and to make thefe dry hones live f
This, however wonderful in itfelf, as it is at prefent
the firm belief of Chriilians, ought to remove all
fcruples with regard to the other. And this Em-
blem is probably made ufe of to convince us, both
of the gre^tnefs of the thing, and the feafiblenefs of
it to God, by comparing it with what is fo miracu-
lous, and the belief of which is at the fame time be-
come fo familiar to us. And in further confirma-
tion hereof we have another very exprefs afTurance
of God himfelf to this purpofe, Amos ix. 9. Lo, I
■will command and I willfift the Houfe of Ifrael among
all nations, like as Corn is fifted in a fief, yet fh all
Hot the leaji grain fall upon the Earth.
Some learned men * indeed underftood thefe Pro-
phe-
In confirmation hereof I (hall tranfcribe a Paffage from Dr
Bundy^s Preface to his Tranflation of L^my's Apparatus BibUciis.
' The Rev. Mr Long, lately return'd from Forf St George in the
« E^^ hdies, aflures me, and gives me leave to dt-chre it to the
* world from him, that the Gentous (a People in the Eaft, who,
* from their Cuftoms and other Circumftances, are by the moll ju-
* dicious believed to be the defcendants of thofe of the "Jcwifh ten
* Tribes who never returned ftom the Babylonifh Captivity) have
* a Temple at ChilUmbrum near Porto Novo on ihe Coaft ofCoro-
* mandel, which they call Zullmans Temple, which they refort
* to with the fame Devotion as the Jetos formerly did to that at
* Jerufalem: and that it is divided into Courts, in the fame man-
* rer asPere Lamfi is, and is built much after the fame Plan which
I is there given.
See Dr. Light/oofs WorL's. Vol. i. p. 375, 737.
the Recovery of falle?i Man. 251
phecies concerning Judah and Ifrael^ of the fpiritu-
al Ifrael, the Church of Chrijl in general, and feem
to doubt of a national Converfion and Return of the
native Ifraelites. But as thofe who are the imme-
diate fubjefts of thefc Prophecies feem to have a
right to fome fuperior privileges, why may they not
be very confiftently underllood of the univerfal
Chriftian Church in the fpiritual fenfe, and of the
Jezvs in the late literal » wherein I fee nothing abfurd
or incredible, as it is above cxplain'd ?
On the contrary, the belief of it feems to be not
a little facilitated by their continuing, I mean the two
Tribes, for fo many ages a dillinft tho' a difperfed
people, and by the continuance of their country in
its prefent defolate and uninhabited Hate, whereby
it feems to be rcferved, after the performance ot its
Sabbaths, for the return of its antient inheritors to
inhabit and cultivate it ; when it will be reflored to
its former fertility, as might be fhewn from numer-
ous Prophecies concerning it, if it would not carry
me too far out of my way. *
To the foregoing Prophecies it may not be amifs
to add that of Tobit^ Chap. xiv. which tho' it be
Apocryphal, may ferve as a good comment upon
them ; efpecially according to the Hebrew copy pub-
lifhed by Fagius, which Mr Mede prefers as the
moft genuine — ^which indeed is preferable in itfelf,
as upon other accounts, lb efpecially for its clearnefs,
coniifttncy, and diftind: mention of both Captivities
and Returns -, ^ and which therefore I fhall here folr
low, — and prefent the Englijh Reader with a tran-
flation of it, having never, that 1 know of, appear*
ed in our language before.
But the reft of our Brethren of Ifrael, who are in
Jerufalem, pjall all go into captivity, and Jerufalem
Jhall become as heaps, and the mountain of the houfe
■\ Sec p. 337. I Chron. 17. 9.
'2^2 Scripture Proofs of
as the high places of the for efi*', and fhall continue de-
folate for a fhort time.
'Then fhall the children of Ifrael afcend and rebuild
it and likewife the Temple ; but not according to the
fanner buildings and they fhall abide there many days
until a certain period of time be fulfilled.
Then they fhall again go into a captivity the great-
eft and mofi grievous of any : But He the holy and ble fi-
fed One fib all remember them., and gather them toge-
ther fir om the fiour corners ofi the earth.
Then fihall Jerufalem, the holy City., be rebuilt in
a beautifiul and glorious Manner., and the Temple like-
wifie fijall be built with a glorious Building -, a build-
ing which fihall never be defiroyed, nor pulled downj
while the world endures., as the Prophets have fpo-
ken.
Which laft words fliew whence Tobit derived his
knowledge of thefe events, viz. from fuch of the
Prophecies (above taken notice of) as were extant in
his times ; and what his fenfe of thofe Prophecies
was.
When the Jews fhall be thus converted and em-
brace the Gofpel, then fhall Salvation be again de-
rived from them to the Gentiles, and they fhall be
the means of converting fuch of them as remain to
be converted. For., faith the Apoftle, ifi the fiall
€ifi them be the riches ofi the world., and the diminifijing
of them the riches of the Gentiles., how much more
their fiulnefis !
And ifi the cafiling away ofi them be the reconciling
ofi the world., what fihall the receiving ofi them be,
hut lifie firomthe dead., to the fame world ? Rom. xi.
12, i5.t And thus it appears, that, bytheaccef-
fion
* Compare h£re\vith MV^^ iii. 12. y^r. xxvi. i8.
•^ JFy/V/^ys Treatife of the xwx?. Millennium, p. 725. See alfo
Dj- Scott''?, Account of tlie Enlargement oi Cbrifi'^ Kingdom.
Cbrijiian Lfe. Vo}. iii. p. 486.
the "Recovery of fallen Man. 253
fion of both JeiD and Gentile^ the whole world fiiall
become Chriftian, and that all the kingdoms of the
e<irlh JJjall become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Chrift.
I'he qiieftion is, whether the Chriftians of that
age will be better than thofe of all the foregoing ?
For, notwithftanding the univerfality of it, if Chri-
flianity be not practifed, as well as profefled, it will
avail us but little towards re6tifying the diforders of
our nature.
For the fatisfying of our doubts in this refpcft, it
need only be confidered, that thefe Prophecies,
which are conceived in fuch ftrong terms, can never
be fully accomplifhed by the converlion even of the
whole race of mankind to the bare outward profef-
fion of Chriftianity -, fince this, after all, would be
but a partial converfion, which is of little value in
the fight of God, who difowns and reje<5ts the mere'
nominal Chriftians.
But Scripture itfelf prevents our reafoning on this
head. For, with regard to the ftate of religion in
general, God, among other blefTings which he hath
promifed to his Church, tells her, that her people
Jhall he all righteous. Ifa. Ix. 21. And Ch. Hi. i,
he addreffeth himfelf unto her in this manner, Aivake.^
awake.^ put on thy Jlrength., 0 Zion, put on thy
beautiful garments^ O Jerufalem, the holy city ; for
henceforth there jloall no more come unto thee the un-
circumcifed and the unclean. * Parallel to which
Place is Rev. xxi. 27. (which I fliall hereafter fhew
to relate to the future fbate of the Church in this life,)
And there fl J all in no wife enter into it (the holy City,
the hew Jerufalem) any thing that defileth., neither that
zvorketh abomination., or innketh a lye., but they which
are written in the haniVs hook of life. To this pur-
pofe
• See alfo Ch. liv. 14. Ixi. 10, w. iv. 3. Hof. ii. I 9, 20- Munh
vii. 19. Zcph. iii, 13. i*/, Ixxxv. 11.
254 Scripture Proofs of
|)ofe is that of Ifa. xlii. 4. //^ (the Mt^idh) Jhall not
fail, nor be difc our aged, till He have fet judgment in
the earth. And that of JerA. 20. In the fe days, and
in that time, faith the Lord, the Iniquity ofliradjhallbe
fought for, and there Jhall be none-, and the Sins of
Jiidah, and they Jhall net be found, for I will pardon
— or (according to the Vulgate) / will be propitious
to-- 'them whom I referve. And hkewife that of
Zech. xiv. 20, 21. In that Day there fhall be upon the
lells of the horfes. Holiness unto the Lord, "t"
and every pot in Jerufalem and Judah (hall be Ho-
liness UNTO the Lord — and in that day there fid all
he no more the Canaanite in the houfe of the Lord of
hofts : Intimating, that the time will come, when
God lliall aiiert his dominion over the world in fo
abfolute a manner, that men fliall entirely devote
themfelves and theirs to his worfhip and fervice ; and
that the Church of Chrift will be brought to that de-
fireable ftate of Purity, that all Chriftians will ferve
God in fincerity of heart, neither fhall it have any
corrupt or hypocritical members to profane it ; as
Calvin upon the place obferves-
' Thus the Kingdom of Chrijl in this world being
• arrived to its full extent and growth, truth and
' peace, charity and juftice, fliall reign and flourifli
« over all the earth : Now all the World fliall be
' Chrifliendom, and Chrifl:endom fliall be reftored
*• to its antient Purity j for now he who is to come
' with
\ This being the Motto which was only on the Higli Prieft's
forehead, the placing it on the bells of the horfes, things which
feem moft remote from a fpiritual ufe, fliews the great meafure
and degree, and even commonnefs of Holinefs that is to be under
the Golpeliiate, the great height and progrefs of which is further
defcribeJ in the latter part of the Verfe under that Phrafe, that the
Pots in the Lord's houfe Jhould be as bowls before the altar, i. e.
fliould be advanced from a lower and more ignoble fervice, to a
higher and more fpiritual degree of Holinefs.
StilliNgfleet\Ortgines facrte, B„ z. C. 6.S. 8.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 25^
* with his fan in his hand, will thoroughly purge
* the floor of his Church from all chaff of fuperfti-
* tion and idolatry, fchifm and herefy, irreligioa
* and immorahty, with which it is almoft totally
* covered ; and the true faith, the fincere piety, the
' generous and unaffected virtue, which Chriftianity
' teaches and prefcribes, fhall be the univerfal livery
' and cognizance of the Chrillian world. *
But that Perfection of Holinefs which the whole
body of Chriftians is to arrive at, is no where fpoken
of in fuch ftrong and plain terms, as by St Paul^ Eph.
iv. 12, 13, 15, 16. where he tells us, that the end
for which fhe feveral officers of the Church were or-,
dained, is — For the Perfecting of the Saints^ for
the isjork of the minijlry^ for the Edifying of the body
of Chriji : Till we all come in the Unity cfthefailh^,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto ^ per*
FECT Man, unto the meafure of the Jiature of the Ful-
ness of Chriji — That we may grow up unto him Ik
ALL things, which is the head, even Chriji. From
whom the whole body Jitly joined together, and cont-*
parted by that which every joint fuppiieth, according
to the effectual working in the meafure of every part,
maketh increafe of the body mi to the 'Edifying of it-
fef in Lve
The force of thefe words is generally much ener-
vated by the Commentators, for want of attending
to the juft import and meaning of them, which if
ihey had done, they would not fo flightly have pafs'd
over fuch an ineftimable treafure of divine know-
ledge as is convey'd to us in them. The Pafiage in
its full fenfe feems to afford ground for the following
Conclufions.
I . That the defign of the Chriftian miniftry being
the perfecting of the faints, and edifying of the body of
Chriji, this miniftry is not to ceafe till this end be
fully
* Scott's Chriftian Life, ib. p. 489.'
2^6 Scripture Proofs of
fully attained, viz. till we all come unto a perfe^ -man^
unto the full meafure of the fiature of Chrift.
2. From hence it appears to What heights ofper-
fedtion human nature fhall be raifed under the
Chriftian difpenlation. For as Chrift is the great
ftandard of its perfedlion, agreeably to the Maxim,
Perfe£fiffimum in fuo genere ejl menfura reliquorum :
Or, as it is otherwife exprefied to much the fame ef-
fe6l, Specimen nature capi debet ex optima quaque
natura * : fo it is evident trom hence, that the hu-
man nature in general, which is here confidered in the
aggregate, as one man, fliall come up to this ftandard,
as near as mere man is capable of approaching.
For diftinftion ought to be made between the
perfedlion of a nature merely human, and of fuch as
is both divine and human -, tho' the words under
confideration feem not to imply the leaft' diftinftion
or referve, but rather the contrary — 'T'ill we all come
unto a perfeoi man^ unto the meafure of the fiature of
thefulnefs of Chrifi : Which expreffion, as it feems
to be too ftrong, might be rendered in a more qua-
lified fenfe, in proportion to the fiature of the fulnefs
of Chrifi — Or elfe, leaving the Hebrew idiom, in
proportion to the full fiature of Chrifi. For why
may not the Word /uiTpcv be render'd by propor-
tion here, as well as it is thought to require that inter-
pretation by Dr Hammond^ and after him by Whitby .^ a
little lower down, viz. in the 1 6th verfe of this chapter ?
3. From hence it appears by what means, and in
what manner the faints are to be thus perfe6ted, and
the body of Chrift to be thus completely edified, or
built up ; viz. by means of the continued labours of
a ftanding miniftry, i'. 1 5, 1 6. whereby the whole
body of Chriftians being brought to an agreement in
the faith and knowledge of Chrift, and being thus
united unto him its head, and compared and cement-
^ ed
* Cic. Tufc.^lueeJi.Uh. i.
the Recovery of fallen Man, 257
ed in itfelf, each member in its place and office, and in
proportion to its power and ability, contributing to this
end — This Body, I fay, being thus happily difpo-
fed, groweth up unto Chrijl in all things, and maketh
increafe of itfelf, to the edifying of itfclf in love.
Whence it appears,
4. That Chriftianityj and, in virtue of it, the hu-
man nature is in a growing, progreffive ftatc, and is
to advance to its perfe6tion by a gradual increafe * ;
and that the fpiritual body of Chrift, like his own,
or any other natural body, is to arrive at its matu-
rity no otherwife, than by a leifurely growth in
wildom and all other Chriftian Graces -f. Hence the
Kingdom of Goo is compared to 2i grain of mufiard-
feed becoming a great tree ; and to a little leaven
leavening the whole mafs. And in this ferife I un-
derftand 2 Cor. iii. 18. fVe all are changed into the
image of Chnji, from glory to glory., i. e. from one
degree of glory to another.
5. Here is a promii'e of what the Church at prc-
fent hath great caufe to mourn the v/ant of, bile which
will be an eminent and effential chara6ler belonging
to that perfect ftate of it, which is here fuppofed,^
viz. Chriftian Unity. Till we all come in the unity
of the faith (or rather) unto an unity of faith. Sac.
I'hat this happy end will at length be attained, is
intimated in feveral other Places of holy writ. Thus
Jer. xxxii. 39. I will give them one hearty, and on:
way (i. e. ot worfnip) that they may fear mc for ever.
And Zeph. iii. 9. Then will I turn to the people a
S pure
* Provchitur Religio grada'Jm una aim gerere hurmnoad fuam
puritatcm & pcifcdlioncni. Burnet de Jlafu mort. p. 258.
Progrcluim ProviJeniiie in munJo enlim aa pcrteino.icm pro-
moven.jo, & in illuminanua gente humana, Icmper ante oculos,
lemper inconiiliis habere oporter. ib. p. 309.
f Compa"-e Cc/. ii. ig.
\ Compare Lxtk. xi. 19. wish Calvin upon Ic
25S Scripture Proofs of
pure language, that they may all call upon the name cj
the Lord, toferve him with one confent. A pure lan-
guage ? What can that mean ? Shall all mankind be
brought to fpeak one and the fame language, agree-
ably to the tradition above-mentioned, p. 181.?
That indeed has been talked of as what would be
vaftly convenient, and fomething towards it hath
been projefted.-f And fome of the JewiJJj inter-
preters imagine, that the confufion of tongues, fup-
pofed to have been introduced at Bahcl, fliall be re-
moved, and that the Hebrew fhall again become the
univerfal language •, but with regard to this, I be-
lieve nothing cither one way, or other. The word
(nsii;) in the text tranflated language, is in the mar-
gin rendered, lip, that being the ilrift fignification
of the word •, which learned men begin to think,
ought in fome other places, § to be interpreted by,
cotifejfion of faith, or religion ; and the context in this
place feems to determine it to the fame fenfe — / will
turn unto the people, or, turn the people unto the
pure rel'gion (That they may all call upon the
name of the Lord] or rather, as I have obferved, p.
68. concerning this Phrafe, mn^ UDI K^ipb that they
may in-vcke in the name of the Lord, Jehovah -, which
particularly fpecifies the pure religion before-men-
tioned ; there not being a jufter defcription of Chri-
ilianity than that it is the worlliiping of God thro*
the mediator, the Jehovah of the O. T. (to ferve
him with one confent) or, as it is in the Margin, with
one flooiilder, which denotes not only their unanimi-
ty, but zeal — They fhall ferve him with the united
application of all their might. Thus the Apoftle
tells us, God hath piirpo fed in himfelf in the difpenfa-
tion
•j- Bp. WilhrJi, ElTay towards a philofopliical Language.
§ SdTi? New Account of the Confufion of Tongues : And Mifcel-
lancous Rcfledions on Mr Squirin Eilays, p. 9.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 259
tion of the fulnefs of time to gather together in one^
dvazipct.\xi-j()(jct(j'^cthforecapitulateallthings in' hrifi^
both which are in Heaven^ and which are on Earth.
Eph. i. 10. Then, according to the Apoftle's defire,
we fliall be all perfe£fly joyned together in the fame
mind^ and in the fame judgment.^ i Cor. i. 10. in an
unity of fentiment, as well as afFe6lion. Then one
King fhall he King unto us all. Ezek. xxxvii. 22. And
there fhall be one Fold and one Shepherd. Jo. x. 16.
Notwithftanding therefore Chriftians differ fo much
at prefent from each other in their rehgious fenti-
ments, and are fo greatly divided among them-
felves, we may hence alTuredly conclude that it will
not be always fo. A fubtile adveriary hath indeed
concluded, ' that a variety of opinions is the natu-
' ral confequence of the exercife of private juclg-
' ment ; and that while men think and reafon for
' themfclves, they will be more likely to differ flill
'wider, than to clofe and unite.*' Nowtho', as has
been feen, we have a furer word of Prophecy for our
guide, yet the contrary to what this author has ad-
vanced may be evinced upon mere principles ot
reafon. For Chriftianity hath nothing to fear from
a free and candid enquiry, and hath no occafion to
fhun the light, as this, of all other things dcth it
the greatefl fcrvice, in difcovering daily new beauties
in it, and difplaying the juil proportion and fym-
metry of all its parts. And when it hath been
thoroughly examined and underftood, it will appear
in one uniform ccnfiitent view to all. For tPJth
being uniform in itfelf, the v/ay to difcovcr this uni-
formity is by a thorough difcullion of it •, and when
it is univerfally difcovcred, it will be univerfally re-
ceived and affented to -, and nicn will conu- to think
alike concerning it, by that very means which this
S 2 author
* Chrift.iar.hy not foanced on Aigurr.cnr. p. 6. (s' alb'i.
266 Scripture Proofs of
atithor imagines will be attended with the quite con-
trary effect.
To proceed now to the confideration of other par-
ticulars—One thing which renders the future exiftence
of fuch a ftate as 1 am pleading for highly credible,
is, that there are fome Precepts in the Gofpel, which,
in their juft and llridcft fenfe, are by no means fuita-
ble to the prefent ftate of the world, but feem calcu-
lated for one much higher and more advanced. Of
this kind I conceive thofe precepts to be, which abfo-
lutely forbid, going to law^ repelling injuries^ Jwear-
ing^ refifiance of the higher powers^ and fome others
that might be mentioned ; a ftri6l obfervance of
which, as it is hardly reconcilable with civil pru-
dence in our prefent diforderly corrupt ftate, fo a
more qualified fenfe, and fuch as is more confiftent
with it, is put upon them by the more humanly
wife part of Chriftians ; which yet the necelTity, arifmg
from the danger and inconveniencies apprehended
from a rigid adherence to them, is the only ground
of But it is eafy to conceive a ftate of fuch Per-
V:' fection, in which even worldly Wifdom would diftate
to take wrong and fnffcr ourfehes to he defrauded, ac-
cording to the Apoitle's advice, i Cor. vi. 7. rather
than have recourfe to law or force, to right or defend
ourfelves : Which methods are much lefs neceffary
than they are apprehended to be, as the world ftands
at prefent. But if a bearing and forgiving temper be
attended with advantages fufficient to recommend it,
as bad as the world now is, how unexceptionably ad-
vantageous would it be in a world wherein no danger
would enfue from it ! Then would our Saviour's
Beatitude appear to be founded in nature, and its truth
verified, viz. that hleffed are the meek., for they flmll
inherit the earth.
The ufe of Oaths is confeffed by the wifeft men of
the Recovery of fallen Man. 261
all ages and denominations, to have arifen from per^
fidy and corruption, and to be continued only as a
medicine in cafe of necefTity, and in condefcenfion to,
and fupply of defeft. Therefore in a itate of per-
fedlion, Oaths muftceafe of themfelves, and fall into
difufe, when men's integrity will be fuch, that their
bare affirmations will be of more weight than their
moil folemn appeals to Heaven are at prefent. And
fuch will be the mutual confidence and harmony be-
tween fovereigns and their fubje6ts, that all occafions
for difputes about paflive obedience, and the law-
f ulnefs of refiftance will be taken away.
The future prevalence of univerfil Holincfs may
be farther inferr'd from the peculiar prefence of
God, and that plentiful effuHon of the Holy Ghofl,
which is promifed to the Church. For concerning the
former we are told that He will fet his fan£luary in
the midji of his people for evermore \ his tabernacle floall
be clfo with them^andhe will dwell -vjith them ^ and he
will be their Gon, and they Jhall be his People. Ezek.
xxxvii, 27. Rev. xxi. 3. And with regard to the latter
— I will pour water upon him that is thirfiy., and floods
upon the dry ground. I will pour ray Spirit upon thy
feed^ and my hleffing upon thine offfpring^ Ifa. xliv. 3.
So Ezek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my Spirit within you,
and caufe you to walk in my fiatutes. And it floall
come to pafs in thnfe days., that I will pour cut my
Spirit upon all flejh^ and your fons and your daughters
fhall prophefy, your old men Jhall dream dreams, and
your young men floall fee njifions ', and alfo upon your
fervants and handmaids ., in thofe days, zvill I pour out
my Spirit. Joel ii. 28. Thefe Prophecies, 'tis true,
have had one remarkable completion by the de-
fcent pf the Holy Ghoft on the day of Pentccofte ;
but that they had not then their full and final accom-
pliihment is evident from Ac'ls ii. 39. where St Peter
S 3 tcKs
262 Scripture Proofs of
tells the firft converts, that the promife of the gifts of
the Holy Ghofi^ was not only unto them^ and to their
children^ hut to all that were afar off^ even as many as
the Lord our God fjall call. And therefore thefe Pro-
phecies, as they imply fomething more than the ordi-
nary afiiftances of the Spirit, are underftood to point
more efpecially to the future ages of the Gofpel,
when the Jews., to whom they are particularly ad-
drefs'd, fhall be converted to the Chriftian Faith. And
fome there are that do not feem capable of any other
meaning. Thus, I will pour upon the houfe 0/ David,
and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the Spirit of
Grace and Supplications., and they fhall look upon me
whom they have pierced, &c. Zech. xii. 10. And
Ila. xxxii. 15. contains a Promife to the Jews., that the
Spirit fJoall be poured upon them from on high., and like-
wife affigns the time of its completion, viz. when
their land fliall be reflored to its fertility •, that is, not
before their return to cultivate it. The circum-
flances of both thefe Prophecies limit them to the
people of the Jews — Thefe people are hitherto far
enough from enjoying the blefling promifed in them,
as they feem to be rather under a kind of dereliftion
of the Spirit, than to be influenced by him — There-
fore this influence is yet to come, and feems referved
for their converfion.
Having fhewn above, p. 234. the pofTibility of at-
taining to Perfeftion in Hoiinefs by the affiftance of
God's holy Spirit, and that it is in our power to have
that affiftance in what meafure we pleafe, by con-
forming to the laws of the divine conduct in difpenf-
ing of it. To I have here fhewn that mankind actually
fhall have his affiftance in a very plentiful manner,
if the divine promife is to be credited : Which con-
firms this hypothefis in general, as well as the particu-
lar reafoning on this fubje6l, p. 45. For as the di-
vine affiftance is not to be expeded otherwife than
ill
the Recovery of fallen Man. 263
in God's flated methods of voiichfafing it, and as we
cannot imagine he will voiichfafe it at all in iiich
eminent degrees, but to proper and worthy objedts
of it ; fo it is mod rational to fuppofe, as we have
hence good grounds for the fuppofition, that man-
kind will gradually increafe their liberty to good, and
proportionably improve their talent of Grace, till it
comes to that remarkable pitch here prophefied of.
When God Ihall communicate his holy Spirit in
this plentiful manner, we may well fuppofe that
men's Underftanding will be greatly illuminated, as
well as that their Wills and Affections will be purified
by the powerful influence of his Grace. Accordingly
, we learn that in thole days they Jhall teach no more
every man his neighbour^ and every man his broth er^\
faying^ Know the Lord: For they jJ jail know me from
the leajl of them unto the greateft of them^ faith the
Lord. Jer. xxxi. 34. Many fl jail run to and fro., and
knowledge fljall be increafed. Dan. xii. 4. -f All thy
children flj all be taught of the Lord., faith Ifaiah, Ch.
liv. 13. Jo. vi. 45. And the Earth fo all be full of the
knowledge of the Lord., as the waters cover the Sea §.
Ifa. xi, 9. Hab. ii. 14. The waters ib cover the fca,
that nothing but water can be feen -, therefore fo the
S 4 know-
* It is far frcm the Prophet's meaning here to exclude all ufe of
teaching under the Goipel (which is contiary to the end of all the
ordinances of the Gofpcl) but bccaufc Teaching doth commonly
luppole great ignoiancc, he fets forth the abundance of knowledge
which Hull be then, by the exclufion of Teaching, which implies
Ignorance. S////;.'.'o-/Ar/'s Or/fw^i 2/icr^e, B. z. C/!p. 6. 5^:?. S. ^
There will be much /ffs need of fuch teaching in the days of the
Mfjjiah, when there will be a more admirable, a divine lenching
by the plentiful Eiuifion of the Spirit. Bp IVcJl/ih Sermons.
Vil. z.Difc.xv.
\ See Claggtt's Sermon entitled, The State >:/ the Church in Jges
to cm?. Pf. XIX. 2. 0/:e da'^telitb miotber.
§ The Author of Ecdn gives us a beautiful Dcfcription of the
Progrefs and Inci cafe of Knowledge, Ch. 24. 31. Lo ms Brook
hccame a River^ mid ;/;y River bccaw.e a Sea, See Chandlir\
Def Cluilliani;y, p. 3o3- sxidi Jc-jq.
264 Scripture Proofs of
knowledge of the Lord Ihall be propagated and dif-
fufed all over the Earth. And it fliould feem from
the increafe of Knowledge of all kinds, both divine •
and human, which hath been made in thefe latter
ages, that thefe Prophecies are beginning to w^ork
towards a completion.
Now laying together what hath been faid— There be-
ing fo many remarkable palTages of Scripture which
(\it^k in fuch high terms of the amplitude of Chrift's
kingdom •, the righteoufnefs and holinefs, perfe6lion
and unity of its fubjeds -, and of the divine prefence
and affifhance to encourage and influence them to all
things good and praife- worthy, to purify their affetfli-
ons, and enlighten their underftandings-r- it cannot be
affirmed that there hath been fuch a ftate of things,
as is her^ defcribed, in any paft age of the Church;
that Chrifi's kingdom hath been To univerfally ex-
tended ; or that there hath been fuch a lively and vi-
gorous fbate of Religion in refpecl either of perma-
nency or degree ; which yet it ought to be, to make
it anfwerable to the import of the Prophecies •, the
concluiion therefore is unavoidable, viz. that this
bielTed ftate is to come.
And how highly muft we conceive of human na-
ture when it is arrived at this pitch ! When all -\ the
world ihall become Chriftians, and good Chriftians
too •, fupported and infpired by Heaven ; knit and
bound together in one common band of love -, anima-
ting and outvying each other, and even themfelves
in all good works ; aiming at ftill higher degrees of
perfetflion •, and daily proceeding from firength to
Jlre'rtgth^ being changed from glory to glory., and the
luilre of their lives refembling thefhining light which
fidineth more and more unto the -perfeSl day. Prov. iv.
18. Surely
* Want of UniveiTality a*- prcfent obje£>ed to Chrifiianity, by
our modern. Unbelievers, \\i]l then be entirely removed, and iher^-
fo c ought not to be too much triumphed in at prefenc.
the Recovery of fallen Man. 265
1 8. Surely this muft be the paradifiacal flate ! And
there will then be a Heaven upon Earth !
But here it may be obje6ted, " that whatever
countenance from Scripture is pretended in favour of
this do6trine, which fuppofes that mankind fliall in
this hfe attain to finlefs Perfection, it muft be falfe,
or contradictory to other pafifages ot Scripture, which
Item to be exprefs againil it. Thus it is faid, "There
is none that doth goo d^ no not one. Pf. xiv. 3. That
there is not a jujl man upon earth that doth good.,
andfinneth not. Eccl. vii. 20. That all havefmnedy
and come Jhort of the glory of God. Rom. iii. 23.
And that the Scripture hath concluded all under Jin.,
that every mouth may he flopped., and all the world
may become guilty before God. Gal. iii. 22. Rom. iii.
19. with many more texts to the fame purpofe."
It may be father objected, " that this is a Pelagian,
or enthufiaftic dodrine -that it dedroys the covenant
of grace, fetting up that of works in its Head -, efta-
bhlhing a righteoufnefs of our own, exclufive of that
by faith in Chrift ; and rendering his atonement and
fufferings for fin unneceffary ; as it likewife feems to
do the ufe of that Prayer which he hatli taught us,
one Petition of which is. Forgive us our trefpafj'es, as
■wejorgive them that trefpafs againjl us."
To thefe feveral Objections which I have thrown
together into one, lanfwer/r/?, that thofe Scriptures
which maintain man's unavoidable fmiulnefs are to
be underllood either of the natural man, deftitute of
the aids of divine grace •, whofe inherent corriiption
and infufficiency for good is not denied, but all along
necefiarily fuppofcd by this do<5lrine : Or elfe, fecondlyy
they are to be underftood of the llate of the Chifrch X
when thofe Scriptures were v/ritten, or to which they
refer. Thus it is evident that the xiv Pfalm was
defjgned only by the author as a character of the
266 Scripture Proofs of
Jews in the age he wrote it : And that it was appUed
by St Paid to both the Jews and Gentiles of his time ;
but it doth not appear that the Ploly Ghoft defign'd
to extend it any farther. But admitting, thirdly^ that
forne texts of Scripture, which mention man's finful-
nefs, are to be underftood in their utmoft latitude,
of human nature in general, including every individual
of every age -, yet as I have fhewn in the beginning
of this Treatife, p. lo. that Man in his ftate of in-
nocence might have been liable to fome lefler infir-
mities, which in ftri6lnefs of account muft Dartake of
the nature of fin ; fo neither, when he regains this
ftate, is there any neceffity for fuppofing him entirely
exempt from fin.
And therefore, ' as now, (to ufe the words of St
Aujlin) ' by reafon of certain ignorances and infir-
' mities of her members, the whole Church hath
' caufe to fay daily. Forgive us our trefpajfes*,^ fo I
will not maintain that the fame reafon for the ufe of
this Petition may not in fome meafure fubfift as long
as there is a Church upon earth : Tho' even at pre-
fent not only vain pretenders to Perfection think
themfelves too holy to ufe it, but this Prayer is in a
great meafure laid afide by fome of the more fober
difciples of Chrift. And tho' men fhould have no
aftual fins which they needed pardon of, yet the ufe
ofthisPetition might not mifbecome peccable beings,
in token of their dependance upon God, without
whofe fupport they would not be able to ftand-f".
Not-
* Retract. Lib. z. Cap. 18.
f Thus thinks Laffantius—\Jt fit Deo carus CfciLjullus homo)
omnique macula careat, mi^ericordiam Dei Temper Jmploret ; ni-
hilque ai'iid precetur, nili peccatis fuis veniam; l:cct nulla jiut
Inftit. lb. e. Jul fine.
Nos vero, etiamfi milium fit Fccrntum, confireri tamen debe-
mus, & prodebitis noftrisi identidem depiecari,gratias agere etiam
in mali?. Hoc Temper obfequium Domir.o dejcramus. Humilnas
enJm tarn cara & air.abilis Deo ef:, qui cum magis fufcipiat pecca-
10 rem
the Recovery of fallen Man. 267
Notwithftanding the concefTion here made, the
characters of Righteoufnefs and true HoHnefs, above-
mentioned, may (till belong to the Church in an
equitable and favourable fcnfe. Nor need it be teared,
that man will then afiiime any felf-fufficiency, either
upon the fchemes of the Catharijls or Pelagians of
old, or of our modern Deijis on the one hand, or
enthufiaftic Perfe£licnifts on the other. For mankind
will then underftapd themfelves and their religion
better than to repofe any confidence in their own
good works, as in themfelves meritorious of jufti-
fication •, becaufe however good and perfeft they
Ihall be, they mud know, that their goodnefs can-
not proceed from themfelves, but from the Grace
and Spirit of God, who worketh in us both to will
and to do of his good plealure •, and therefore ail
boafting is utterly excluded ■\. Befides, as our works
can never be lb perfeft before God, as to ftand the
feverity of hisjuilice, Iliould he be extreme to mark
what is done amifs., fo we fliail ever ftand in need of
the merits and atonement of our Redeemer : And
the nearer we approach to perfection, the lefs we fliall
lean to our own Righteoufnefs, and the more we fliall
repofe our faith and truft in him, who alone is able to
keep us from falling., andto frefcnt «i Faultless be-
fore tbeprefence of his G/ory. Jude 24.
In a word, the Covenants of Grace and Works
will then coincide, but no way interfere with each
other. For it is very obfervable that the Law of
Works is fo far from being abolifhed by any formal
abrogation in the New Teltamcnt, that, on the con-
trary, there are fome plain intimations in it of its be-
ing ftill in force. Matt. v. i j. Rom. viii. 4. And
when this happy union of both Covenants fhall be ef-
fefted,
torem confitentem, quamjuftum fuperbnm, qunnto magis jutlum
luicipiet confitentem, cumque in Rcj^nis ca;!eilibiis f^ciec pra
humilirate lublimem ! IJ. Epitome, c. 8.
■f See Eph. ii. 8. wr.h lyiih-j in l.cuv.
2 68 Scripture Proofs of
fefted, then will thofe proplietical words of the Pfal-
mift be fully verified, mercy and truth will meet to-
gether^ right eoufnefs and peace will kifs each other. Pf.
Ixxxv. lO
When the Church fliall thus be arrived at its high-
eft flate of earthly purity — As foon as it may truly
be faid to be without spot or wrinkle, or any
SUCH THING, then Chrift will prefent it to himfelf
a glorious Church. Eph. v. ly. And when our
nature fhall have attained its utnioil accomplifh-
ment, its moil confummate pitch of Perfection in
this world ; then thefe things fhall be all done away,
and it fhall be tranflated to a ftill more perfect ftate
in the celeftial regions.
- It may be here replied, that, contrary to, this fup-
pontion, there will be wicked men in the world as
long as the world lafis^ which Scripture may be
thought to warrant. Thus fome may think as much
to be implied in thofe words of our Saviour — A^^-
*verthekfs when the fon of man co?neth, (hall he find
faith on earth? Luke xviii. 8. The fame likewife
may be inferr'd from the Parable of the tares., which
he would not fuffer to be pluck'd up from among
the zvheat^ but order'd that both fibould be permit-
ted to grow together until the harveft^ Matt. xiii. 30.
whence it hath been thought, that there will be a
continuance of both tares and wheat, good men and
bad, till the end of the world.
Now with regard to the former text — The coming
of Chrift therein mention'd is underftood by many
to be meant, not of his laft coming., but of his com-
ing to avenge his chofen fervants, the Chriftians, on
the perfecuting Jews in the deftrudion of their City
and Nation. And accordingly Dr Hammond tran-
flates the words, floall he find faith^ not, on the
earth., but ^ Ti^$ y^c^ in the laruU i. e. of Judea.
l^ht ' For
the Recovery of fallen Man. 269
J^or it is remarkable, that when lUtus came to be-
fiege Jerufalem^ all the Chriltians had I'^ft it, by a
divine Monition, and retired beyond Jordan^ info-
much that there was not one remaining, but the un-
believing Jews only. Well therefore might our Sa-
viour alk, when the fon of man cometh^ fhall he f.nd
faith in the land? This text therefore hath nothing
ro do with the end of the world j Which is alfo evi-
dent from the occafion of it : for the defign of his
coming here mention*d, was to avenge his ele£f^
which agrees with his coming to, the deftrudion of
the Jeivs, but not with his laft coming at the end
of the world. As to the Parable, I obferve,
t. That the defign of it is only to caution the
o;overnors of the Church againft the exercife of too
rigorous a difcipline in ejecting offenders out of it,
left the innocent fhould be involved with, or mifta-
ken for the guilty ; but in all dubious cafes to refer
them to the laft judgment. This, I fliy, being the
only defign of the Parable, there is no nccefllty of
extending it any firther.
2. There will be wicked men and hypocrites
enough at the end of the world, after the general
Refurreclion to be feparated from among the good
Chriftians, without fuppofing a mixture of each to
continue throughout all ages, till that time. Ac-
cordingly, Dr. Clark^ to avoid t\v:X fuppofition,
paraphrafes upon the words in this manner — ' Let
* them alone till harvcft, and then I will order my
* reapers to pick out the tares firft, and burn them.,
' and then gather the wheat into my barn.'
3. I fhall hereafter produce evident proofs from
Scripture, that the Lift generation of men fliall be aU
righteous, and that there v/ill not be a v/icked per-
fon among them.
But ftill it m.ay be objefted, that admitting man
may
270 Scripture Proofs oj
may recover the purity and perfe6lion of his primi-
tive condition, yet he cannot be faid to be fully re-
inflated in it, unlefs he Ukewife be polTefTed of its
happinefs — be exempted from all the other evils of
his lap fed condition, as well as from fin, and ht in-
veiled with the privilege of uninterrupted felicity of
all kinds, and in the end with immortality itfelf.
All this I readily grant, and therefore, if the fe-
veral things here infnied upon can be fully made out,
I hope nothing farther will be expefted.
In order to which, I fliall begin with examining
what the future State of the Church will be, chiefly
with regard to outward Circumftances. And here
we Ihall find that the Scriptures fpeak much of the
flourifhing and peaceable ilate of it ; but generally
in conjunction with its Purity and Holinefs. Thus
the Pfalmifl gives us a very fplendid and pompous
defcription of the fpoufe of Chrift, and among other
lively and magnificent emblems by which he repre-
fents her, he tells us, that the king's daughter is alt
glorious withiii, and that her cloathing likewife is of
ivrought Go'.d. She Jh all be brought unto the king in
raiment of needle-work^ with joy and gladnefs Jhall
floe he brought^ and Jloall enter into the kings palace.
Pf xlv. 14, 15, 16. i/^7/^/^ likewife introduces her
exulting in her beauteous and goodly apparel, and
at the fame time gives us to underftand wherein the
nature of it doth confiil. / will greatly rejoyce in the
Lord, my fcul Jhall be joyful in my God, for he hath
cloathed me with the garments of fahation; he hath
covered me with the robe of right eoufnefs •, as a bride-
groom decketh himfelf with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth her f elf with her jewels : For as the earth
hringeth forth her bud, and as the garden caufeth the
things that are f own in it to fpring forth, fo the
Lord God will caufe nghieoufncfs andpraife to fpring
forth before all the nations, Ifa. Ixi. 10. In words
m uch
the Recovery of fallen Ma7i. 271
much to the fame purpofe doth St Jchn defcribe the
marriage ot the lamb. Lei us be glad and rejoyce^
and give honour to him, for the marriage of the lamh
is come, and his wife hath made herfclf ready. And
to her was granted that foefhould be arayed in fine lin-
en. Clean and white; for the fine linen is the right e-
oufnefs of faints. Rev. xix. 7, 8. And that meta-
phorical defcription of the fpoufe of Chrift, which
Solomon gives us in his Canticles, is of the fame na-
ture \ in which he not only ufes m.any ftrong fi-
gures to fet off her charms, but addreffes her in plain
language, Thou art all f^ ir, my love^ there is no
Spot in thee, Ch. iv. 7. And none other than this
is that glorious Church mentioned by St Paul. Eph.
V. 27. WITHOUT Spot, or wrinkle, or any fuch
thing, but fuch as is holy, and without blemifh. Thefe
feveral chara6ters and defcriptions imply fuch a con-
fummate pitch of outward fplendor, and inward pu-
rity, as can, in no juftice or propriety of fpeech, be
applicable to any pail Hate of the Church ; therefore
they muft be meant of fome future ftate, and that
It will be an earthly one, will be fliewn hereafter.
Nor, as 1 faid, doth the Scripture lefs magnify
the perfed: harmony and peaceablenefs of this future
Itate of the Church, the moil happy effed that can
be produced by religion among men, confider'd as
fociable creatures. This follows from the charafter
of unity above-mentioned : But there are many ex-
prefs teftimonies to this purpofe.
Ifaiah dwells much upon this fubjeft. Thur,
Chap. ii. 4. he prophefieth that, it fijall come to pafs
in the lafi days — that they f]j all beat their fwords in-
to plough -flares, and their fpears into prmiing-hocks ;
nation f J all not lift up fword againft nation, neither
fhall they learn war any more. We have the fame
Prophecy in Micah iv. 3. who adds, — But they fJoall
Jit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree,
and
2y2 Scj'ipture Proofs of
end nonejhall make them afraid^ for the mouth of tP.
Lord of Ho ft s hath fpken it. ftlo again, I will make
thy officers peace, and thine exactors right eoufnefs^
violence fJoall no more be heard in thy land^ wafting
fior deftru^ion within thy borders ; but thoufhalt call
thy zvalls Jahation, and thy gates praife. Ifa. Ix. 1 7,
18. And, Ch. Ixvi. 12. 'Thus faith the Lord, Be-
hold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the
' glory of the Gentiles like a flowing ftream.
To the fame purpofe the Pialmift hkewife pro-
phefieth concerning Chrift's kingdom, that the
mountains ftoall bring peace to the people, and that in
his days there flo all be abundance of peace, fo long as
the moon endure th. Pf. Ixxii. 3, 7. And this is no
more than the natural fruit of that State of Righteouf-
nefs, to which, as we have fecn, the Church will
then be advanced ; For the work of righteoufnefsfhall
he peace, and the effect of right eoufnefs, quietnefs and
affurance for ever. Ifa. xxxii. 17. Agreeable hereto,
in the metaphorical fenfe, is that remarkable Pro-
phecy which we have in the xith Chap, of Ifaiah,
tho' I cannot confent to exclude the literal Senfe,
which I fhall confider hereafter. The wolf fhall
^well with the lamb, and the leopard fhall lie down
with the kid ; and the calf, and the young lion, and
the falling together, and a little child fo all lead them.
And the coiv and the bear fhall feed, their young
ones ftoall lie down together, and the lion fall eat
fir aw like the ox. Jnd the fucking child fhall play
on the^ocle of the afp, and the weaned child fhall put
his hand on the cockatrice-den. They fhall ?wt hurt
nor deftroy in all my holy mountain. Ifa. xi. 6, — 9.
Calvin, whofe expofitions of the Prophecits are
efteemedche moft judicious * and valuable of all his
works,
f See Hrf. ii. 18. Zeph. iii. 13, 16. Z.r>. ix. 10. Deut. xxxiii.
28,
* See the Preface to che third Volume QiVoofi S_^mpfs,
the "Recovery of fallen Ma?i. 273
Works, and who often talks as if he expe6led a Re-
novation of the World by means of the Chhfti an
difpenfation, exprefles himfelf, in his interpretation
of this place, to this cffecl—
' The Prophet here promifeth a blefled rcflora-
' tion of the world ; for he defcribes the good order
' and harmony which fubfiiled at the beginning of
' the world, before the difobedience of man occa-
' fioned that unhappy fubverfion of it under which
* we now groan — llierefore at Chrifi\ coming to
' reconcile the world to God by abolifhing the
* curfe, the reftoration of that perfect ftate is not
* improperly attributed to him — Again, tho' Ifaiah
' fays, that there fhall be a mutual agreement be-
' tween wild and tame beafts, yet what he princi-
' pally means is, that Chriji\ fubje6ls will harbour
' no injurious thoughts, nor retain any fiercenefs or
' inhumanity in their tempers. For if it will be in
' the power of Chrift to tame and pacify the brute
* bealls, much more will he be able to promote a
' brotherly union of affections among men, who
' fhall be all governed by the fame fpirit of mes-k-
* nefs*.'
When this happy ftate of things fhall take place,
there will then indeed be Peace upon earthy and good
will towa?'ds men. The weak fhall no more become
a prey to the ftrong, nor Ihall the fimple hill into
the fnare of the crafty. None fliall be lb wicked as
to thirfV after innocent blood •, none fhall opprefs, or
any way injure another on the one hand, neither fh.iU '
T there
* Prophetocjoratio perindc efl: ac ii proniitterct beaiam munJi
reparaiionem. Ordincm cnim defcribit qualis 'ait ab initio, an-
tequam hominis dcf.'dlione acciuerec uiUis et inielix con^'crfi i,
fub qua nunc geminm?--f^ium ergo veneri: Ciiullof, ut aljo'ici
malcdidione mimdum reconciliarec Deo, rion abs re ei tribuui:r
inllauratio pcrfeiti fta'us, Sec.
See likevvife Dr Claigec\ Scnnon f.'i-.i'.IeJ, The St'te of the
Church in Ages to ccme.
2 74 Scripture Proofs of
there be any fear, jealoufy, or diftruft on the other :
all difcord and faction fhall die away, and all par-
ties fhall be united : the moft oppofite intereft and
tempers jQiall be reconciled, and the moil untoward
and iintraftable fpirits fliall become tame and govern-
able. In a word, love and charity Iball univerfally
prevail, and a perfed: harmony fhall reign among
Men. Then the fiercenefs of man Jhall turn to thy
'praife^ O Lord, and the fiercenefs of them then floalt
refrain.
To proceed now to fome other teftimonies of this
renovated ftate, the firft fhall be that of our Saviour,
^. who faith, that EUas truly fJj all come and reflcre all
r^ things. 'M.2iXX. 17. 11. Which words, as they were
fpoken after the Death of John Baptifi, are not ap-
plicable to him, nor has there any perfon appeared
fmce in the fpirit and charader of Elias, much lefs
any one to whom an univerfal reftoration can be at ■
tributed. The conclufion therefore is, that in con-
fequence of this prophecy fuch a perfon is yet to
come, who is to be a reftorer of the world to fome
better ftate from which it degenerated and fell. St
Peter, in his Sermon to the Jews, exhorts them in
this manner — Repent and be converted, to the hloi-
ting out of your Jins, that the times or feafons of ^y.-
FRESHiNG may come from the pre fence of the Lord,
and that he may fend Jefus Chrift, which before was
preached unto you : PThom the Heaven mufl receive
until the times c/ Restitution of all things, which
God hath fpoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, ■
fince the world began. A6ls iii. 19, 20, 21. The
original words are thus render'd by feveral of the
beft commentators, vv'ho make the times of refrefJjing,
and the coming of Chrift to depend upon the repeh-
tance and reformation of the World, and to be haft-
ened forwards by it. And it is obfervable, that
--^, this dodrine is none other than v/hat is elfewhere
K VX^ i^t^A ^ e^f^/t^O^ ^*--'^-'^' ^Ar ^Yi deii-
the Recovery of fallen Man. 275
delivered by the fame Apoftlc — Seeing then that all
theje things Jhall be dijfohed, ivhat mariner of perfons
ought ye to be in all hcly cowcerfation and godlinefs^
looking for^ and hajlning the coming of the day cf
God. 2 Pet. iii. 11, 12. But this Text will be
more particularly confidered hereafter. As the
ti?nes of refrefhing is an expreflion ufed by the He-
brews to fignify any remarkable deliverance, fo v/hy
may it not be here meant of the deliverance of hu-
man nature from the evils of the fall, in which fenfe
it feems beft to agree with the other parallel expref-
fion, the times of rcfiitution cf all things ? For both
exprclTions refer to the fame leafon, or period, and
are explanatory of each other.
Dr IVhitby fays, thefe words cannot be meant of
a reftitution of all things to their former ftate. * But
I fee no reafon from any thing he offers, why they
fhould be underftood any otherwife, this being the
plain obvious fenfe of the words. And they con-
tain fo direct a proof of the point in hand, that I
muft ov/n it is fomething firange, how learned w.cw
could mifunderitand or overlook them. To me
this text feems fo ftrong and weighty, that tho' it
flood alone, without any others to fupport it, I
fhould think it of itfelfa fufficient foundation for the
dodlrine I have advanced, provided on the other
hand there were none to contradift it, as I know
not of any. But as it is here faid that God hath Ipc-
ken of thefe times of rcfiitution of all things by the
mouth of all his holy prophets^ fol have produced feme
of thefe prophecies already, and Oiall hereafter pro-
duce more.
I cannot therefore, think with this learned aiitlior,
that there is any impropriety in faying there vvill in
a reftitution of all things to their former fta'jc,
which God hath fpoken of., <yc. But as he thoug|-.t
T 2 this
* Treatifc cf \hc iri-.e 7.'/;//-7-7;mv. p. 736. '
^7^ Scripture Proofs of
this made againft his hypothcfis, which in truth it
did not, he therefore has recourfe to authorities for
underftanding the word d-noaccTzlcacnr in a diffe-
rent fenfe, viz. as fignifying a perfe£iing or con-
fummating^ &c. which fenfe tho' 1 do not exclude,
yet I fee no reafon for departing from the primary
and natural fignlfication of the word. I agree with
him that Chriil is to continue in Heaven till the com-
pletion, or confummation of all things fpoken by the
holy prophets ; and therefore till the reftitution of
all things to their former ftate be likewife complet-
ed : For I do not underftand this text, as fome do,
as if this Reflitution were to ccmmence, but that it is
to htfiniped and perfected at the fecond coming of
our Saviour \ which will not, by what we learn
from Scripture, be attended with a reftitution of all
things to their former ftate, as its confequcnce •, but
with a total change of them to fomething quite dif-
ferent from what they ever were before.
K'iTOt(jmiigct(y[c, is an aftronomical term made
ufe of to exprefs the annual revolutions, real or ap-
parent, of the heavenly bodies \ which having per-
formed, they are reftored to and replaced in the
fam.e point of the heavens from which they fet out ;
which may ferve to give us a clearer idea of it in
this place.
And it is obfervable, that the great mundane
Revolution * above-mentioned, p. 185. when the
Annus magniis fhall be ccm.pleted, being called by
the Name of K'Tio>(a.'zia.^a.aic, t^r" ^^oyh't ox
AirozctTa^aai; tfxxjfMic^j this notion feems to be al-
luded to by St P^/^r in the text, ftnce he makes ufe
of
* Tliis Revolution, afcribed by the antients to the heavenly
bodicF, but which the moderns have dilcovercd 10 proceed from
a deviaiion of the earth's axis from its paiallclifin, occaiioned
piob<)bIy by the iphojioidica) figure of the canh, will, according
to ali.ioi;omical calcuhuion, take up 25920 years in completing.
the Recovery of fallen Man, 277
of the fame term, AnozctTTxi^xai; iravn^jV •■> but whe-
ther that be the grand period which the Holy Ghoft
here points to, mull rem.ain among the infcrutablc
Arcana of the Almighty. It is not however impro-
bable from the analogy which runs thro' the whole
creation, and which the natural and moral world
bear to each other, that the celeftial and t:rreilTiaI,
the material and fpiritual reftitution do keep pace,
and fliall be made to meet and coincide with each
other.
But this reftoration and renovation of the natural
and moral world, which is here only occafionally
mentioned, is moreover directly prophefied of, by
Ifaiah in the old iejia^nent, and by St John and St
Peier in the new, under the Emblem of nev/ Hea-
vens and a new Earth.
But before I enter upon the confideration of thefe
Prophecies, I fliall bellow a few thoughts upon the
Saints reigning with Chrift a thousand Years.
This is often confounded with the new Heavens
and Earth, and thought to have relation to the
fame (late of the world, being but a different expref-
fion of the fame thing.
But tho' they are near a-kin to each other, yet I
take them to point at two diftiivct periods. My rea-
fon for it is, that they are fuhiciently diftinguiihed
by St John, who is the only inlpired writer that
mentions this thousand Years Ret n. For i.
he places a great and remarkable Revolu ion 1 etween
this millennial (late, and that reprefented by the
new HdAVENS and earth. 2. This latter is not
by him, or either of the other two facred authors
confined to a thoufand years, as the former precife-
ly is. . 3. There arc fomc internal marks of dilie-
rence between them, which I fhall have cccvii-'in to
rnention hereafter.
T3 '
278 The DoBrine of
I fhall therefore take the hberty of confidering
thefe two Prophecies apart, and iliall bellow upon
them a diftincl Chapter.
CHAP. XIII.
Of the MILLENNIAL State, diid that which
is reprefe?2ted by new Heavens and a
NEW Earth; Wherein feme Terrors relate
ing to thefe States are attempted to be rec-
tified^ and the true Notions of them fat-
ed.
I A M firfc to confider "that Prophecy, or pro-
phetical Vifion relating to the Millennial
State, which we have in Revel, xx, i. — 6.
y^nd I fw an Angel come doivn from Heaven — And
he laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent, which is
the Devil and Satan, and hound hi'm a thotifand
Tears, — that he Jhould deceive the Nations no more,
till the thoufand Tears fljoidd be fulfilled ; and after
that he 7nuft be loo fed a little Seafon. And I faw
Thrones, and they fat upon them, and Judgment was
given unto them : And I faw the Sou^.s of them that
'were beheaded for the Witnefs ofjefus, — and they li-
ved, and reigned, with Chrift a thoufand l^ears. But
the Refi of the Dead lived not again till the thoufand
Tears were finified. This is the firfl Refwrreofion.
Blejfcd and Holy is he that hath Part in the firft Re-
furreSiion : on fuch the fecond Death hath no Pozver,
but they Jhall he Priefts of God and of Chrijl, and
fj-iall reign with him a thoufand Tears.
The learned reader needs not be informed, that
by too dofe and literal an interpretation of thefe
words, an opinion obtained very early in the Chiirch,
and J
the Millennium explained. 279
and, as Juftin Martyr teilifies, * prevailed fo univer-
fally, that it was entertained by ail who were eiteem-
ed ilriftly orthodox, 'viz. that there fliould be a
true and literal refurreftion of the primitive m.ir-
tyrs--- that they fliould reign with Chrift upon
earth, who fhould be perfonally prefint with them
— and enjoy all manner of worldly felicity, for the
fpace of a thoufand years before the general refur-
red:ion.
And the* this docffrine of a Millennium., as it is
called, hath been revived and refined in thefe latter
ages, yet is it at prefent, I think, generally laid
afide, and this pafTage is underftood in a more qua-
lified and rational manner, and in fuch a fenfc as is
more agreeable to the analogy of f lith.
Nor doth this liberty in departing from the fenfe
of the Fathers, argue any contempt of their judg-
ment on the one hand, nor on the other invalidate
their authority in other reipeds. It is true, apoflo-
lical tradition, as weil as Scripture, is pleaded for
this Doclrin'e. Thus Iren<£us defcribing the millen-
nial ftate, fays, ' that then the juil" rifing from the
' dead fliall reign -, when the creature lilcev/ife be-
' ing renewed and ftt at liberty Ihall yield plenty
* and abundance of all tiling's, beinp; blefled with
' the dew of heaven, and a great fertility of the
' earth, as thofe ecclefiafticks have related, who,
* having feen St Joht, the difciple of our Lord,
' heard of him wiut our Lord had t:.u2;ht concern-
' ing thofe times.' -\
T 4 In-
* Y.yu^\xai ft Tivs? Its-Jv o^^o'y,W|M,oi'=; >;aTfi; Trasvra %^iri«i'i'> Ka» cjcp-
Dial. cu7;t Trypb. Jiui.
■\ Regna^ant jiifti rnrgcntes a mortuis ; quando & cieaiura ic-
novata & liberatri m'ai;i udincm frudtificabit u: ivfri'je c!cs:, ex roic
crtli, & ex fenilitH'e lerrgc, cjuemadmodom Pio.foy-.e'i memine-
runt, qui Jnli;innei)> dii* ipuluin Domini vicleiim-', audiiieie ab co,
qucm dmodum dc umponbus illis doccbat Dominu-.
In;:. Lib, v. c. 23.
280 T'ke DoBrtne of
Indeed the relation, which follows as our Saviour's
own words concerning the prodigious increafe of
the fruits of the earth, feems too hyperbolical to have
been deli-^'ered by him : And therefore it is probable
that Papias^ on whole credit it Hands, and who is
reprefented by Eufebius as a Man of more rhetorick
than judgment— P^/j/^j-, I fay, might in the wan-
tonnefs of his fancy, have alFefted to put our Sa-
viour's doflrine into his own extravagant drefs.
Notwithftanding, as no candid man will fuppofe
that he built without any foundation, we may from
this teftimony infer, that our Lord had frequently
entertain' d his difciples, and St John his like wife,
with the happy and flourifhing (late to which the
world fhould at length be brought by the Mejfiah's,
reign. Lut as this was of the nature of Prophecy, it
was not fit it fliould be delivered in the fame plain
fimple manner with other more practical truths ; and
theretore the revivifcence of the Church in order to
enjoy thefe bleffed times, after a long perfecution,
was reprefented in an allegorical manner, by a Re-
furredion of its Members. It is not therefore to be
wondered at, that they fhould miftake the Letter
for the Figure : * nor does it feem to me to be any
great impeachment of their underftandings. The
acuteft moderns might eafily fall into the fame error,
and it might employ the labours of many learned
men for a fucceffion of ages, as it hath done, to rec-
tify the miftake. They were right as to the doctrine,
and err'd only in their manner of explaining it ;
which error, by the v/ay, ferves this purpofe, viz.
to prove the genuinenefs of this paffage and book
of St Joht]^ fip.ce it hence appears Iiow confonant it
is with the doctrine he delivered by word of mouth.
The
* It is thus that Evfcbim accounts for Pnp'ias his miftake of the
Apnftles doftrine, who fays oT him, ra? aVor&Ai/ia? r;;c/niKhia.i/.iva>
Eccl. hijl. lib. iii, c. 3c),
the Millennium explained. 281
The learned Dr PP^hitby has written a treatife of the
true Millennium^ in which, after giving an account
of the Millennium of the antients, he tells us, Ch.
ii. what his notion of it is, viz. ' that after the fall
of Antichrift^ there fliall be fuch a glorious State
of the Church, by the converfion of the Jews
to the chriftian faith, as fhall be to it life from the
dead — that it Ihall then fiourifli in peace and plenty,
in righteoufnefs and hohnefs, and in a pious off-
fpring — that then fhall begin a glorious and undif-
turbed reign of Chrift over both Jew and Gentile^
to continue a thoufand years, during the time of
Satan's bondage — and that, as John the Baptift
was Elias^ becaufe he came in the fpirit and pow-
er of Elias i fo fhall this be the Church of the
Martyrs, and of thofe who had not received the
mark of the Beaft, becaufe of its entire freedom
from all the doftrines and practices of the anti-
chriftian Church, and becaufe the fpirit and puri-
ty of the times of the primitive martyrs fnall re-
turn.'
In proof of this dodlrine he fhews, ' That as the
Jewifh Church was formerly the chief of all
Churches, fo it fhall become a famous Church a-
gain, by the converfion of tlie Jews to the chri-
ftian faith— that the defcription of this their con-
verfion made by their own prophets and writeii
anfwers fully to the Millennium of St John^ which
he fpeaks of in the very words of the faid pro-
phets— And that the cliaradicrs which the patronsf
ot the Millennium give of thofe times, accord ex-
a6lly with the charaftcrs given by the prophets of
the converfion of the Jews.'' lie likewife anfwrs
all the arguments from Scripture for a literal rellir-
redion of the Martyrs, and their millennial reign,
and produces feveral arguments againif it -, particu-
larly that it is inconfiftent with the genius of the
chriftian
282 T'he Doctrine of
chriftian faith, and the nature of the gofpel-pro-
mifes.
What this hypothecs chiefly turns upon, is, the
interpreting of the refurredion of the Martyrs in
an allegorical, not literal fenfe. Now in juftifica-
tion of this expofition he proves, that the refurrec-
tion of the two witnejfes. Rev. xi. 7, 11. is allowed
to be underftood in this fenfe, and that this is the
prophetic ftyle, by which the Scripture conftantly
reprefents the glorious reftoration of God*s church
and people : For the converfion of the Jews is fre-
quently fet forth as a revivifcence and refurredlion
of their dead church and nation by the MeJJiah :
And St Paul moreover, fpeaking of this their con-
verfion, faith it fhall be, even to the Gentiles^ life
from the dead. But I refer the reader to the trea-
tife itfelf
Flence it may be fafely concluded, that the mil-
lennial ftate is none other than this : When the power
of Satan fhall be reftrained from deceivine: the na-
tions, and Antichrift fhall be deftroyed-, fo that neither
^^^__ the idolatries and impieties of the church of Rome,
/^ nor the impoftures of Mahomet Ihall any longer ob-"
fcruft the reception of Chrifiianity. Then both Jews
and Gentiles fhall flow into the church, and enjoy
great peace, plenty, and all manner of outward pro-
jfperity ; as well as be endued v/ith great knowledge
/and righteoufnefs, and all other fpiritual gifts and
■ graces ; and in this happy ilate fliall reign, during the
time fpecified, under the fpecial guidance and di-
rection, the influential, tho' not perfonal, prefcnce of
"^Chriil:, their head.
The Jews particularly fliall then be reflored to
their own land — fliall have their city and temple
Tebuilt, but after the chriftian model, as hath been al-
ready fliev/n, — be united with the reft of the v;orld
in one tlieccracy under Chrill, the common head
the Millennium explained. 283
and king of both — but with this difference, that
under this theocracy the Judaical Chriftians fhall
enjoy Ibme peculiar privileges above all other Chri-
flians. For the law Jhall once more go forth from
Jerufalem. Ifa. ii. 3. Micah iv. 2. and the holy and be-
loved city fhall again become The perfe^ion of beauty^
and the joy of the whole earthy Lam. ii. 15. Pf. xlviii.
2. the mother of us all, and the metropolis of the whole
chriflian world. *
It may be thought a vain and idle curiofity to in-
quire, when thefe things fhall be ? But fince the holy
Spirit hath thought fit to deliver fo many prophetical
writings to his Church, they undoubtedly become the
objeclof our ftudy and meditationas wellas otherparts
ot Scripture, efpeciaily fince a bleiTing is pronounced
upon all who duly fearch into them. Rev. i. 3. And
why the calculation of the accomplifhment of pro-
phecies, for the exercifeof our faith, as well as know-
ledge, is not as edifying and commendable an em-
ployment, as calculations of lefs confequence, with
which ingenious men amufe themfelves, I am to learn.
I fnall therefore prefume upon the reader's can-
dor and indulgence, while I offer a con] edlure concern-
ing the commencement of the happy days defcrib-
ed above, and the great and remarkable revolution
which is to precede it, I mean the fall of Antichrifi.
For it appears from Dan. vii. that the Meffiah's king-
dom is to be eredted upon the ruins of that of Anti-
chrifi : And the marriage of the lamb. Rev. xix. and
the millennial reign of Chrill, ch. xx. fucceed the
deffruftion ot zht great ivhore^ and the fall oi Babylon^
ch. xxvii. xxviii. And that thefe prophecies oi Daniel
and
* If the chriflian reader thinks all this is too much to believe
concerning them, let him farther conlult, //v?. xlix. 22, 23. Iv. 5.
Ix. 3. — 16. Ixi. 5,6. Ixxii. 2. Ixvi. 12, 20. — 24- y^r .iii. 17. Deut,
xxvi. 19. xxviii. i, i Chron. xvii. g. Jmos ix. 12. Micah iv.
8. Zech.viu. 22, 23. ch. xiv. 16. and \\]. And rJlcrC-. State
of tht Church infutun y4'^-'> P- 200.
284 ^^^ DoSiririe of
and ^X. John relate both to the fame event, to one and
the fame kingdom of the Mejfiah, appears from fe-
veral internal characters in them compared together.
Daniel defcribes his vifion in thefe words, ch. vii. 9.
^he antient of days did fit — whofe throne was like the
fery flame, &c. And v. 22. Judgment was given to the
faints of the mofi high — St John, Rev. xx. 4. de-
fcribes his thus — I faw thrones, and they fat upon
them, and judgment was given unto /^^m. It follows in
Daniel — And the time came that the faints poffeffed
the kingdom •, and, v. 27. 'The kingdom and dominion,
and greatnefs of the kingdom under the whole heaven
fhali he given to the people of the faints of the mofi
high. In the Revelations it is faid, that thofe that had
not worfhipped the beafi, &c. reigned with Chrifi
a thoufand years, v. 4. and, that they fhall be Priefis
cf God, and of Chrifi. v. 6. *
But here it will be readily objeded. That in Rev.
^- . XX. the reign of the faints is fixed to the determined
nM- (^'^ XitnoA of a thoufand years ; whereas in Daniel it is
N^o^-^ faid, that the faints cf the moji high fhall take the
**^V^- ^^^^^^^■> ^^^ pojj^fi ^t fo^ ^'^^^ ^^^ ^'^^'^- ^^ anfwer
i.QCi^nuA to this, let it be obferved, that both thefe reigns com-
tri^^^ mence at the fame time, viz. at the deftrudlion of
a^Uj^*:^ the kingdom of Antichrifi, as hath been already
tMt^jb'^ obferved: And therefore they muft be one and the
r w^ f^ fame, unlefs we make the Meffiah to have two king-
^^tAifc^doms diftinft from and contemporary with each
ylJi^ii^ffCi Other, And tho' a period feems to be fct to it in
^^i/^^ .the one place, and none in the other, yet we are not
uf^^ifyyhence to conclude, that it is to have its final dilToluti-
on at the end of that period, but only afliort intcrrup-
on during the little feafon of Satari's enlargement.
Rev. XX. 3. after which it is to be continued. And
accord-
* If the reader confulw Mr Mede's Comment. Apocolyft. p. 532.
he will find hisfenfe of thefe Prophecies to be the lame, who tncrc
firavvs much the fanie parallel between them.
the Millenmum explained. 285
accordingly it is exprefsly faid, ch. xxii. 5. Thai the
fervanis of the lainb jhall reign for ever and ever. To
which we may add that the Prophecies of Daniel^
being, as Mr Mede fomewhere calls them, Apocalypjii
contra^a^ we are not to expert him to be fo particu-
lar and explicit in the delivery of them, as St Jehn^
to whom the fubjed: of them was more fully and
openly revealed. To proceed.
In order to help our enquiry concerning the
commencement of the millennial reign, it will be
proper previoufly to enquire, when that of Antkhriji
is to have its period, which being firft in order of
time may ferve as a clue to lead us to the other.
It is generally agreed that the reign o^ Antkhriji is
foretold, both by Daniel and St John, to laft 1260
years. And were the commencement of this period as
eafily to be fixed, there would be no difficulty in the
calculation. The year of our Lord 606 is the year from
which learned men now generally date it j as from
his rife. For in that year it was that Pope Boniface
III. by a pretended grant of the emperor PhocaSy
ufurped the title of Univerfal Bifhop, and Supreme
Head of the Chrijlian Church. But Antichriji was
rifen long before this, for St John intimates that he
was come even in his time, i Ep. ii. 1 8. — iv. 5. And
feveral learned men are of opinion, that the 1260
years are not to be reckoned from the rife of Anti-
chriji., but from the AK/utri, the full age of the
Beaft, and his eftablifliment in the height of his
power.
Now the Queftion is. When Antichriji may be
faid to have been cilablilhed ? St John fays, Rev. xiji.
18. that the number of the beaji is 666. The num-
ber of the beaft — what can this mean? Several learn-
ed men have amufed themfelves with finding out
names for him, the feveral numerical letters of which
make
286 'The Doclrine of
make up that precife number, as mention is made
likewife of the number of his name.
But however fuccefsful they have been herein, I
cannot think that this precife number would be pitch-
ed upon for the fake of the name only, and that
fo much ftrefs would be laid upon it, unlefs it were
of fome farther ufe, and that fomething of greater
importance was alluded to by it.
Therefore others * underftand this particular
number to fignily the full age of the beajl, viz. the
year of our Lord in which he was arrived at the
maturity of his ftrength and power ; and accordingly
they feem apprehenfive that his reign ought to be
computed from hence.
And, indeed, the tranfadions of this year furnifh
fufficient grounds for this fuppofition. For after many
other idolatrous and fuperftitious innovations, in the
year 666 it was, that to compleat and fecure this
myftery of iniquity, to extend its dominion, damp the
devotions, and lock up the underftandings of the
people in ignorance, the Latin fervice was every
where eftabliflied.
But on the other hand, the year 606 bidding faire
for the commencement of the computation, being
the fuppofed time of the rife of Antichrifi., they itt
themfelves to reconcile thefe two periods, and make
them coincide with each other : Which they did by
beginning to compute the 666 years, 60 years before
the Chrillian Mr a. But they fliould not have need-
ed to betake themfelves to fo abfurd a fliift, if they
had not been under the important error, that the
i26oyears took their beginning from the fuppofed
rife, not eftablilhment of Antichrift.
To compute, therefore, from the year of our Lord
6.66, the full age of the beaft, his fall is to happen
A. D. MDCCCCXXVI.
There
* Vide Sjn»pfin Criticorum in locum.
the MUlenntum explained. 287
There are in the viii. and xii. Chapters of Daniel^
feveral other predidtions to be accompliflied in cer-
tain determinate periods of Time, which tho' pro-
bably once fulfilled in the Ihort perfecution of the
Jewijh Church by Antiochus Epiphanes •, yet as he
was a type of Antichrifi^ I cannot help thinking that
they are to have a fecond acconiplifhment under the
Chriftian difpenfation, and that they finally relate to
events yet to come.
Chap. xii. 1 1 . we are told, that from the time the
daily facrifice Jh all he taken away, and the ahomination
that maketh defolate fet up, there Jhall be 1290 days,
i. e. years ; which being thirty years more than the
term above-mentioned, fixed both by Daniel and
St John for the downfal of Antichrifi, perhaps he is
not entirely to be deftroyed at the end of the 1260,
but that he is to have his fecond and final over-
throw at the end of the 1290 years, i. e, A.D. igs6.
when the rejl of the beajis, the accomplices of Anti-
chrift, whofe lives were prolonged for a feafon and
time (Dan. vii. 12.) fhall be dellroyed.
In the next verfe follows another predi(5lion, Elcff-
ed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 days :
By which time probably the peace of the Church
will be fettled after the commotions ocrufioned by
fuch great revolutions, and better and happier days
will commence -, for the prophecy plainly points at
fome blefied and joyful period.
And what period can better anfwer that character
than the millennial reign of the Mcffiah, and the
eftablifhment of his kingdom •, when the marriage of
the lamb fhall be celebrated, and the faints of the
moft high fhall pojfefs the kingdom, and be inveftcd
with the highclt lionoursof it ? When the people of
God fhall enjoy that fabbatifm which is in refcrve
for them, Heb. iv. 9. and live in a ftate of perfect
tranquiUity and fecurity, having nothing to fear
from
•288 'fhe DoSfri?ie of
from their grand adverfary, but on the contrary fliall
triumph over his impotency to hurt them.
Now, if from the year of our Lord 066, we rec-
kon 1335 years, this brings us down to A. D.
MMI ; which falls in with the very firft year of the
feventh millenary of the world's age, according to
archbifhop UJher^s calculation ; which, from the
traditions, types, and allufions relating to it, and
taken notice of ch. ix. is fuppofed to be the happy
Millennium.
About this time therefore we may conclude, that
the Gentiles will begin to flow apace into the Church
of Chrift •, and when the fulnefs of the Gentiles fhall
he come in, then the Jews likewife fhall be convert-
ed; and both together will make one fold under one
fhepherd, Jefus Chrift the righteous.
How long a time the converfion of the Gentiles
firft, and of the Jews afterwards, will take up, is
difficult to fay.
Some learned men think, that the converfion of
the Jews will be fudden, * and it muft be owned
that they feem to have fome countenance from Scrip-
ture for their opinion. This they fuppofe to be the
fenfe of this paffage in Ifaiah ; Before fhe travailed,
jhe brought forth : before her pain came, fhe was de-
livered of a man-child. Who hath heard fuch a thing?
Who hath feen fuch things? Shall the Earth be made
to bring forth in one day ? Or fhall a nation be born
at once ? For as foon as Zion travailed, fhe brought
forth her children. Ifa. Ixvi. 8.
But however fpeedy their converfion will be, the
aftembling of them together from all the known re-
gions of the earth where they lie difperfed — their re-
turn to the holy land— their fettlement in it— the
cleanfing of the fandluary— the rebuilding of their
city
• See Dr $cotl\ Chriftian Lifs. Vcl. i '. p. 488. And Dr
Jatkfm is of the fame Opinion.
the Millc7inium explained. 289
city and temple — the fettling a form of outward po-
lity and government— all thefe arc works ot time ;
infomuch that it may reafonably be fuppofed tn.t
fome centuries of the feventh millenary may pais
before their thorough re-eftablifhment will be ac-
complifhed : which will appear to be the more pro-
bable, if it be confidered that the like work wi s
near one century in accomplifhing, when their an-
ceftors returned from only a feventy years captivity,
when the defolation muft be fuppofed to have been
much lefs than this of fo many generations will be.
For, from Cyrus his proclamation for the return of
the Jews to their own country to build the temple,
Ezrai. tiW Nehemiah had, by the permifiion of Jr-
taxerxesy finiflied the building of the gates and walls,
and made all proper regulations, was 93 years.
But to give this matter the utmoft degree of con-
firmation, of which it is capable, I think we have
an exprefs prophecy, which fixes the very year of
the Jews reftoration and complete eftabliilimcnt.
For I apprehend, that that hitherto obfcure prophe-
cy contained in Dan. viii, 14. can relate to none o-
ther than this great and remarkable event. And I
am the more confirmed herein, becaufe learned men
have not been able to account for it fatisfaftorily, as
relating either to the perfecution of Antiochus Epi~
pbanes, or Antichriji •, and hence the great Scaliger
ingcnuoufly own'd, that this prophecy was the only
one in the whole book of Daniel., which proved too
hard for him.
The peculiar folemn'ty with which it is introduced
fufficienrly denotes the importance of it, v. 1 3. Then
I heard one faint /peaking., and another faint faid un-
to that certain faint which fpake., How long jh all he
the vifton concerning the daily facrificCy and the tranf-
grejfton of defolation^ to give both the fan^uary and
the hcfi to be trodden under foot ? And he faid unto
U mCf
290 T'he DoStrine of
me. Unto 2300 days\ then Jhall the fan^iuary he
deanfed. And v. 26. the vifion is faid to be foi'
many days, and therefore he is ordered to Jhut it up,
which Ihews that it refers to fome diftant period.
Therefore the tranfgrejfion of defolation here prin-
cipally meant, I think, can be none other than the
defolation and deftrudlion of Jerufakm by '•Titus,
defcribed in the latter part of the next chapter in
much the fame words ; and likewife in Matt, xxiv, .
where among other characters of it, it is faid, that
the fun fhall he darkened, and the moon fJoall not give
her light, and the ft ars fhall fall from heaven, and
the -powers of the heavens fhall he fhaken, v. 29.
In like manner it is here faid v. i o. that the horn
waxed great, even to the hofi of heaven, and it cafl
doivnfome of the hofi, and of the fl ars to the ground,
mid ft amp upon them. In Luke xxi. 24. Jerufalem is
faid tohe trodden doivn of theGentiles, fo here the fanc-
ary and hofi are trodden under foot, v. 13. And in
chap. xii. 7. we have a key to the whole, where it is
faid, that all thefe things (the foregoing prophecies)
fhall not he finifhed, till he fJjall have accomplifhed to
fcatter the power of the holy people, that is, till the
end of the term of their difperfion. Therefore rec-
koning 2300 years from the deftrudlion of Jerufa-
lem, which happened A. D. 70. the refloration of
the Jews will not be fully accomplillied till J. D.
2370. — Then fhall the fan^fuary he deanfed, and the
land flmll have enjoyed her fahhaths. Lev. xxvi.
34. 43-
After all, I am far from determining any thing in
fo obfcure and myflical a matter. ' Thofe that fliall
' live to fee the extirpation di Antichrift, and the fub-
* fequent events' (to ufe the Words of a learned Au-
thor well fkilled in the prophetical writings) ' will
' bell be able to unfold this matter, it being of the
* nature
the Millennium explained. 291
• nature of fuch prophecies not thoroughly to be un-
' derflood, till they are thoroughly fulfilled.' *
Whenever therefore the millennial period fliall
commence, we mud needs have very exalted ideas
of human nature, when arrived at that ftate. For
how quick mull its progrefs towards perfe6tion then
be, and how confiderable, during lb long a term
of exemption from Satan's temptations ! When he
fhall be no more allowed to go about like a roaring
lion, but be reftrained from prad:ifing his wiles, and
2.\\ his fiery darts Jhall be quenched. Then, and not
before, will be fully and effeftually performed the
oath which God fware to Abraham, that his feed be-
ing delivered out of the hands of their enemies., might
fervc him without fear : In holinefs and righteoufnefs
before him all the days of their lives, Luke i. 73, 74,
jc^. In a word, there lliall then be nothing to retard,
but every thing concurring to animate and encour-
age this highly favoured generation to proceed from
firength to ftrength, and from glory to glory. Blef-
fed and holy is he that hath part in this firft refur-
re^ion I Surely m.ankind will by this time have ful-
ly recovered the original perfedlion of their nature,
and overcome all remains of their primitive difor-
der.
No : things are not yet ripe enough to make that
conclufion. Some feeds of the old leaven ilill lie
concealed, which upon Satan's releafe, after the ex-
piration of his thoufand years imprifonmenr, break
out afrefh and difcover themfclvts. For then the
reji of the dead, the fynagogue of Satan, revived, v.
5. /. e. when Satan upon his enlargement went out
to deceive the nations, he found multitudt-s, v. 8.
who had palled for plaufible Chriftians, di:ring their
feafon of exemption from his temptations, who had,
notwithftanding, fo much depravity in their hearts,
LI 2 as
• Pr'ulciuis Conrccl. Part u. Bock \\\. fub finr.
292 'The DoBrine df
as to be capable of being perverted by him, and
made his inftruments to perlecute the true religion,
breathing the fame fpirit of enmity againft it, with
thole who had been flain. Ch. xix. 2 1 . And ever
fo little attention to the place before us will con-
vince us, that it is with refpect to thefe^ to the reft
cf the dead, who lived again after the thoufand years
v/ere finifhed, v. 5. or rather to the revival of the
fame wicked fpirit, and not with refpe6l to the ge-
neral refurreuiiGn, that the living of the fouls of them
that were beheaded, i. e. of the dead Church, is call-
ed,the /r/^ refurre6tion. So that here are, plainly, a
firft cLudfeccnd refureftion, both to be underftood in
the fame metaphorical fenfe, entirely exclufive of
the general refurreition, to which this place bears
no relation.
As this is to be the laft effort of Satan, fo will
it be the moft vigorous and formidable •, for we are
told, thzt he Jhall go out to deceive the nations which
are in the four quarters of the earthy Gog and Ma-
gog, to gather them together to battle^ the number of
whom is as the f and of the fea. And they went up on
the breadth of the earthy and compaffed the camp of
the faints about, and the beloved city, v. 8, 9. But
his malicious attempt will be foon blafted ; for he
v/ili be loofed but for a little feafon, v. 3. and then
fire fhall come down from God out of heaven, and
devour him and his accomplices.
After this the Devil fhall be configned to the lake
of fire and brimftone, where, together with the
Beaft and falfe Prophet, he fliall be doom'd to en-
dure perpetual and everlafdng torments.
The judgment inflifted upon this rebellious hoit
will be fo remarkable, that prefcntiy follows a vifion,
as it is generally underftood, of tlie laft Judgment j
and to which undoubtedly it finally belongs, there
not
the Millennium explained. 293
not being a more folemn defcription of it in any part
of Scripture.
But I am apt to think it fhall have its primary
completion in the condemnation of Gog and Magogy
and their armies •, at leaft, that it is here connected
with the hiflory of their punifhment, to denote the
feverity of it. For it is not unufual in Scripture to
defcribe great and terrible judgments in terms fuita-
ble to the final judgment. Tlius is the judgment
anddeftruclion of-'^^/zV/^r//? defcribed, Dan. vii. 9,
10, II. And fuch is the defcription of the deftruc-
tion Q^Jerufalem^ Matt. xxiv. Such likewife is that
of the judgment inflidled on this fame Gog and Ma-
gog., Exek^ xxxviii. 20, 22. But I cannot be per-
fuaded, to think, with fome learned men*, that the
end of the world, and the final judgment are in the or-
der of things immediately to fucceed this difmal ca-
taftrophe of theirs. Far otherwife -, as any one will
be convinced who reads the xxxviii and xxxix chap-
ters of Ezekiel^ where, befides many other argu-
ments, mention is made that thehoufe of Ifrael fhould
he /even months in burying them,and cleanjing theland.^
Chap, xxxix. 1 2 . and [even years in burning their
arms., which could not be, if the world were burni
before. Nay, the bell and moft glorious fcene of it
is ftill behind, and perhaps too that which is to be
of much the longeft continuance.
This is that which is reprefented by new Hea-
vens and a new Earth. And I faw a new hea-
veny and a new earth., faith St John, for the f.rfi
heaven and the firfl earth were pajjed awaj'-'And I
John faw the holy city., new Jerufalem, coming down
from God out of heaven prepared as a br'.de adorn-
ed for herhujhand. And I heard a great voice out of
Heaven^ fafing., Behold th'' tabernacle of God is with
U 3 me?}^
• Dr S(ct('s ChrWvAn l.\{i, Vol. iii. p. 491;
294 The "DoBrlne of
men^ and he wdl dwell with them ^ and they Jh all he
his people^ and ^-iod himjelj JJjall be with ihem^ and
he fh ir God, Rev. xxi. i, 2, 3.
We have much the fame defcription of this happy
flate in Ifa. xlv. 17, ^c. and 2 Pet. iii. 13. And
that this is a ftate quite different from, and of more
exalted perfeftion than, the millennial ft ate is evi-
dent, not only from the reafons above-mentioned,
p. 277. but alfo,
1. Becaufe Satan is to be finally condemned to
everlafting torments in the lake of fire and brim-
ftone before the commencement of this ftate : And
not bound for a time, hut for ever, to be let loofe
no more ; fo that this blelTed generation lliall be en-
tirely exempt from his temptations.
2. Becaufe there fto all in no wife eyiter into the new
.Jerufalem, atv^ thing that defileth, thatworketh abo-
mination, or maketh a lye. ch. xxi. 2 7. But this can-
not be faid of the millennial ftate, fmce Satan, with
his abominable train, is, as we have feen, to enter
and defile it.
3. Becaufe in the millennial ftate the Saints are
faid to reign only a thoufand years ; but in this
which fucceeds, it is faid, they ftoall reign for ever
and ever. i. e. for an indefinite number of ages,
Ch. xxii. 5.
4. The bleffednefs of the millennial ftate confifts
in this, that on the fubje6ts of it the fecond Death
fhall have no power : But the bleffednefs of the
ftate of new heavens is fuch, that Death of no kind
Ihall have power over them.
On the ether hand, it may be faid, that as the
marriage of the lamb was Come, and his bride had ad-
orned and made herfelf ready, Ch. xix. 7. which
■was before Satan'^s binding, and the commencement
of the millennial ftate — and as it is only the fame
thing in a manner which is repeated concerning her
in
the Milletmium explaified. 295
mch. xxi. therefore that it is only one and the fame
ftate which is rtferr'd to in both places.
In anfwer to this let it be confider'd, thattho' the
Lamb"'?, Spoufe^ the New Jerufalem^ might be pre-
pared and efpoufed to him fo long before •, yet as
there are degrees of perfection, fo it is not to be
fuppofed, but that during the thoufand years flou-
rifliing ftate, as well as the Ihort fucceeding diftrclf-
ed one, (he made very confiderable advancements,
fo as by this time to be arrived at far more glorious
degrees of purity and hohnefs : And accordingly we
find the defcriptions of her at thefe two feveral times
to be different from each other. In ch. xix. Jhe is
arayed in fine linen, clean and white : But ch. xxi. flie
is garniflied with gold and pearls, and all manner of
■precious ft ones. v. 19, 21. Thefe then are two diffe-
rent ftates of the Church — different in fucceffion of
time, and degree of purity and perfc6tion.
On the other hand, tho' this ftate of the new
Heavens, ^c. be different from t\\^ millennial, and
fuch glorious things be faid of it, yet there are cer-
tain charafters belonging to it, which will not give
us leave to think any otherwife of it, than of an
earthly ftate, at which human nature ftiall arrive be-
fore thefe things ftiall be diffolved, and the world
come to an end. Thus much may be inferr'd,
1. From its Name, a new Earth and new Hea-
vens, the latter fignifying the region of the air or at-
mofphere, which fliall then be renewed, and ren^
der'd more pure, ferene, and temperate.
2. The 7iew Jerufalem is here faid to come down
from God out of Heaven, v. 2, 10. the feat of this
ftate therefore muft b:^ upon earth.
3. The kings of the earth are faid to bring their
glory and honour into it. v. 2 1 .
4. In the midft of the ftreet of the new Jerujakm
is defcribed the tree of life, the leaves of which are
U 4 fiid
296 'The Do^rhie of
faid to be for the healing of the nations, ch. xxii. 2.
Now if the new Jerufakm were fituated in heaven,
the inhabitants of it would have no occafion for any
fuch remedy ; but as God makes nothing in vain,
fo this provifion is a clear demonftration, that hu-
man nature is ftill in fuch a ftate as is not entirely
exempt from all manner of infirmities both of body
and mind, but rather that it is in fome meafure lia-
ble to leffer ones of both, as Adam was even in pa^
radie. Seep. 15.
But as it may be inferr'd from the tree of lifey
that this is an earthly flate, fo it no lefs proves it to
be a paradifiacal one, correfponding to the firft -pa-
radife ; the tree of life from which Adam was banifti-
ed in the former, being reflored to his pofterity in
the latter, in all its intents and ufes, whatever is my-
llically rcprefented by it. To proceed,
5. Ifaiah in his defcription of th's ftate ch. Ixi. 21.
fays, They floall build ho ufes, and inhabit them, and
plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them -, and in
feveral other refpeds he reprefents it as an earthly
frate. And it is obfervable, that part of the de-
fcription of this ftate in the Revelations, viz. from
V. 23. to the end of chap. xxi. is taken out of the
Ix. and V. i. of the Hi. chap, of Ifaiah, which no
one ever imagined were to be underftood of any o-
ther than an earthly ftate. From alLwhich we may
conclude, that it is to be fuch a ftate : efpecially if
we add,
6. That there being fuch frequent mention of
the Lamb in this defcription of the nczv Jerufakm,
and of his Throne, ch. xxii. i, 3. it from hence ap-
pears th::: he ftill continues to govern and rule over
his Churcli as King, and that he has not yet refign'd
his office of Mediator ; which, if this were an hea-
venly ftate, he muft have done, fince as foon as the
carrhly ftate of the Church is at an end, he is to de-^
liver
the Millennium explained. 297
liver up liis mediatorial kingdom to God the Father,
as appears from i Cor. xv. 24..
Indeed many Commentators of the greateft note
are agreed, that it is none other than an earthly (late
that is reprefented by new Heavens and a new
Earth : But then they either apply it to fome paft
Itate of the Church, or to fome future one, which
they conceive will not much exceed, if they think
it will equal the paft ; the bell and pureft of which
times do yet fall fo vaftly fliort of this defcription,
that it cannot with any propriety of fpeech be ap-
plied to them. Such flrong metaphors muft furely
have an adequate meaning : But if we examine the
common interpretations given of them, we fliall ge-
nerally find them very flat and unfatisfacStory* ; which
occafioned other learned men to conclude, that this
muft be an heavenly ftate, as they had no notion of
any earthly one, that could anfv/er the defcription of
it. Allowances undoubtedly ought to be made for
figurative expreiTions : but then, on the other hand,
this, I think, is one rule of interpreting them — that
the more elevated the figure is, the more in propor-
tion ought the fenfe likewife to be raifed.
But the ftyle of this defcription of the new Jerufa-
lem is not altogether metaphorical : There is no me-
taphor in this verfe ; Jnd God Jhall wipe away all
tears from their eyes, and there jloall be no more
Death, neither SoRKoWy nor Crying, iieit her Jhall
there
* ^am dilute iif frigide p/erufnq; interpretnntur adverfarii
noftri ea qute tarn fpUnuide i^ magnifice diaa Junt a Prophet is, tff a
Joanne in Apccahpji ! Qnmiuo juxta tlloru7n tJiterpretationes verba
txuperant res, fif minus adimpleri vidctur quain quod promittitur j
resipfa ^ eventus longe fubfiuunt infra majefi<xtctn vocum—^zy%V)x
Worikington on this iubjci:!, in a Jjiio treaiUc entitled, Dijfertntio
(tc EccLpte in terris Juturii felicitate ; in which he lolidly confutes
the opinion of Grotius, Havimond, and others, who interpret the
Millennium, and i\\z new-JeruJaUrn State, of ioniepalt Uateof the
Church ; as he docs lil-:ewilc in his obfervauons on the MHUmum.
^ee \ii% Mtfcel'anics, p. 2^,. and 167.
298 ^b^ DoBrhie of
there be any more Pain ; for the former things are
faffed aijo ay ^ ch. xxi. v. 4. nor here. And there Jhall
be no more CuRst. ch. xxii. 3. Thele words are
plain and literal, and yet I do not know of any con-
fiftent expofition that comes up to the full force of
them, upon the fuppofition that the new Jerufalem
State is an earthly one, befides that which I Ihall
prefently offer. And that it is not an heavenly one,
I have proved already.
Dr Burnet indeed has very exalted notions of
this ftate, which he likewife fuppofes to be an earth-
ly one : But then he makes the feat of it to be, not
in this earth, but a future one, which is to rife out
of its afhes. That towering genius rehfh'd no a-
mufements lower than thofe of demolilhing and re-
building worlds. This prefent world was by no
jneans for his purpofe : no wonder therefore he was
fo much prejudiced againfl it *, and looked upon it
as fuch a heap of ruins and diforder, that it was im-
polTible to reftore and reftify it without pulling it all
to pieces. And yet he could not help allowing that
it was capable of a melioration. ' He does not deny,
' that there will be a reformation and improvement
' of the Church, both as to peace, purity, and pie-
* ty — that knowledge may increafe, mens minds be
' enlarged, and Chriftian religion better underftood'
— This and a great deal more he allows may be,
and hopes will be ere long -f.
The evidences for thefe truths were fo glaring and
irrefiftible, that he could not withftand them, and
therefore he is obliged to make thefe conceflions :
But then he takes care to itop fhort, and not grant
too much, left he fliouid find the Millennial State,
together with the new Heavens and Earth, too near
home ;
* Dr 5«r»f/'s Theory of the Earth, Vol.W. p. 274. l^ alibi.
Eng. treatife, ^vo. edit.
■\ Reviczo of the Theory y p. 397.
the Millemiium explained, 2gg
home ; whereby his fancy would be confined with-
in too narrow bounds, and be prevented from roam-
ing into other worlds in queft of tliem. Therefore
he prefently adds, ' Suppofe what Reformation you
' can in this World, there will ftill remain many
' things inconfiftent with the true Millemiial State.
' Antichrift, tho' weakened, will not be finally de-
' ftroy'd till the coming of our Saviour, nor Satan
' bound. And there will be always poverty, wars,
* difeafes, knaves and hypocrites in this world,
' which are not confident vv^ith the New Jerufalem*
ib.
It is true they are not, if this indeed will be the
cafe. But is not this begging the queflion? For
why may not we fuppofe an improvement and re-
novation of the natural world, as well as of the mo-
ral ? I am fure we have good grounds from fcripture
for it, as I have already fliewn. And if he allows
us to fuppofe what Refonnation we can of the latter^
we may fuppofe a Time when there will be no wars,
knaves, nor hypocrites even in this world. His ar-
gument therefore from the prefent conilitution of
Nature is of no force, becaufe we fuppofe Nature
fhall be greatly changed for the better.*
As to his other argument, ' That Antichrifi will
' not be deftroy'd, nor Satan bound, till the coming
* of our Saviour' j that is true in one fenfe, but not
in that which he would have it underftood in : For it
does not appear from any part of Scripture, that he
will not come to deftroy Antichrift^ till he comes to
judgment at the end of the world •, there being many
comings of our Saviour which this author confounds
altogether, making them to be but one and the
fame. On the contrary it is evident to any one who
reads the hiftory of the fall of Babylon^ the feat of
Anti-
* 5fr Theory, l£c. p. 274. wlie-c thcfc objcdions arc drawn
out to a greater Icngrh.
3 00 The DoBrine of
Antichrifi^ in the xvii, xviii, xix chapters of the
Apocalyffe^ that it is fo far from having any con-
nexion with the end of the world, that it all along
fuppofes the contrary. The Kings who are fubje6t
to him, are made to be the inftruments of his de-
ftru6lion, ch. xvii. i6. His votaries are reprefented
as bewailing his fall, ch. xviii. 9. i£c. which furely
fuppofes that they mufl furvive him. And this is
no lefs implied in the triumph of the true Church
over Babylon^i v. 20. The fame is evident from
Dan. vii. 11, 12. where after the account of the
deftru6tion of Antichrifi (for fo Dr B. himfelf un-
derftands the paffage) immediately is added, as con-
cerning the reft of the Beafts, they had their dominion
taken azvay -, yet their lives were prolong' d for a fea-
fon and time. Befides, as Scripture is exprefs be-
yond difpute, that before the end of the w^orld Chrift's
kingdom is univerfally to prevail, and all people,
Jews and Gentiles.^ to be converted to the Chriftian
faith ; this cannot be done till Antichrift be firft de-
ftroy'd, and Satan reftrain'd from deceiving the na-
tions. Nor do any of the texts which he produces,
p. 280, to prove that the kingdom of Antichrift
will not be totally dellroyed till the end of the world,
nor even all of them together, come up to the point.
This fuppofition of his, therefore, is not only
groundlefs, but contradi6tory to Scripture. No-
thing hinders then, from any thing that hitherto ap-
pears, but that the feat of the new Heavens and
Earth may be in this world — That it is not in his
future one, is evident, tho' from no other confide-
ration, yet from the abfurdities he is driven into in
explaining the do6i:rine of Gog and Magog., and re-
conciling the irruption of fjch a monftrous wicked
race into his blefled abodes, whence he had before
excluded all kinds and degrees of evil, both moral
and natural, all enemies and fmners v/hatfoever.
We
the Millennium explained. 301
We may well fuppofe him in a great ftreight when
he would luffer fuch an account of their original to
fall from his pen, as, to fay no worfe, is very un-
fuitable to the character of a Chriftian philofopher,
i;/z. ' That they were the fons of the earth, gene-
* rated from the flime of the ground, and the heat
* of the fun,' p. 313. But what fliifts will not fan-
ciful men betake themfelves to ? What abfurdities
will not go down with them, rather than quit their
beloved notions ?
This may be thought fufficient to fliew how
groundlefs Dr Burnef^ opinion is with regard to the
i'eat of the new Heavens and Earth. But for the
reader's farther fatisfaftion, I fhall confider an ar-
gument or two more of his in defence of it.
The firll, and indeed the moft weighty of all that
he advances, is that drawn from St Fcter\ account
of the new Heavens and Earthy compared with the
context. 2. Pet. iii. 13. Neverthekfs we, according to
his promife, look for new Heavens and a new Earthy
wherein dwelleth Right eoufnefs-, which words refer to
what goes before — Looking for and haftning the com-
ing of the day of God, wherein the Heavens being on
fire, fhall be diffolved, and the Elements floall melt
with fervent heat. This defcription of the worWs
deftruftion by fire, and its renovation afterwards,
following an account, v. 4, 5. of the deftrudlion of
the old world by water •, hence he concludes, that
as the one mud neceflarily be undcrftood in the liter-
al fenfe, fo muft the other — that real and material
Heavens are meant in both places alike — And there-
fore that the ftate reprefented here by new Heavens
and Earth, is not to be till after the conflagration,
when he fuppofes the Millennial State is to com-
mence.
Now in anfwer hereto, T admit, (i) that the
words are to be undcrftood in the literal fenfe, tho*
not
302 ^he DoBrine of
not to the exclufion of the allegorical (2) That
fuch a ftate will fucceed the general conflagration,
and the end of the world, as may fitly be reprefent-
ed by nezv Heavens and a new Earthy tho' I deny it
to be the Mi'lennial State. For C3) I ftill maintain
that both this Hate and that of the new Heavens and
Earth, in the fenfc; I am contending for, will be be-
fore the conflagration and the end of the world.
To explain myfelf — I apprehend that the Pro-
phecy contained in this chapter refpe<5ls three great
periods, or revolutions ; and that it is to have three
feveral completions, before it will be fully and fi-
nally accomplifhed.
t. In the deflrudiion of the Jews^ the defolation
of their city and temple, and difTolution of their
ftate and polity, on the one hand •, and in the eflablifh-
ment of a more excellent difpenfation, and the re-
novation which fhould enfue in the moral world by
the preaching of the Gofpel, on the other •, the de-
fign of this Epiflle being, as Dr Hammond on the
place obferves, ' to confirm the perfecuted, affli6ted
' Chriftians in their expe6lation of that deliverance,
* which they fliould now fhortly meet with by the
' deftruftion of their perfecutors.' And as it is not
iinufual in the prophetic language to reprefent God's
judgments on his enemies, by the tragical expref-
fions of burning up the Earthy and dijj'olving the
Heavens^ fo this is particularly the ilyle in which the
deftrudtion of Jerusalem is elfewhere defcribed, Mat.
xxiv. A^s ii. 19, 20. And accordingly this is the
fenfe in which Dr Hammond explains it.
2. This Prophecy is to have another completion
in the judgment of \\\^ great Whore., or Antichrijiian
Church, \ntVi.t\ovL<\ Rev. xvii. i. and in the happy
Millennial State, which is to follow, and the more
happy one of new Heavens and Earth which is to
fucceed that. The feat and nature of that ftate repre--
fented
the Millennium explained. 303
fented by St John under this emblem, hath been in
part confidcred already, and fhall be confider'd more
fully hereafter. Now as St Peter agrees with him in
ufing the fame terms, the new Heavens and Earthy
it is natural to fuppofe that he ufes them in reference ^
to the fame ftate: except perhaps with this difference;
that as St John is the only one of the facred writers
that dillinguifhes between the Millennial State, and
the fucceeding one of the new Heavens, &c. fopro'
bably St Peter'' s new Heavens, &c. include both.
With regard to the propriety of this defcription
of the deftrudtion of Antichriji, it is to be oDferved,
that this judgment, according to the predictions con-
cerning it, is to be executed upon him by fire. So
Dan. vii. 11. The Beafi was jlain, and his body de-
Jiroyed, and given to the burning flame, which agrees
with the account which we have of the judgment
of the Whore. Rev. xviii. 8, c^. jhall be utterly burnt
'with fire, forftrong is the Lord thatjudgeth her — And
the kings of the earth jhall bewail her — when they
Jhall fee the fmoke of her burning. So of the de-
ftrudlion of Babylon, whofe name was written on
the fore- head of the great Whore, God fpeaks thus-.
Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel and with
fierce wrath, to lay the land defolate — For thefiars of
Heaven, and the conftellations thereof, Jhall not give ■
their light : the Sun fid all be darkened in his going forth,
and the Moon fhall not caufe her light to Jhine — And
I willjhake the Heavens, and the Earth fhall remove
out of her place, Ifa. xiii. 9, 10, 13*. But,
3. This Prophecy is not to have its final ac-
complifliment till the confummation of all things,
which it feems principally to aim at -, when the
Heavens being actually on fire, fJjall be diffolved, and
the Elements fhall melt with fervent heat, and the
Earth alfo, and the works that are therein, fhall
(without
* See Dr Whitb-jh preface to 2 Peter.
^04 ^^^ Dot trine of
(without a Figure) he burnt up^ 2 Pet. iii. 'u. 10. 12-
For this being the flrongeft and livelieft defcription
of the end of the world, which all antiquity is agreed
iliall be by fire, if it were interpreted allege ricaliy,
to the exclufion of the literal fenfe, it would be ta-
king fuch a freedom with Scripture, as might be
attended with bad confequences.
But on the other hand, it does not from hence fol-
low, that Dr Burnet''?, Millennial State is to fucceed
the general conflagration, which is here admitted to
be defcribed.
I. Becaufe the general judgment is conftantly,
throughout the Scriptures, joyn'd with the end of
the world, and no intermediate ftate is any where fup-
pofed to interpofe between them ; and thus par-
ticularly in the place before us, they are mod in-
timately connected together, and confider'd as two
contemporary events, v. 7. where it is faid, that the
Heavens and the Earth which are now^ are kept in
fiore^ being referveduntofre, againfi the day of Judg-
ment^ and perdition of ungodly men.
1. Tho' it is faid, v. 13. Neverthelefs {nolWith-
ftanding this total diffolution of this prefent world)
we look for new Heavens., and a new Earthy wherein
dwelleth Right eoufnefs., we are not hence neceffarily
obliged to conclude, that the Millennial State is not
to take place till after the defirruftion of the world:
For I take the words, in their iiterr.1 \cv\{q., to be a de-
fcription, not oi t\\Q Millennium^ but of that itate of
blifs, to which the righteous in general Ihall be receiv-
ed after the general reliirredtion, and the fentence of
approbation pafs'd upon them. And accordingly^
not only the Saints and Martyrs, but all Chriibians
are admoniflied, in expectation hereof, to be found
cf God in peace^ without fpot, and blamelefs. v. 14.
And I am apt to think, tho* the new Heavens and
Earth of St Johnv^crQ primarily defign'd as a re-
prefen-
the Millennium explained. 305
prefentation of the future flourifhing ftate of the
Church on Earth, yet that this is only typical of its
triumphant ftate in Heaven : Thofe glorious and re-
fplendent characters, exceeding all metaphor, be-
ing too bright ftridlly to fuit any mere earthly ftate,
the' ever fo perfed. And here I have Dr Burnetts,
own countenance •, who intimates that fome of the
charadlers of the new Jerufakm are incompatible
with a terreftrial ftate, and fome of them with a celef-
tial one, p. 196.
As it is not unufual for Prophecies to have more
afpefts than one, fo this, as we have feen, has three;
each of which is efpoufed by learned men, each hath
its advantages, and each muft be acknowledged ta
have its difficulties, if the Prophecy be confined to it
alone. But if it be extended to all three, agreeably
to the richnefs* of Scripture-Prophecy, no diiiicul-
ties can be ftarted, but what may be folved on one
or other of the three hypcthefes : Nor do I fee that
they are any ways inconfittent with each other.
It is moreover obfervable, that fultably to the
three Completions, there are likewife three parallel
Prophecies of the fame import, and conceived in
the very fame general terms : And if one of the Pro-
phecies has three views, we may fuppofe that the
X other
* Non gravate concedimus qusedam — Scriptuise loca non in-
commode cxponi de rebus tunc gefli?, adeoque tunctemporis (puta
in prime Chiifti adventu, &cj adinipleta fuiiTe: At vel ex illis
Promiflis qusedam etiam ulterius adimplenda fore, non uno loco
docet Scripturae proprietas. Teftatiflima res eft ; fcilicet, Scriptura,
vel Prophetia, non uno modo (uti nee uno tempore) impleri dici-
tur. Eft enim quoddam Incrementum Senjus ; Implctio Vaticinio-
rum & Promiflbrum pofiit efl'e in fluxu & progreflu. Eft, ubi pri-
ma & inchoata impletio eft quafi pignus cc arrha futurx impletio-
nis, prailudium quoddam adimpletionis longe illuftrioris Sc uberio-
ris. Tunc Scriptura impleri aliquando dicitur, cum id ipfum quod
per Prophetiam aut Scripturam didlum erat, quamvisjam faftum
fuerit, lamen magis ac magis fit ; (cilicetcum fit cumulatiflime »
cum impletur fecundum fenium fublimiorem ;quod firmari pofBt e;^
plur-mis Scriptura: Teftimoniis. DilTert. fupcrius laudatse, cl.
lyorthington/p.x/!^^.
2o6 The Dodirine of
other two have each as many and the fame : But t
conceive, with this difference —
The evangehcal Prophet Jfaiab, whofe Prophe-
cies generally relate to the firlt coming of our Sa-
viour, by his new Heavens and Earth, feems to
point chiefly to the firft ages of the Gofpel -, and
therefore his defcription is not fo refined and exalted,
as St Joh-ns. He lifing higher, and writing about
the beginning of the age that Ifaiab has principally
in view, muit be underftood to prophefy chiefly of
an age diftant from, and better than his own ; and
what age can that be, but the laft age of the Church,
which, we elfewhere learn, fhall in every refpeft far
exceed all preceding ages ? St Peter's prophecy in-
cluding both thefe periods, aims ultimately at one
ftill higher, and foars above this world to one that
is yet better. But that it is not to be underftood
folely of a heavenly ftate, exclufively of all refpect
to this Eardi, is iufficiently implied in the words
themfelves. Neverthekfs^ we, according to his
Prom I ST, look for new Heavens, &c. Now, what
Promife can this allude to, unlefs it be that in Ifaiah
Ixv. 17. Behold, I create tieiv Heavens, and a new
Earth, God having made none other Promife of
this nature, that we know of, when St Peter wrote
this Epfilc ? Therefore the one is to be interpreted
by the otlier ; and tliat, That pafTage of Ifaiah is to
be underflood rnoft naturally of an earthly ftate, and
of a ftate on tliis Earth, will appear on the firft view
to any one that will but look into it.
But this, as I fiid, is only an inferior fenfe of St
Peter's prophecy. As it exprefly fays, that the Hea-
vens (i, e. the region of the air, or atmofphere) and
■the Earth which are nozv iliall be deftroyed by fire,
.it is probable, that the 7iew Heavens and Earth fhall
be formed out of the materials, and, as it v/ere, arife
out of the allies of the old ; and being purged and
purified
the Milleftnium explained. 307
purified by the fire of the general conflagration,
ihall again become the refidence of the righteous part
,of its antient inhabitants, after they fhall have put
On their refurre6tion-bodies. For as our bodies
themfelves fhall undoubtedly be refined at the re-
furrefbion, fo this our native habitation, our mother
Earth, from whofe bowels they v/ere taken, will
then receive a proportionable refinement, and be as
fit for their reception, as it was before. But this
is offer'd only as a probable conjedure, and as fuch
no flrefs is laid on it. I have yet a remark or two
to add on this pafTage of St Peter, before I leave it.
I. It is faid, V. 7. that the Heavens and the
Earth that are now — are kept in jlore, refervedunto
fire, a^ainft the day of judgment, and perdition of un-
godly men. Whence it may be inferr*d, that as the
ungodly are to be deltroy'd by the fame fire with
which the world fhall be burnt, this implies that at
the end of the world there will be ungodly perfons
to be deilroyed, contrary to the fuppofition of an u-
niverfal prevalence of righteoufnefs. In anfwer to
this let it be confider'd,
1. That the perdition of ungodly men is not
meant particularly of any ungodly men that fnall
then be found alive, but of all the ungodly in general,
from the beginning of the world, who fliali then be
raifed up ; which is plain from its being join'd with
the day of judgment, in which all are equally con-
cern*d. There will, then, be ungodly perfons e-
now, and alas too many, for the laft tire to prey
upon, without fuppofing any of them who fhall
then be found alive, to fhare in the fame wretched
fate. But,
2. I think it is evident from another pafTage of
Scripture, that none of thofe who fhall be found a-
live at the end of the world fliall be fufferers by the
fire which fhall then deftroy the ungodly. For St
X a Paul
3o8 "Tbc DoBrine of
Paul tells us, i ^he[. iv. 1 6. 17. that at our Lord*s
comings the dead in Chriji Jhall rife firfi ; then we^
fays he, which are alive and remain^ Jhall be caught
up together with them in the clouds^ to meet the Lord
in the air ; and fo Jhall we ever be with the Lord ;
which expreflion, we which are alive (or more pro-
perly, we the livingy the quick, yijuihg ot ^mrn;)
as it runs in general terms, without excluding any,
muft be underftood to comprehend all the quick at
the end of the world. And as they fhall all be
caught up in the clouds, together with the dead in
Chriji, to jneet the Lord in the air, hence it appears,
that both will be then joined together in their fates
and fortunes, as well as company — both Ihall be
exalted to fuch a region of the air, as will be out of
the reach of the deftroying element, which feems to
be one chief end of their being taken up thither — and
both will be ever with the Lord ; whence it plainly
appears that there will be no ungodly perfons among
the quick at the end of the world.
But the reft of the dead fbeing then, as well as
the dead in Chrift, invefted with their own bodies)
fhall be left to the fury of the flames, as an earneft
of the eternal torments, to which they then Ihall
fpeedily be configned.
As to the Apoille*s exprefling himfelf in the firft
perfon, we the quick, that does not at all affect the
prefent queftion. As it was not for him to know the
times and the feafons — As he was not fure but that
the end of the world might happen before the then
prefent generation fhould be extindl, fo it furely be-
came him to fpeak of it, as what he expected, to
make it the more intereiling and affecting to that
and all fucceeding generations.
Rem. 2. St Peter in the 9th v. of this 'i^d.ch. has
thefe words^— T'i'^ Lord is not Jlack concerning his
prQmife-'^hnt is long-fuffering to us-ward, net willing
that
the Millennium explained. 309
that any Jhoiild perijh, but that allfiould come to re-
pentance. Now as this is given as a reafon for the
Lord's delaying his coming to put an end to the
world, and to fit in judgment upon it, viz. that he
defers this great work in hopes of men's repentance ;
can we imagine that he would defer it thus long, un-
lefs he forefaw that- all at length would be brought to
repentance, and that an univerfal reformation would
enfue ? He either forefees that this will happen, or
that it will not : if he forefees that it will not, why
does he then wait and delay his purpofes in expecta-
tion of what he knows will never come to pafs ? Ob-
ferve what follows, v. 11, 12. Seeing that all thefe
things Jhall be dijjolved, what manner ofperfons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godlinefs, looking
for and hajling unto, or Cmore agreeably to the Ori-
ginal) hajtening on, the coming of the day of God ?
But how is this pofTible ? Where fhall we run to meet
the Lord ? or how fhall we quicken his pace, and
haflen his coming ? The Apoftle indeed here tells
us, that this may be done by our holy converfation and
godlinefs. But how can this affect our Saviour's com-
ing, and the end of the world ? Which way can it
accelerate the one, or fhorten the period of the other's
duration ? No otherwife than as it will contribute to
that univerfal repentance and reformation, which, it
fcems, is to precede it.
This is another Argument in favour of this Hy-
pothefis, which 1 know not how it can be evaded :
And this, as well as the former Remark, fhews that
Chrift's lafl coming will not be in wrath to punifli
the generation which fhall then be found alive, but
in mercy to them, and to all according as their works
fhall be. It will be a6lually terrible to many, and
therefore it is often, and fitly reprefented as fuch,
that men may be excited to ufe their diligence, that
X 3 they
3IO I'he DoBrine of
they may he found without fpot and btamelefs^ fo as
to avoid the terrors of it.
Hence likewife it appears that, as the earth, ac-
cording to what was obferved above, will be refined
by the general Conflagration, fo the refinement and
renovation of it feems to be the only end for which
it will be fubjeded to the Conflagration ; which
therefore will be voiichfafed unto it as a blefllng*,
and not inflidled as a judgment or curfe for the fins of
men ; which would likewife be contrary to God's
promife. Gen. viii. 21. / will not again curfe the
earth for man's fake.
I fhall only add, that thefe two Remarks furnifh a
full anfwer to any objedlions that may be drawn from
th.t parable of the tares above-mention'd, p. 268.
from Luke xviii. 8, or any other places of Scripture,
againfl: the univerfal Prevalence of HoHnefs in the
lail Age of the World. On the contrary, I hope I
have made my Promife good, p. 269. which was,
to prove, ' that the laft generation of men fhall be
' all righteous, and that there (hall not be a wicked
' perfon among them.'
It may be here expefted, thatfome notice fhould be
taken of the xxiv. chap, of St Matthew -, which tho'
primarily belonging to the deftrudion of Jerufalem^
yet as it is generally allowed to be underftood like-
wife of the end of the world, at leaft in a typical
fenfe j fo there are feveral circumftances in the de-
fcription
* Neque promiflloni huic [nempe qu/^ patci. Gen. viii. 21. Non
maledicam ultra terrje propter hominem) — non promiffioni huic
adverfatur comminatio ilia, qus extat apud Pctrum, de Muiido
hoc per Confiagrationem perdendo — Nam Conflagratio ilia nee
liet malcdicendo, rec propter hominem, quomodo faftus eft in-
teritus mundi per diluvium ; fed propter converfionem, lullratio-
nem, & muiationem rerum omnium in mcliuf, adeoque propter
Aituri feculi ilatum, in quo c^(iei, feu figura hujus mundi non
atnplius locum habef.
Heidegger Hifi. Patriarch. Exercii. ii). de Palh^genrJ:a. Mundi.
the Millennium explained. 311
fcription of it, which may "hot feem reconcileable
with the Doftrine here laid down : I (hall, therefore,
beftow upon tliis Chapter a particular examination,
as far as concerns the prefmt llibied:.
In the 3d V. the Difciples afk, Tell us ivhen thefe
things (the deftrudion of the temple) Jljall be ? and
what /hall be the fign of thy comings and of the end
of the world ? Or the conclufwn of the age^ the final
period of the Jewijlj (late and polity •, as Dr Ham-
mond trandates and interprets it, fuitably to his fenfe
of this whole C aptcr, which he underitands to re-
late to the deftruftion of ferufalem only.
In confirmation of which it may not be amifs to
obferve, that the antient Jews reckoned tv/o Ages,
"jiz. 0 ivv ctrjovy the Age in which they lived under
their own form of worfhip and government -, and
6 /ui\\u)Vy the Age of the MeJ/iah "Nhich was to
come ; and as his coming would of courfe put an
end to the Jewifh Age, therefore thefe two Quefti-
ons are very properly joined together. What fhallbe
the fign of thy comings and of the conclufwn of this
our Jge ?
But admitting that the Difciples meant their quef-
tion of the End of the World likewife, thereby con-
founding two very diftinft things ; yet as they v/ere
not to know the times and the feafoiis^ it was not ex-
pedient for them to be otherwife inform'd : And
therefore our Saviour gave them fuch an anfwer, as
fully fatisfied the firft part of their que ftion, in which
alone they were concerned \ at the fime time leaving
them at liberty to underftand it alio of the end of,
the world : tho' if they had carefully weighed his
wliole difcourfc, they migiit have inferred from fe-
veral parts of it, not only that the end was not to
be yet^ as he told them, but likewife that this dif-
courfe of his had very little relation to the confum-
mation of all things •, which we of after-ages have
X 4 bet-
312 ^he Dodlrine of
better afllirance of from our Saviour's own words,
verified by the event, i;. 34. where he fays, with an
affeveration, Verily^ I fay unto you^ this generation
jhall not pafs till all thefe things be fulfilled. Whence
we muft neceffarily conclude, that all the events
here predicted by him have been long ago fulfilled,
in the deftruftion of Jerufalem, which happened in
the life-time of fome who were prefent, and heard
the predidion.
But was not the deftruftion of Jerufalem typical of
the end of the world ? For the refolving of this quef-r
tion, thefe feveral things are to be confidered. i.
The calamities preceding, and the terror and tribu-
lation attending this deftruftion, contained in 1;. 6,
7, 8, 21. 2. The awefulnefs and folemnity of the
defcription, 1;. 30, 31. 3. The fuddennefs and
iinexpeftednefs of this vifitation, and the fecurity
and unpreparednefs of men for it, v. 27, 37, 38,
Q,g. Laftly, the diftinftions reprefented to be made
on that occafion between different forts of men i the
ele5l and reprobate •■, believers and unbelievers •, good
and bad., v. 40, 41.
With regard to the firft ; the calamities defcribed
in this Chapter, fuch as wars., famines., ■pefiilences.,
earthquakes., are certainly very inconfiftent with that
peaceable, plentiful, and every way fiourilhing and
happy ftate, which I fuppofe the world, in the laft
ages of it, will be advanced to.
But as it does not appear from any other part of
Scripture, that any fuch calamities as thefe Ihall hap-
pen in the end of the world, but the contrary, as I
have, and ihall have fhewn, fo neither does it from
hence : fo far otherwife, that our Saviour expresfly
fays, 1;. 2 1 . that then (at the deftmftion of Jeruja-
lem) fhall be great tribulation., fuch as was not Jince
the beginning of the world to this time., no nor ever
SHALL BE. Can this tribulation then be typical of
any
the Millennium explained. 313
any in time to come, when our Saviour aflferts pofi-
tively, that there never Ihall be any Ike it in all fu-
turity ? It is of the nature of a type to be ever infe-
rior to its antitype — of the fhadow, to be more faint
than the fubftance -, but this can have no antitype to
equal or come up to it ', that is, indeed, no antitype
at all, as the words in effedt tell us. There will
undoubtedly be many fuch circumftances of terror
attending the conflagration of the world, and the kit
judgment, as are not to be conceived by us ; and
of this, that figurative defcription of the deftru(5bion
of the Jeivijh ftate and government, reprcfented v.
29. by the fun's being darkened^ &c. may be a pro-
per emblem ; but this is very difi"erent from wars^
famines^ &c. and for the above reafons, I cannot
think that any fuch calamities fliall happen towards
the end of the world, as prefages of its deftru(5lion,
or that they fhall then happen at all.
2. The aweful and folemn manner in which the
appearance of the Son of Man is defcribed, is figu-
ratively to be underftood of his coming to the deftruc-
tion of the unbelieving Jews^ and the deliverance
of his ele5i •, and literally, of his laft coming to judg-
ment to reward the good, and punifh the bad, and
to deal with every one according to his works : But
this does not affedt any thing I have offered. I
therefore proceed,
3 . To confider the fuddennefs and uuexpeclednefs
of Chriji's coming, and the fecurity and unprepared-
ncfs of Men for it. Chrift's coming, which bears
many different fcnfes in Scripture, may be quick
and fudden to all ; but it cannot furprize any, but
thofe that are carelefs and fecure, and unprepared
for it. Such were the Antediluvians, the SodomiteSy
and the Jews, when our Saviour came to inflict ven-
geance upon them : Such are many other wicked
people, who are frequently vifited with fudden judg-
ments : and fuch are many particular perfons, whom
death
2 14 ^h^ Do Brine of
death and judgment overtake unawares : But that
this will be the cafe of the laft generation of men,
cannot be granted; becaufe it hath been proved
that they Ihall be all righteous, and therefore pre-
pared and ready for their change, and their Lord's
coming. And to fuch as thefe the Apoftie addreff-
eth himfeif, i Th. v. 2, 4. Tour [elves know per-
feSilyy that the day of the Lord fo cometh as a thief
in the night ; hut ye^ brethren^ are not in darknefsy
that that day fhould overtake you as a thief. And
confequently,
K /i^thly^ As they will be all righteous, there will be
no diftindions made between the laft generation of
men, and each other •, for they fhall be all caught
up into the air^ together with the dead in Chrijh,
and Ihall all he, ever with the Lord. At the final
judgment indeed, which fucceeds, diftindlion will
be made between the juft and unjuft in general ; the
Iheep and the goats : But that does not regard the
prefent queftion, and is far from being queftioned
by me. Upon the whole I cannot find that the xxivth
chap, of Matt, furnifheth any objedion againft
what hath been advanced above.
To return to Dr Burnet. — There is one other ar-
gument of this learned author's in defence of his
opinion concerning the feat of the new heavens and
earth, which I promifed to confider; I mean that
which he draws from that particular chara6ter of
them which St John gives us, viz. that therein
there was no fea •, and which falls more immediate-
ly in my way here, as I propofe for the reader's
■fatisfadion to fpeak to the feveral charafters of
the new Jerufalem Jiate, as they occur in the xxift and
jcxiid chap, of the Revelations. The firft of which
is this. — And I faw a new heaven and a new earth,
fer the firft heaven and the fir fi earth were paffed a-
way, and there was no more fea., Ch. xx^. i .
the Millennium explained. 31^
This Circumftance of there being no fea in the
new heavens and earth fo exactly hits Dr Burnet* s
hypothefis, that no wonder he catches at it, and in-
terprets it in the literal fenfe *. But others, who are
not under the fame prejudices, tho' they fliould be
at a lofs how elfe to underftand this text, yet would
hardly be perfuaded to underftand it in this man-
ner, for this very reafon, becaufe of the abfurdity
of this fenfe of it ; whereby it is made to fupport a
world fo unphilofophical, and uninhabitable. As
well might he underftand this whole chapter in the
literal fenfe — fuppofe the new Jerufakm to be actu-
ally built v^'ith. gems cind precious Jiones, and exclude
fun and ?nocn from his new heaven and earth, as ex-
clude the fea from it. And fomething like this he
feems to do elfewhere, p. 318. where (fomewhat in-
confiftently with his main fcheme) he makes a fe-
cond transformation of the new Jerufakm, and brings
it at laft to 2Lfixt Jlar. When he confiders that the
city had no need of the fun or moon, and that there
was no night there, he make this grave reflexion
and concludes, * that this can be no terreftrial body ;
* it nAift be a fubftance luminous in itfelf, and a
' fountain of light, as a fixt ftar.*
To turn every thing into allegory is to explain
away the fenfe of Scripture -, but too clofe and fcru-
pulous an adherence to the letter does it no lefs dif-
fervice, by making it appear abfurd and ridicu-
lous.
If we would come at the fenfe of the bright cha-
racters in this chap, we muft interpret them in a fpi-
ritual manner. The glorious light which the neiv
Jerufakm fhall enjoy can be none other than the
light of the gofpel, the glorious gofpel, as St Paul
more than once calls it, 2 Cor. iv. 4. i Tim. i. 1 1.
which will then fhine forth in its full luftre, difpell-
ing
♦Theory, p. 195.
^ 1 6 *Ihe Dodirine of
Jng all the dark clouds of ignorance and error, and
greatly enlightening the underftandings of men.
This interpretation is the more probable, becaufe St
John in his other writings conftantly reprefents the
gofpel and its author under the image of light -, and
here likewife he fays, ch. xxi. 23. That the city^ i.
e. the Church, had no need of the fun, neither of
the moon to fhine in it : for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof —
the fun of right eoufnefs, whofe tabernacle Ihall be
then with men, v. 3. and of whom the fun in the
firmament is but an emblem. And is not this fpi-
ritual light far more excellent than the natural light
oi 2ifixt Jlar? and a more worthy and fubhme ex-
plication of this divine portraiture? When God
Ihall caft the bright beams of his Hght upon his
Church, and it fhall be fully illuminated with the
doftrine of Chriji and his Apollles — When the ex-
cellence of the Chriftian difpenfation fhall thus be
difplayed, and its divine precepts Ihine forth with
double luflre in the lives of its profefTors — When the
king^s daughter fhall by this means be all glorious
within, and her cloathing of wrought gold, Pf xlv.
14. i. e. when the outward decency and majefly of
ChrijFs Church, the lamFs bride, fhall be fuitable
to her inward excellence and purity, worjhipping the
Lord in the beauty of holinefs, Pf xxix. 2. When
we confider, I fay, that the holy city, the new Jeru-
falem, fhall defend from heaven, prepared in this
manner, as a bride adorned for her hufband. v. 2.
we fhall not think it unfuitable to the figurative
ilyle here ufed to reprefent her garnifhed with gold,
and^^;«j,and all manner of precious flones, as the em-
blems of thefe excellent endowments and privileges.
To refume the Argument — As the defcription of
the holy Jerufakm is in a manner entirely allegorical;
fo that of the new Heavens and new Earth,
which
the Millmniim explained. 317
which differs from it no othcrwife than a whole does
From a part, ought to be taken allegorically Ukewife.
For by the new Heavens and. Earth I underitand the
whole renovated World, natural as well as moral ;
as by the holy City, the new Jerusalem, I underftand
the Chriftian Church. And as the whole in a man-
ner is to be interpreted figuratively, fo that particu-
lar charafter belonging to it, that therein was no
onore Sea, required as much as any other to be inter-
preted figuratively likewife.
And what can it mean, but that this element be -
ing the emblem of trouble, difquiet and inconftan-
cy, by there being no more Sea is fignified, that the
renovated world fhall not be fubjed: to the vicifTi-
tudes, commotions, and diforders, which in its pre-
fent corrupt ftate are, more or lefs, unavoidable ?
That there fhall be a greater tranquillity, liability,
and certainty in all things here below, and that they
fhall flow on in a fmoother, more regular, and uni-
form courfe, than hitherto they have done ? Then
every individual fhall regulate his conduct by the
niceft rules of wifdom and prudence, and fhall
know his own fphere fo well, as never to deviate
from it to the difturbance of another ; neither fhall
there be any ftrife or emulation between particulars,
but who fhall contribute mofl to the good of the
whole. The politicks of all ftates fhall then likewife
be refined, and placed upon a more generous foot-
ting, than to be employed in diflrefTing and out-wit-
ing each other. They will then fee it their intereil
ratlier to promote their mutual welfare, each feek-
ing its own in the general good. And agreeably
hereto, the courfe of nature Ihall be proportionably
altered for the better -, the feafons ihall be regular
and conftant in their return, the air temperate, the
earth fruitful, and nature in general reflored to its
primitive and paradifiacal flate.
This
^i8 ^he Dodfrme of
This is what I take to be obfcurely hinted In th is
exprefiion, that in the new Heavens and Earth there
Jhall he no more Sea ; and I find Eftius and St Aujiin
iikewife underftand it in this manner. And what
inclines me the more to think that this is the true
fenfe of it is, becaufe otherwife there would feem to
be an omifTion in St John's, defcription, with regard
to the peace, tranquillity, and fbability of enjoyment
in his new Heavens and Earth, in which Ifaiah is
very exprefs and particular, ch. Ixv. 21, 22, 23.
That there is foundation in Scripture, as well as
in the analogy of Nature, for interpreting the Sea
as emblematical of difquiet and viciffitude, the read-
er may be fatisfied from Ifa. Ivii. 20. where the
Holy Ghoft compares the wicked to the troubled Sea,
which cannot rejl^ whofe \vaters cafi up mire and
dirt. And from James i. 6. where he that waver-
€th is faid to be like 'a wave of the Sea, driven with
the wind and tojjed.
I have now only to confider the remaining cha-
rafters of the new Jerufalem ftate, which being for
the moll part plainly and literally exprefTed, are lefs
liable to miftake, and require lefs pains to fix the
meaning of them.
The firft that occurs is in v. 3. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven^ f'^y^^S-y ^^^old the taber-
racle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they fhall he his -people, and God him f elf fh all he
with them, and he their God ; which words imply
that this ftate fhall be blefled with the divine Pre-
fence and communion * in a peculiar manner. I
have elfewhere mentioned the divine Prefence as a
character of this ftate. p. 254. but havereferved the
particular confideration of it for this place. WJiat
may be affirmed in general concerning it is, that it
muft
* Mr Lazo'i, Cenjiderations en Religion, $cc>
the Millennium explained. 31^
muft needs be of an extraordinary nature, and very
different from what is vouchfafed the Church at pre-
fent. Chriit indeed has promifed to be with it al-
ways, throughout all ages of it, even unto the end of
the world : But we cannot fay that he is hitherto
any otherwife prefent with it, than in the common
methods of his providence, and by the ordinary in-
fluences of his Spirit preferving, conducting, and
fupporting it, that the gates of hell prevail not againft
it. But there feems to be fomething more implied in
the words above-mentioned, otherwife why are they
inferted here as the peculiar charader of this ftate ?
And why are they introduced in fo pompous and
folemn a manner? / heard a great voice from heaven^
faying^ i^c. But if we confider what follows. 1;. 11.
that the ne^ Jerufalem which defcended out of hea-
ven had xht glory of God; and v. 22. that St John
faw no temple therein, but that the Lord God Al-
mighty, and the Lamb were the temple of it ; and v.
23. that the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb was the light thereof; and ch. xxii, v. 3, 4.
that the throne of God and the Lar,ib was in it, and
that his fervants faw his face. And t^at Ezekiel
concludes his defcription of this fame new Jerufalem
in thefe words, 'The name of the city from that day
fhall be. The Lord is there. Ch. xlviii. tilt. From
all this we cannot avoid concluding, that the divine
Prefence will be with the Church in this happy flate
of it in a moft eminent and diilinguifhing manner,
to all good purpofes whatlbever.
It is thought by fome that God Almighty reveal-
ed himfelf by a vifible appearance to Adam in Para-
dife ; however it is certain he did to feveral other holy
men of old, not only upon particular occafions, but
moreover that he vouchfafed a (landing manifefta-
tion of his glory to the Jewijh. Church for many
ages. And who can tell but he will again converfe
as
320 ^he Dodtrine of
as freely and familiarly with men, when the paradi^
fiacal ftate fhall be reflored ? When his tabernacle
.fhall be once more ptch^d among men, the divine
Shecijiah may ag.dn appear in it. For it is not im-
probable to fuppofe, that wh.t has been vouchfafed
to a lefs perfeft oeconomy, may be reflored under a
more perfedl one. But whether the divine Prefence
will be any way vifible, or no, its influence will be
as efFedual to all intents and purpofes, which is fuf-
ficient to fatisfy our enquiries concerning it.
Another diftinguifliing charader of this ftate we
have in the next verfe. A?id God Jhall wipe away
nil tears from their eyes •, and there Jhall be no more
deaths neither J orrow^ nor crying^ neither Jhall there be
any more pain : for the former things are pajfed away.
And he that fat upon the throne f aid., Behold I make
all things new. v. 5. which words are plain and
exprefs as words can be, that all the natural evils of
life Ihall be removed, and that man fhall enjoy a
ftate of indolency, or freedom from pain of all kinds,
— that evenDeath itfelf ftiall be done away,and human
nature ftiall become immortal. But the particular
confideration of this head I propofe to referve for
another Chapter.
Agreeably hereto, and which this is no more
than a neceflary confequence of, we are told, v. 2 7.
that all the moral evil likewife ftiall be intirely ex-
cluded from this ftate. 'There fhall in no wife enter
into it any thing that defileth, neither that worketh
abomination., or maketh a lye., but they which are writ-
ten in the LamFs book of life. And as the new
Jerufalem will be too holy for the wicked of any
denomination to be admitted into it, fo v. 8. we are
told where they are to have their portion — The fear-
ful and unbelieving., and the abominable^ and murder-
ers^ and whoremongers, and forcer ers^ and idolaters,
and
the Millcnnhim explained '321
'land all lyars^ Jhall have their fart in the lake which
burneth ivith fire arid brimjlone, "juhich is the fecond
death. Rev. xxi. 8.
The manner wherein, and the extent to which
moral evil fhall be removed, I conceive to be this
—That it will at length be worn away to that de-
gree, that the laft generation of men fliall have no
more fin of any kind, than will render the good
offices of their redeemer neceflary for the pardon
and removal of it ; all remains of which will be fo
effectually overcome by the aids of his grace, that
they fhall in the courfe of their lives entirely recover
their original innocence, and arrive at fuch a con-
firmed habit of virtue and godlinefs as to be moral-
ly incapable of finning ; as this fame Apollle elfe-
where obferves — He that is born of Ggd, /. e. tho-
roughly regenerated by his holy Spirit, cannot fin-
I Jo. iii. 9. where he feems to allude to this con-
firmed ftate, this obfervation being applicable only
to fuch as are thus finally fettled and rooted in the
love of Gqd^ and religion. Having thus fuccefsful-
ly finifhed the term of their probation upon earth,
they fhall at length be received into glory, and tranila-
ted to a heavenly immortality without tailing ofdeath.
But farther, to fhew how exa<5l i refemblarice there
is between the primitive and future paradifiacal Hate,
or rather that this is but the fame ffate reftored, we
have in the beginning of the next Chapter a defcrip-
tion of the river and tree of life. v. i. He fjci^edme a
'pure river of -water of life^ clear as cryjlal^ proceeding
out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb •, which
plainly anfwers to the river that went out of Eden
to "Water the Garden of Paradife. Gen. ii. 10. and v. 2-
In themidjl cf the flreet of it^ which iv as enconipajfed
en either fide by the river, there ivas the Tree of
l-ifcy zvhich bare tzsehe manner of ^r:vts^ and yielded
Y ■ " her
322 State of the New Heavens
her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. Thus I chufe,
with Mr Mede, to render the words, whereby they
become more inteUigible, as well as more fuitable
to the defcription of the firft Paradife, which is fup-
pofed to have been fituated between the two rivers,
Tygris and Euphrates. However, the "Tree of Life in
the midji of the fircet manifeilly correfponds with,
and alludes to, the Tree of Life in theniidjl of the
Garden of Eden.
But it is not fo eafy to unravel this myftical repre-
fentation, lb as to find out the true fenfe couched
under it, and fix what it particularly points at, in
this happy ftate.
I'hus much in general may be affirmed concern-
ing ir, that it is a lively emblem ot the bounty and
fufficience of that provifion, which God fhall then
make for his Church, of fpiritual bleffings, as well
as temporal good things -, which will be fo inex-
prefiibly great, as vaftly to exceed our prefent con-
ceptions. For eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, nei-
ther have en t red into the heart of man the things which
God hath -prepared for them that love him. i Cor. ii. 9 .
By this tree of life fume underftand the tree of the
crofs to be m.eant \ which, as it bears the greateft ana-
logy to the tree of life in the firft Paradife, fo, if
taken emblematically to fignify the whole of chrifti-
anity, it iikewife beft anfwers the end and defign
of it. For when the chriftian religion is grown up
to its full maturity of ftrength and power, fo as to gain
entire poilcffion of men's hearts and lives, it will
recover to them all thofe great bleffings and privile-
ges, which the tree of life was defigned to procure
for them in Paradife, and of which it will fecure to
them the enoyment.
And particularly, the medicinal virtue of the
leaves of t.ie gofpel-trec of life^ menrioned Iikewife
Ezck.
nnd New Earth explained. 323
Ezek. xlvii. 12. may fignify the means of grace,
the externals ofrehgion, the conftant applicition cf
which will remedy all the lefler infirmitivis ot our
Nature; to which, as I have fhewn, p. 10, Adam
in Paradife might have been liable, confidently with
his ftate of innocence, and from which creatures of
fuperior orders may not perhaps be entirely exempt.
The concluding Chara6ler of the jzew Jerufalem
'*ftate is contained in the three next Verfes. ylnd there
Jhallbe no more Curse ; But the throne of God and
of the i^amh Jhall he in it : and his ferv ants Jh all ferz'e
him. And'fhey Jhall fee his face^ and his nanieffoalli/e
in their forehls^ds. And there fhall he no night there ^
and they need no candle., neither light of the fun •, fcr
the Lord God giveth them light ; and they fhall reign
for ever and ever. Here is an exprcfs declaration,
that the curfe and ill confequences of the fall fhall be
entirely removed and done away. Indeed had the
holy Ghoft been filent, and left us to have made the
conclufion ourfelves, we could not well have avoid-
ed it, after what he was pleafed to reveal in this,
■and the foregoing chapter j where the fsveral parts
of the curfe, natural and moral evil, are faid to be
removed ; man reftored to his native innocence, in-
tegrity, felicity, and immortality : And where we
have as lively a defcription of Paradife as in the fe-
cond chapter of Gcnefis.
But after recounting thefe particulars, the Spirit,
by way of confirmation, adds in general^ And there
Jhall he no more Curse. It is more ftrongly exprefs'd
in the original, ;ca; ma^v zxratvci^ivuy^ i<k i'cxi sV;.
*There foall he no more Cur fe cf any kind. Tiie origi-
nal Curfe, in every branch of it, fiull be dene a-
way •, thereby, one would think, putting the matter
beyond all poffibility of doubt. Hereto is fubjoin'd v.
5. and they flj all reign for ever and ever, thereby int".-
Y 2 mating
3 24 State of the Neii) Heavenl
mating that this Itate lliall be of long continuance on
earthy and be perpetuated by the tranflation of it into
heaven ; when, the mediatorial fcheme being complet-
ed, and the redemption of our nature fully accom-
pliflied, all thefe things jhall he dijjolved^ and our glo-
rious Redeemer yZ;^// deliver up the kingdom to God,
'eveji the Father^ ofwhofe kingdom there Jhall be no end,
I would now fain know what is wanting to make
this ftate truly and completely paradifiacal -, all the
charafters of fuch a ftate being thus diftinftly laid
down, and in fuch plain and exprefs terms, as are
not frequently to be met with in the prophetical
writings, efpecially in the Revelations of St John.
It is fome prefumption in favour of this opinion,
that the beginning and ending of the facred code
have a remarkable Reference to each other : It begins
with the creation of the world, the planting of par a-
dife, the placing of m.an in it, and his lofs of it : It
ends with the renovation of the world, the rejlitution
of paradife, and the ref oration of man is the enjoy-
ment of it, and particularly of the tree of life, to
prevent his eating of which he had been expelled out
of it.
The facred* writings are not only confiflent through-
out, but they have moreover a wonderful connexion
with, and dependence upon each other, notwithftand-
ing the feveral parts of them were written by fo
many diilerent authors, at fuch long intervals and
diftances of time from each other, than whicli there
can be no better proof of their divinity. But this
connection is more ei'pecially remarkable in the cafe
before us, and is a circuraftance which deferves par-
ticularly to be regarded.
I fhould now have finiflied my defign, and fluould
v)rocced to a. conclufion ofthistreatifei but that I am
lenfible
and New Earth explained, 325
^enfible men's prejudices are fo great againft iome
things advanced in it, tho' they have accuinulated
evidences of ScHpture to fupport them, th itl doubt ,
they will hardly be perfuaded to believe Mofes and
the Prophets^ or even Chrift and his Apolliies con-
cerning them, whatever deference they may have for
their authority in other relpr.6ls.
The points concerning which I differ fo much from
the received notions, and wherein I moll doubt of
overcoming them, are the Natural Evils oi Utc -,
which are fo many and various in their kinds, fo great
.and vifible in their effeds, and withal fo unavoida-
ble, as the world at prefent is conftituted, that it is
no wonder men fhould think them infeparable from
this life, as necefTarily refulting from the laws of our
being here. The miferies of human life have been
always felt in ib many inftances, or at lead feen in fo
many objects of them, that this has been the con-
ftant topic of men's complaints in all ages paft, and
therefore they conclude it will be no lefs fo in all
ages to come. And however fome may efcape
through life without tailing much of the evils of it ;
yet the evil of death, the greateft of any, iscommor>
to all, and none can find any refuge from it.
It is an adventurous undertaking to attack notions
grounded upon the experience of all men in all ages :
Nor lliould I be fo rafli as to engage them with any
other weapon than that wherein I truft, the [word of
the Spirit^ Eph.vi. 1 7. The warrant of Scripture in this
behalf hath in fome meafure been produced already ;
but as the reader will exped: more particular proofs
in fupport of fo ftrange a paradox, I have therefore
referved it till laft, and not to interrupt the th.read
of thedifcourfe, fhall beftowa diflindl confideration
upon it, that the reader may form the better judg-
ment of it, and rejedl or approve it, according as it
(hall appear to Iiim to deferve.
Y 3 C H A P.
326 T roofs of the Re?mval
CHAP. XIV.
Concerning the Removal of the natural Evils of
Life in general^ and in their fever al Kinds ^
Have proved at large in the foregoing Chapters,
as well from the general defign of Chriftianity,
as feveral particular confiderations, that the Gofpel-
difpeiifation was calculated for the recovery of our
nature to its firfteltate in its moral capacity ; anda-
greeably hereto I have produced many conciirrent
paiTages of Scripture, all tending to prove, either di-
reftly, or by jull confequence, that mankind aftual-
ly fhall recover from all their moral diforders, and
be once more reftored to a (late ot finlefs perfeftion,
t-.ven in this life. Now this alone, v/ere there no
other, is a fufficient argument to prove, that we
iliall recover from our natural diforders likewife ;
fince the cure or removal of moral evil neceflarily
infers the removal of natural evil too. For fuch is
the connexion between the moral and natural world,
that they are infeparabje in their fates \ and as they
fell, {Bfe -p. 33.) fp Oiall they rife together. Moral
and natural evil may be look'd upon as caufe and
effe6l ; for it was m.oral evil that gave birth to natural
evil, and introduced it into the world. Thus par-
ticularly it is laid of Death, that it entered into the
world by fin^ Rom. v. 12. And ever fince, the
one has borne proportion to the other. Every in-
creafe or diminutipn of moral evil caufes an increafe
or diminution of natural evil, as its neceilary effect
and confequence : they conftantly rife and fall,
ebb and flow together. Wherefore upon the total
cure of m.oral evil, natural evil, being a kind of
fymptomatic diforder^ will prefently vanifh. The
c^ufe
of Natural EviL 3 2^
caufe being removed, the effeft will ceafe of
courfe.
Befides, upon the removal of moral evil, the end
and reafon of natural evil will no longer fubfift ; it
being defign'd by way of difcipline and corredion
for the other, of which there will then be no need.
For men having regained the redlitude and pcrfed:i-
on of their natures may be trulled with happinefs,
which otherwife would be a worfe evil to them tlian
any they at prefent feel from their fins •, which if
they were to caufe no inconvenience to them here,
they would foon conclude they neither deferved, nor
fhould fufFer any from them hereafter, but perhaps
would think themfclves entitled to reward : And it
need not be laid how great an encouragement this
would be to continue in fin.
Thefe arguments are conclufive with rcfpc6l to all
natural evils whatfoever -, but there are fome of them
fo vifibly and immediately the refult and punifh-
ment of fin, that with regard to them they are felf-
evident. Now, if we were only to reckon up thofe
of this latter fort, they would make a great draw-
back upon the number of natural evils, and con-
fiderably leflen their catalogue, were thofe fins ab-
ftained from, which are the immediate caufes of
them. It v/ere cndlefs to recount all the mifchiefs
tliat flow from the indulgence of the irafcible and
concupifcible pafTions. Excefs and intemperance of
every kind conllantly carries its own punilLment a-
long with it •, neither is there any other vice th.it is not
attended with one inconvenience or other in this life ;
and nothing is more certain than that all the evils we
are obnoxions to here, are the genuine offspring of fin,
and may be either immediately or remotely deduced
from it •, however fome of them may feem, to fuch as
confider them lefs attentively, to be altogetlier inde-
pendent of it.
y 4 It
'328 Proofs of the Removal
It is true, poverty, ficknefs, death, and other or-
dinary evils are common to the beft wifn tlie -worft
of men; and fo are the more extraordinary ones
likewife, fuch as famine, peftilenre, and other pub-
lick calamJties, in which the innocent are often in-
volved with the guilty •, whence perhaps it may be
concluded that they ibmetirrjes proceed from other
caufes than that of fin.
But as men are not yet advanced to fuch perfedi-
on, but that the molt upright of them have many
failings, and offend in 'many things \ and as the affli(fti-
ons ot good men are reprefented in, Scripture as cha-
Jlifements^ which imply guilt ; fo no argument to,
this purpofe can be drawn from the fuffering inno-
cence of any rner:; man that has ever yet lived, fmce
none are really, but only comparatively innocent ;
nay not from that of our Saviour Chriji himfclf •,
inafmuch as he likewife fuffered for lin, in his life as
well as death, thp' not for any of his own.
There being therefore none of the natural evils of
life, which are not either immediately or remotely
the effefts of fin, we mufl: refume our firft conclu-
fion, That when human nature Ihall have made a
complete conqueft over fin, as I have proved it fhall,,
all thefe leffer enemies which annoy us under its
banner, (hall be likewife vanquifhed.
But we are not obliged to depend altogether up-
on confequential reafonings for the proof of this
truth i fince it will, upon examination, appear to be
founded upon the exprefs authority of Scripture^
whether it be confidered in general, or in its feveral
parts.
I . With regard to the removal of natural evil in
general. We have an exprefs promife of a redemp-
tion and reftitution of the whole natural creation,
Rom. viii. 19 — 23. The earneji expe^ation of the
creaturs ''jjaitcth for ths ma?iifeJiation of the fons of
God.
of Natural Evil. 329
QoD. — {For the creature was made Juhje^ to vanity^
not ivillingl)\ but by rc.ifon of him "uvho hath Juhjcci-
ed the fame) — in hope : Becaufe the creature itfelf al-
fo fioall he delivered from the bondage of corrupt ioriy
into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For
lue know that the whole creation groaneth and travaik
€th in pain together until now : And not only they,
but ourfehes alfo, which have the fir ft fruits of the
Spirit ..even we ourfehes groan within ourfehes, waiting
for the adoption, to zvit, the redemption of our Body.-f
Grotiusy as well as feveral o;hers, underftands
this paflage of the whole vifible creation. Concern-
ing which he very juftly obferves, ' that as it was
^ made for the fake of man, fo it ought not to be
■ reformed nnd reduced to a better ftate, but when
* men fhall be reformed themfeives.'* Nor ought
it to be looked upon as any objedlion againfr un-
derllanding the creature here men'-ioncd, of the in-
animate creation, that the Apon"le atLrib^.t^^s a kind
of pf-rfonality to it, thi:. being a figure which he, in
common with other writers, f:cred as W'il ..s pro-
fane, frequently ufcs for the imprefling of :.. greater
weight and emph:fis upon h's '.'ifcourfe.
Thus much being premifed, it may not b;^ amifs
to attempt a paraphrafe of the whole pail'ge.
' The v/hole viiible Creation, which '<V£a made for
' the Sake of m;.n, and which is joined •vith him in
' its fate, having been made fubjed: tc trie curfe of
* corruption x?. 21. and vanity (agrcibly to the
' Preacher's obfLrvation, that all is verity) but this
* not willingly, not like man, having this curfe infli6l-
^ ed upon it for any voluntary tranfgreflion of its
* own — but by reaibnof the fmofhim {Adam) who
' fubje<5led it thereto — Tly; whole Creation, I fliy, by
' a kind
•j- SceT^.'/. li. 16. with Cdhln and oihcr Commentators up'T ir.
? TiVj kac tiatura rcrum itjpe8abilh hcmiiiutn cnujd coiidita — non
debet reforf,iari i:i fia!:i:x :;i;lLrein nif cum homines refoimabuntur^
Cr.t, in Iccuni.
330 Proofs of the Removal
' a kind of natural inftin6l, whereby every tiling
* hath a tendency to its own recovery and perfeftion,
* waiteth in earneft expectation, for the time when
* the adoption of the fons of men, v. 23. jfhallbe
< manifeftly completed by their attainment of the
* perfection of their natures, and by that means be-
* coming the Sons of God in a higher and more
' proper fenfe than that appellation can at prefent be-
* long to them in. Seeijo. iii. 2. And the reft of the
* Creation waiteth for this happy event, in hope that
' it too fhall then be renovated, and thereby be de-
' livered from the bondage of corruption under
* which it hath long groaned, and even till now
' fympathizeth and travaileth in pain together
* with us •, who tho' we have the firft fruits of the
* Spirit, whereby our refl oration may be prefumed
* to be in greater forwardnefs than that of the reft of
' the Crearion, yet we ourfelves likewife groan
' within ourfelves, waiting for the completion of this
* fame adoption, to wit, the redemption or reftitu-
* tion of our bodily part, and of the whole body of
' mankind.
It is obfervable that the antient Jews exped:ed a
renovation of the natural world in the age of the
Mejfuihj whence probably the JewiJIo converts, not
feeing it immediately take place, might begin to
dcfpair of it j and therefore the Apoftle, by way of
provifion againft any fcruples of this kind, on xht
one hand tells them that the Creature groaneth^
&c. a>p(T8 v^-y even till that prefent time, not
withftanding the MeffiaJfs reign had commenced
fome time before, thereby intimating that this re-
novation was not as yet to take place, nor to be ef-
feded all at once : and, on the other hand, he great-
ly animate? and raifes their hopes of it, v;hen he tells
them that the Creature is in earnefi expeHation * of it:
Whence
* ATi;r^c(t;xh>t^.», attmia 13 fduifa e.^f'e^nti-^, faSla arre^o capite.
' of Natural Evil 331
Whence it is moft natural to conclude that as this re-
novation was expedttd, fo it is to be made in this life.
If this interpretation be allowed, it confirms the
kypothefis laid down ch. iv. concerning the removal
of the curfe from off the ground. For as it is here
laid, that the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth.
in pain together until now, i. e. till the time when
this Kpiftle was written -, it is evident that the curfc
was not then entirely removed ; nor, as may be add-
ed, is it as yet, there not having been any fuch ma-
terial change fince : And, on the other hand, here is
a plain Promife, that it fhall be removed hereafter.
In confirmation of which it may not be amifs to add
fome farther teilimonies from Scripture.
To this purpofe, it is obfervable that the Prophets
fpeak much of a paradifiacal flate, and of the great
plenty and fertility of the earth in time to come.Thus
Jfaiah fays, that wndar x\\q Mej[fiah\ reign, the fruit
of the earth fJo all be excellent and comely, Ifa. iv. 2.
And, that the Lord will comfort the zvajle places of
Zion, and make her Pl^ildernefs like Eden, and her
Defer t like the Garden of the Lord, ch. li. 3.*
Than which words what can be plainer, or more ex-
preis to the purpofe .'' Thus again does he defcribe
the flourifhing flate of Chrtft's kingdom, Ch.
XXXV. I, 7. The wilder nefs and folitary place fmll be
glad, and the defert fhall rejoyce and bloffom as the
rofe. And the parched ground fioall become a pool^
and the thirfty land fprings of water. And, ch. xlii.
18, 19. / will open rivers in high places, and
fountains in the midji of the "tallies : I will make
the wildemefs a pool of water, and the dry land,
fprings of water — / will plant in the wilder-
ncfs the cedar, the fliittah-tree, the myrrh-tree, and
the oyl-tree ; I will ft in the defert the fir-tree,
end the pine, and the box-tree together. And, wliicli
is
• Compare Ezek. xxzvi. 35. and Dcut. xxxiii. z8.
332 Proofs of the Removal
is yet more remarkable, rnftead of the thoyl^ Jhalf
come lip the fir-tree, and infiead of the l:.iar Jhall
come tip the myrtle-tree j and it fball Ic to tbe lord
for a Name, for an everlasting Sign that jh all
not le cut off. ch. iv. 13. The increafe of thorns and
briars being the efFeft of the curfe, this predidiion of
their being overcome by the growth of more ufefut
trees, is a plain intimation of the removal of the curfe
in this refpe6l, efpecially it being added, tha,t this
Jhall he to the Lord for a Name., i. e. will redound
to his Glory — and for an everlafting Sign that fjall
-not he cut off. For a fign of what can this be, but
of the reftoration of the earth to its paradifiacal
ftate ? Agreeably hereto we read, Amos ix. 13. Be-
hold the days come., faith the Lord, that the plow-
man fhall overtake the reaper ., and the treader of
grapes him that foweth feed \ and the mountains fhall
dropfweet wine., and all the hills fhall melt. So Joel iii.
18. And it fhall come to pafs in that day., that the
onountains pjall drop down new zvine, and the hills fhall
flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah Jhall Jlow
with waters., and a fountain fhall come forth of the
houfe of the Lord., and fhall water the valley ^/Shittim.
So likewife that text in Hof ch. ii. 2 1. 22. 1 will hear
the heavens., and they Jhall hear the earth ; and the
earth Jloall hear the corn., and the wine, and the oil^
is underftood of the favourablenefs of the heavens,
and fecundity of the earth in its renovated ftate un-
der the MefTiah. Thefe paflages have undoubtedly
a fpiritual meaning couched under the literal, but
there is no neceflity of reje6ling the letter for the fake
of it, as both are very confident with each other *
and fo the commentators frequently underftand them.
On thefe and the like Prophecies probably were
founded the great notions which the antient Jews had
of the univerfal plenty and fertility of the earth, un-
der the reign of the Meffinh, at the lead this was the
chiefeft and mod certain foundation of them. As
of Natural Evil. 33^
As there will in this happy ftate be great plenty
of the fruits of the earth, fo there will be a propor-
tionable increafe of men to enjoy them, and of cattle
likewife for the fervice of men, as is fiifficiently''
intimated in the following texts, If a. Ix. 22. Jer. xxx.
19. xxxi. 27. and £2c4. xxxvi. ii.
And when man fhall fully return to his obedience
to God, the brute creatures fhall likewife rcturi. to
theirs*, and become fubjecl to man the lord of this
lower world ; of which thofe animals that are already
tamed and made ferviceable to us, feem 10 be an
earnefl. Thus Hofea ii. 18. /;z that day will Im <c-
a covenant for them with the beafts of the field, and
with the fowls cf heaven^ and with the creeping things
of the ground. And this is the literal Senfe of the
above-cited Prophecy oi Ifaiah, 'it he wolf do all dwell
with the lamb, 6zc. and accordingly it is fo under-
ftood by feveral Chriftian * as well as Jewijh inter-
preters.
As the creatures in general fhall recover their firfl:
mildnefs, fo we learn that beafts of prey particularly
fhall ccafe to annoy man, and to devour each other,
but be content with vegetable food ; the lien /hall eat:
Jlraw like the ox.
Naturalills indeed have obferved that the ftomachs
of
T« ya.^ uvBpuTri! 's:xpxQ(m\o<; m^ uvto. (fcil. 6vip',ci) ffvy.Trxoi'ori' oTTora,:'
'i* tna^v 0 uv^PUTToi; aJxopctfA'o si; to k»,x (pvan f*.YiX-iTt JixKOroiuv" kukiZ/x
«7roxa1aoTaGr;3-elaj il; rvj a^p^vjG;'/ riftfgoTyja. I'heoph. Atittocb. ad
Autplycuni^ lib. 2. Vide ettavi Calvitium in hcuvi. Ano:her more
anticnr, even an apoftolical Father, having cited this text. En-
creafc, mid muitlpl'^ — and have domivhr: over thefi7:es. Sec. afks the
following QLicllion, " But who is there that is now able to have
*' this dominion over the wild beafts, or fiflies, or fowls of the
*' air ? For you know (as he proceeds) that 10 rule, is ro have
•' power, that a man llioiild be let over what he rules. But for-
*' afmuch as this we have net now, he tells us when we fhall have
*' it : Namely, when we fliall becomw* perfefl, that vve may be
'' made inheritors of the covenant of the Lord."
St Barnab:^;-, CtUhcUck Epipl'\ /Ihp Wahe'; TruKjI^ticT:.
334 Cmcer72wg the Removal
of carnivorous creatures feem to be formed for ani-
mal food j but this might not have been by any ori-
ginal conilitution of nature, but at firft contrafted
by habit, and derived down through their fuccefiive
generations ; and therefore may be worn off again
by degrees, and the original form and tone of their
llom.achs be recovered.
Ifaiak in his repetition of the lafl cited Prophecy,
cb. Ixv. 25. adds, and dufi pall be the fcj'penf s nieat^
intimating thereby, that as the Serpent was pro-
nounced accurfed above every beafl of the fields fo that
he fhall continue under this curfe, after his fellow-
brutes fliall be delivered from it. At the fame time
his inoffenfivenefs under his fentence may hence like-
wife be inferred, in that he fliall be content with this
vile food, and not offer to annoy man or other crea-
ture •, as is more exprefsly fignified, ch. xi. 8, 9.
'The fucking child Jhall play on the hole of the afp^ and
the weaned child fjnll put his hand on the cockatrice
dm. They floall net hurt nor defiroy in all my holy
mountain. Moreover,
It being faid, Mark i. 1 3. that our Saviour w<2 J w//^
the wild heafts in the wildernefs^ his continuance in fafe-
ty among them is an evident proof that the firft
Adam\ original dominion over the creatures was, in
virtue of his perfect innocence, and fovereignty over
the whole creation, rcilored to the fecond Adam; info-
much that he awed the whole tribe of lavage creatures
into obfequioufnefs and fubmiilion to him. Arid I
apprehend, that tho' Daniel's deliverance out of the
lions den was truly miraculous, yet that his innocence
contributed not a little to apprafe their rage, and con-
ciliate them to him ; as it is exprefsly fignify'd in the
hiftory— A^ God hath fent his Angela and hath fljut
the hens mouths^ that they have not hurt me •■, foraf-
m'Ach as before him innocency was found in me. ch. vi.
22. Thcfe inflances may be looked upon as an
earncik
cf Natural Evil. 33^
carneft that when man recovers his innocence, and
is in peace with God, he Pail be in league with the
Jlones of the fields and the beojts of the field JIj all be at:
peace with him^ as we are alliired. Job v. 23.
As it appears from the foregoing fcriptures that
there fhall be a renovation of the whole natural
World, animate and inanimate; that the ground Ihall
be delivered from the curfe infiifted upon it, and re-
cover its primaeval fertility •, the air of courfe be-
come mild and temperate, the feafons regular, and
the whole face of nature paradifiacal ; a confidera-
ble clafs of the evils we labour under muft confc-
quently be removed. I mean more immediately the
ordinary hardfhips of life ; toil, labour, and drud-
gery in providing the necelTaries and conveniences
ot it, together with the inclemencies of weather,
rigour of feafons, and other inconveniences refult-
ing from the prefent ftate of nature •, which be-
ing originally owing to the Curfe, muft v/ear off a-
long with it, as they and it have in a good meafure
done already. For this curfe mufl; originally be fup-
pofed to have extended to all mankind, v/ho were
all concluded under it ; and yet we fee many at pre-
fent exempted from it ; who know nothing of hard-
Hiip or want, but live in eafe, affluence and plenty, and
feel little of any external inconveniences, having
ways and means to guard and flieker themfelves
from them j and the labour of Hfe becomes in e-
very age eafier to thofe that are a6tually engaged
in it. (Concerning which fee Chapter IV.)
And when Nature fhall be entirely delivered from
its bondage, fuch will its freedom, bounty, and
fufficicncy of all things be, that the m.oft laborious
employments of life will be rather a pleafure than
toil, neither fliall mankind know what want, or
hardfliip of any kind, means. They fhall not hunger,
nor
32^ ConcerJilng the Revio^'al
7ior ihirfi, 7ieither Jloall the heat nor fun [mite them,
Ifa. xlix. lo. But, they JIj all come and fing in the
height of TAoRy and fJjall flow together to the goodnefs
cf the Lord, for wheat, and for imne, and for oyl,fof
ihe young of the flock and of the herd : And their foul
fhallhc as a watered garden, and they fh all not forrow
any more at all — And 1 will fatiate the foul of the
■priefl with fatnefs, and my people floall he fatisfied with
my goodnefs, faith the hord^ Jer. xxxi. 12, 14. And,
for hrnfs I will bring gold, and for iron Izvill bring
filver, and for wood brafs, and for fl ones iron, Ifa. Ix. 1 7 i
As mankind will then abound with riches, and
plenty of all the good things of life, fo fhall they
have a more certain enjoyment of them, and be
free from that precarioufnefs of tenure, againft which
the moil cautious poflcfTor of them at prefent can-
not fufficiently fi-cure himfelf. I'hey fhall build houfes
and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and eat the
fruit of them : they fhall not build, and another
inhabit ; they /hall not plant, and another eat, as it
frequently happens at prefent, but mijie ele£l fhall
long enjoy the work of their hands. 'They fhall not
labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble. Ifa. Ixv.
21 — 23.
And as every one by this means will have enough
to fatisfy all the reafonable demands of nature, {o
neither will any one's defires be fo immoderate as to
covet more. The boundaries of right and wrong
will be better adjufled, juftice better regarded, and
property better diftinguiflied, and a more juft value
put upon it ; whereby in a manner all the contenti-
ons that are in the world v/ill be dropt and die a-
way ; the fcripture-proofs of which have been given
already, p. 271.
But themoft confiderable clafs of evils is ftlll be-
hind. Notvvithilanding tiie earth fliall be thus fruit-
ful,
cf Natural Evil. 337
ful, tlie heavens favourable, the world all love and
harmony without, and, which is above all, the mind
ferene and peaceable within, — tho' all thefe favoura-
ble circumftances fhould confpire to make us hap-
py, yet what fignifies all this, while we carry thefe
iickly, crazy bodies about us ? What avail all the
good bleflings of heaven, without the greater blef-
fing of heaven to enjoy them ? Or what ftability
can there be in the enjoyment to a creature of fuch a
fhort, precarious life as man ?
I grant, if this were really the cafe, that a man
might be miferable even in Paradife. But as all the
other parts of nature fliall be improved, fo Ihall
thefe bodies of ours, both with refpe61: to health and
long life, be improved likewife.
With regard to Health, the Scripture is fufficlent-
ly exprefs, where it tells us, that there Jljall be no
Sorrow, nor Crying, neither Jhall there he any
more Pain -, for the former things are pajfed awa)\
Rev. xxi. 4. The former things — /. e. the pains,
infirmities, and difeafes, under which nature labour-
ed, before its recovery to this hale, healthy Hate,
fhall, together with their feveral caufes, be removed.
Agreeably hereto God promifeth the Ifraelites^ who
were a type of his future true Ifrael^ that in cafe they
would be obedient unto his commands, he 'xould
take ficknefs away from the midji of them, Exod.
xxiii. 25. And Jfaiah likewife prophefieth, that
the inhabitants of the new Jerufalem, fJjall not fay,
I am fick — But they that wait on the Lord Pall re-
new their Jlrength : They Jhall mount up with wings
as eagles, they floall run and not be weary, and they
fhall walk and not faint, Ifa. xxxiii. 24. xl. 31.
So Zeph. iii. 1 5. Thou fhalt not fee evil any more.
Our Saviour, when on earth, cured all manner of
bodily difeafes with a word's fpeaking, and impow-
ered his Difciplcs to do the lame ; which polTibly
Z might
338 Concenting th Removal
might have been an earneft of the future efficacy of
his gofpel in this refpecl. For when once it hath
gained full and univerfal influence over men's lives,
as it -will then prove the moft fovereign remedy for
all the difeafes of the foul, io I doubt not but its fa-
lutary virtue will be as efficacious with regard to the
health of the body likewife *.
How much the prudential pradlice of the fingle
virtue of Temperance in its feveral parts, as well as
Religion in general, contributes to the Health of the
Body, is fo well known, and hath been fo much
infilled upon by Divines, that it is needlefs here to
expatiate upon it. But the teltimony of one who
profelTedly ftudied the nature of the human body,
and the means of promoting its health, deferves
efpecially to be regarded. ' The love of God,*
fays he, (that is, religion) ' as it is the fovereign re-
' medy of all miferies, fo in particular it effeftually
' prevents all the bodily diforders the paffions in-
* troduce, by keeping the paffions themfelves
* v/ithin due bounds •, and by the unfpeakable joyj
* perfedt calm, ferenity and tranquillity it gives the
' mind, becomes the moft powerful of all the means
* of health and long life *. ' And when natural
means are made ufe of, in conjun6lion with, and fub-
fervience to religion, it doth not feem improbable,
that, what with the ftudy of the noble and ufeful
fcience of phyfic in its feveral branches, the improve-
ment and fl^ilful application of the materia medka,
and efpecially, proper, temperate, and abftemious
regimens, continued for fome generations, and all
under
* Chrijli/i venit ut reparet vires noflrar, ac reftituat, flatumque
noftrum integrum fervet — fi vere & perfefte in nobis rcgnaret
Chrijius, florerethaud dubio virtus ejus in nobis, corpufque &ani-
mum vegetarer. Eft vitiis noflris imputandum quod morbis. Sec.
fiimus obnoxii, quianqs plene a Chrijlo poffideri non patimur, nee
i;a prolecimus in novitate vit^e, ut omnem vetuftatera exuerimus.
Calv. in likiah, cap. hv. v. 29.
of iSlafural E'viL 339
linder the divine aufpices — it doth not, I fay, fecrn
improbablt^ that, by thefe mearis, the manifold dif-
eafes, which human nature labours under, may by
degrees be for the mod part overcome, hereditary
diftempers cured, and acquired ones prevented.
And when nature Ihall co-operate herewith, the
air become mild and temperate, the feafons regular
and favourable, and the juices of the earth whole-
fome and falutary, mankind may not know what
pains and aches are. Thus the -voice of joy and health
JJoall he in the dwellings of the righteous^ for the right
hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pafs, Pf.
cxxviii. 15.
Under this head, there is a particular cafe proper
to be taken notice of ; I mean that of the Wom.an ;
the fentence on whom is denounced in the followinsr
words — I will greatly multiply thy forrozv and thy con-
ception^ in forrow thou fJoalt bring forth children.
Gen. iii. 1 6. that is, as I underRand the words,
'Thou fhalt not only bring forth in forrow., but thy
forrows fhall be greatly enlarged., as well in thy deli-
very, as in the whole courfe of thy pregnancy ; and
thy conceptions likewife fhall be much more fre-
quent than otherwife they would need to be — Tliou
fhalt have many falfe conceptions and mifcarriages.
See p. 16.
Now, that this fentence on the Woman fhall in
procefs of time be removed, there needs no other
teftimony than that of the fore-cited words, which
tell us, that there fhall be no more Sorrow, nor Cii y-
iNC, nor Pain ; which expreffion being general,
furely includes the removal of the Woman's pain
and forrow i« child-bearing, as well as all other kinds
of it.
But I think v/e have moreover a particular text to
this purpofe, viz. i Tim. ii. 15. Notwithfianding
jhe fhdl be failed in child-bearing., if they continue in
Z 2 faith
340 Concerjiing the Removal
faith and charity^ and holinefs withfobriety-^ i. e. not'
withftanding the Woman, being deceived by Satan^
was firft and chiefly /;; the tranfgrejfion. v. 14. and
therefore the punifhment of great forrow in child-
bearing was juftly infli6led upon her ; yet this
punifhment fhall by degrees be moderated to her ;
the conceptions of the fex fhall not be fruitlefs, nor at-
tended with forrow, as they commonly are -, and at
length child-bearing fhall become perfedtly fafe and
eafy to them : But upon condition that they grow
and perfevere in faith, charity, holinefs, purity,
chaflity, fobriety, modefly, and fuch like virtues and
graces, which are the ornaments of the fex ; for it is
ftill upon our attainments in moral and chriftian
•perfedion, that the removal of all our natural infir-
mities and diforders mufl depend.
Several interpreters admit that a temporal deliver-
ance is here meant, and the change of the number
from fingular to plural, was made to include the fex
in general ; whereby they feem apprehenfive that
this is the moft natural and obvious fenfe of this
paflage. But when they compare it with the pre-
fent ftate of nature, they find fo little agreement
between them, that they are obliged either to reject
it, and chufe fome more forced interpretation, or
elfe to explain it away •, whereas if they would
take it in this view, all difficulties would prefently
vanifh, and it would fland clear of all objedlions,
which other expofitions of it are more or lefs liable
to. Part of IfaiaFs, chara(5ler of the 7ie'w Jerufalem
flate is, 'They fhall not labour in vain, nor bri'ag forth in
trouble : for they are the feed of the bleffed of the Lord,
and their offspring with them. Ifaiah Ixv. 23. which
fome underftand in this fenfe, viz. that In this blefTed
flate, women fhall not be liable to mifcarriages, and
flmll be delivered without pain. And I apprehend
that
of Natural Evil. 341
that, E:<od. xxiii. 26. There Jhall nothing caft their
youngs alludes to this (late likcwife.
It is the general opinion that the fentence denoun-
ced on the Woman did not extend to the BlelTed Vir-
gin ; but that fhe was delivered of her holy burthtn
without pain, becaufe it was conceived without fin.
Nor is it impofTible that in the holy ftate we are
fpeaking of, when all our appetites fhali be fubdued
and redlified, the defire of the fexes likewife to-
wards each other fhall be fo refined and purified
from all brutal and carnal lull, that what with this,
and the full flow of health and fpirits which they
fhall then enjoy, woman fhall be freed from the
pains and perils with which at prefent child-birth is
attended. We read that the Hebrew women in E-
gypt were lively^ and delivered themfelves before the
midwives came in unto them, Exod. i. 19."!" Even
now-a-days we fee thatflrength of nature alone goes
a great way to this end, which renders it very
eafy to fome women ; nay we are told that the
Hottentot women feel little or no pain in bringing
forth. It is not therefore incredible but that the fex
in general may come aseafilyand fuccefsfully through
it, when they fhall have every advantage of nature
on their fide, and when the reafons are ceafed for
making child-birth painful to them •, I mean, when
it will be no more a punifhment for fin, nor will be
needed as a reflraint from lufl. {Seepage 50.)
Z 3 In-
-f- Cl(m. At. writes of fome women in the neighbourhood of
Iberia in this manner.
Old"* Ta; 7r^»o■^w th? I^y,pia; yvvoiiKctq I'pyoi «a; ttokw ^gpw/x/i/a? eci^encu,
xeiv Trpo? TO cnroKviiii yivuvraty uSiv avuiaeci ruv vfaixTtuv' aM* h etvrt)
TToMaw? T») afXiMi) ruv ttovuv, ri yvirj cfrroKvnaocax, to $ci(poi; dnMuivTi^
oi*a^£ (p/ptt. ^trum. lib. 4. p. 498. Upon which vvoiUi his Anno-
taior Writes thus :
P. Vinorius hunc ClemnitiflocMm citat, illuftrans ilium Varronis
de re rufticd: Nam in lllyico hoc amplius prsgnantem faepc, cum
venit pariendi tcmpus, non longe abopeie dil'cedere, ibiquc enbcum
puerum refcire, cjuera non peperific, led invcniile putcs.
342 Concerning the Removal
Indeed a late Author * infifts that the forrow oj
child-bearing is not inflicled as a ciirfe, Gen/m. i6.
I would wilhngly concur with him in giving it a
fofter name, but tliat will not at all alter the nature
of the thing. For under what other notion than that
of a curfe or punilhment can it be conceived, when it
was denounced a.c;ainft the woman as a criminal, the*
God, left it iliould deter her too much, forbears to
give it that namie.
Nor was it, confidered as fuch, at all inconfiftent
with, nor intended to exclude the original Bleffing,
Be fruitful and multiply \ neither could the repetition of*
that bleffing to Noah be inconfiftent with, nor exclude
it, as this Author w'ould have it ; becaufe it was not
a Curie of Barrennefs that was inflifted upon the
Woman, (as it ought to be, to make it inconfiftent
with the Bleffing, Be fruitful and multiply) but of
undergoing great pain and forrow in the procreating
and multiplying of her kind.
I heartily v/ifh this Author could have proved, to
the conviftion of the fex, that their original fentence
is entirely repealed ; that is, that they undergo no
punifiiment in their travel •, which it will be very
hard for him to do, in oppofition to the pangs they
feel at that hour. However, he is kind in attem^pting
it, and in offering them fome confolation under it j
and to concur Vv-ith. him in the fame compaffionate
defign, I have pointed out fome of the wife ends of
providence in inflicting this punifhment upon them,
and the good ufes which may be drawn from it. I
have obferved how it is alleviated and mitigated to
many of the fex, and proved from the word of God,
that it ihall be entirely removed from the fex in ge-
neral
"^lontaigne fays there a>e whole nations who make nothing of ic.
See likewife Religio Medici, f. lo.
* Mr Tn'flcr in his Supplement to his Treatife on Oiig'nal
^••r, p. 48. '
of Natural Evil, 343
neral hereafter : An5 this is all the comfort that I
can adminifter to them, which however is attenckd
with this advantages thai it is Iblid and real •, and
therefore preferable to that which in effc6t only-
mocks them, and alfords them no profped ot relief,
People accuftomedto a narrow way of thinking
will hardly be perfuaded that the length of man's
life Ihall greatly exceed its prefent extent, which has
been the common ftandard for above 3000 years ;
their own miftaken obfervations on the fancied tee-
blenefs and degeneracy of thefe latter generations
perhaps incline them rather to imagine, that, if
there be a change of any kind, we are falling lliort
of it, which feems quite inconfiftent with this no-
tion of the recovery of our primitive Hate. For
yldam^s, life, after he had loft paradife, was extend-
ed to a very great length, and it is probable it had
been ftill longer, had he continued in it. Therefore
before Man can be reftored to his firft condition in
every refpecl, it may be urged that his life muft at
leaft equal that of the A?ilediiuvians, which may feem
to be a pofition too abfurd to be maintained.
But if we lay afide our prejudices, and enter a
little into the confidcration of it, it will not perhaps
appear fo improbable as at firft fight may be
imagined.
For why is it not pofTible that what hath been
once, may be again ? Man's age, 'tis true, hath
been pretty much ataftand for above thefe laft 3000
years •, but for near 1000 years before, it v/as con-
ftantly upon the decline ; and during the 1656
years before that, its period indeed was fixed, but
it was fuch a one as exceeded the prefent, as twelve
to one.
Now is there any abfurdity in fuppofing, that
fince man's age hath alter'd fo greatly, it may alter
Z 4 . again?
3;44 Concerning the Removal
again ? As the ftandard of human life was once un-
fixed, and moved downwards to this the lowed
fjeriod of its declenfion, may it not as eafily be un-
settled again, and moved upwards to its firil pitch,
or even higher than that ? 3000 years indeed to us
iliort-lived, fhort-fighted creatures, is a long term ;
and it is no wonder we conclude that what continues
fo long fhall not undergo a change at all. Prefent
appearances, efpecially ifpi:olonged for a time, give
us a ftrange prejudice in favour of their continuance,
tho' it be fuch as we have no temptation to wifh
for. If the weather hathbeen.bad for a confiderable
time, we in a manner defpair of feeing it become
fair again; and if the fun be but under a cloud, we
hardly exped: to fee his face again that day.
But 3000 years in God's account are but as three
days, and may perhaps bear butfmall proportion ta
the world's duration. And does it follow, that be-
caufe a variable thing has been for fome time fixed,
it will continue fixed always I
I mention it as fixed at prefent, tho' it is really
faj from being fo. As there are infinite numbers in
every age that fall fliort of the common ftandard,,
lo feveral exceed it. And fome late inftances we
have had of perfons who have lived above double
the prefent age of men, and have equal'd and even
e;cceeded that of the patriarchal age. *
Nov/,
* In our own country, Thomas Parr lived above 152, Hemy^
J'enkins 168 or 9, and Margaret Fatten 137 Year?.
In the Bannat of Temejwar in Hiwgary, John Rozn?i, aged
17.2, and bis wife 364, v.'ere both alive in the year 1740, and
the 147 th year of their marriage ; had 2 ions and 2 daughters then
living; the youngeft for, who was 116, had 2 greatgrandfons,
the one 35, the other 33 years old. Peter TortoKyZ peafant oiTeme-
Jvjar likewife, died January 1724 aged 185 ; which exceeds the
age of ]faac five years, of Abraha7n ten — falls flaort of Te> ab\, J~
brahartii father, twenty yean — exceeds that of Nahor, Abraham''^
grand-father, 37. See Ld Bacon^s Hijiory of Life and Death, few
cfwhofe inftances of longevity come up to thefe more mcdein ants.
See Sir WUllam Templet Trails likewiie.
pf Natural Evil. 345
Now, as providence miift have wife ends in pro-
longing men*s lives, tho' but in a few inftances, fo
much beyond tlie common period, what other end
can we think of, than to convince us by living ex-
amples in our own times, of the credibility of the
fcripture-account of the length of men's lives in the
early ages, on the one hand ; as well as of the future
pofTibility and purpofe of God to make them as
long-lived in time to come, on the other ? For no-
body, I fuppofe, will queftion his power to effefb it.
The various diftempers our bodies are at prefent
obnoxious to, notwithftanding all the care we can
take of them, greatly impair our conftitutions, fhat-
ter our frame, and haften its decay.
The inclemencies of air and weather, the irregu-
larity of the feafons, and the different Mediums of
hot and cold, wet and dry, which we pafs through,
and often inftantly exchange the one for the other,
are likewife juftly fuppofed to contribute largely to
their diflblution ; as doth no lefs the unwholefome-
nefs of the diet we take for their nourilhment and
fupport.
Now, if we were to exchange our prefent confti-
tutions, which at bell are but weak and fickly, for
fuch as fhould be quite firm, hale, and healthy ; if
we conftantly were to breathe in a pure, mild, and
temperate air — were liable to none of thofe fudden
changes from one extreme to another — were fubjeft
to no injuries of weather, nor other violences from
without, nor received any nutriment inwardly, but
what were perfectly agreeable to nature, and contri-
buted to its health and fupport ; do not we think
that all thefe favourable circumftances concurring
would make a very confiderable difference in the
length of men's lives ? Nay, is it not probable that
the human fabrick would be able to abide the im-
pairs of 800 years then, as well as 80 under ail its
pre-
54^ Concermng the Removal
prefent difadvantages ? Some very feeble and crazy
conftitutions have, with a proper care and regimen,
been fpun out to a very great length ; and nature
often by dint of its own flrength hath made furpri-
zing efforts tov/ards longevity ; how much there-
fore might it have done in fuch inftances, with the
affiftance which the art of medicine might have gi-
ven it !
This brings to my mind the wifh of a great Au-
thor, which I cannot help fubfcribing to, ' That!
' the nobler fort of Phyficians might not employ
' their time wholly in the fordidnefs of cures, nei-
* ther be honoured for necefllty only-, but become
' co-adjutors and inftruments of the divine omnipo-'
* tence and clem^ency in prolonging and renewing
' the hfe of man;, and in helping Chriftians who
* pant after the land of promife, fo to journey
' through this world's wildernefs, as to have their
*■ fhoes and garments (thofe of their frail Bodies)
* little worn and impair' d.' * How much this great
Genius thought nature v/as capable of being affilled
by art in this refpedl appears not only from hence,
but from the treatife in general of v/Iiich this is an
extraft, and particularly from his recipe's. If God
could make the fhDes and garments of the Ifraelites
capable of enduring a forty years march in the wil-
dernefs, why may he not confer on thefe bodies of
ours with which we are cloath'd, a firmnefs and du-
rablenefs, in proportion as they are of a lefs perilhing
nature ? And is it not poffible that thus much is ty-
pified by this circumilance relating to this typical
people ?
But it w^ill be expected fome pofitive authority of
Scrip-
■■* Ld ^^ro/?'s HiHory of Lm'c and Death. And I think St
Auftin liath fomewhere a thoiiohc much to the fame purpofe.
Avicinna, and lome other Arabian Phyficians, who are allowed
to h'rive CTCcelled in that art, are Taid to Jiave prolonged iheVr lives
to 12^, 130, and 180 years, by prai^ihng upon theinrdves.
of 'Natural Evil. 347
5cript'jre fhould be produced for fuppofing that
men's lives fhall be thus prolonged ; becaufe with-
out that, what hath been hitherto faid will be look'd
upon as no more than idJe conjed:ure.
Now with regard hereto it is well known, that
lengib of days is in feveral places of Scripture pro-
mifed as the reward of religion, as the reader may
fee in Prov. iii. 16. ix. 11. Exod. xxiii. 26. DeuL v.
16. and Ch. W. 40. xi. 21. God doth promife
the Jeivs, to prolong their days upon earth for ever^
to r/iiiltiply their days as the days of heaven upon earthy
on condicion of obferving his laws.
Agreeably hereto Ifaiah in his defcription of the
flate he rcprefents by nev; Heavens and a new Earthy
ch. Ixv. 20, 22. has thefe remarkable words —
'There fldall he no more thence an infant of days, ncr an
old nan that hath not filled his days : * For the child.
JJjall die an hundred years old ; but the /inner being an.
hundred years old fhall he accurfed. The plain im-
port of which words is this — that fuch will be the
ftrength of nature \vv this (late, tint there will be no
inftances of children dying in their infancy, and that
men will then live to a great old age, infomuch that
a hundred years will be reckoned to be but the ao-e
of a child -, and thus fome of the Jewifh cxpofitors
underftand them. And if fo, the Age of Man muft
furely equal that of the Antediluvians.
As to the fuppofition that there Ihall be finnersin.
this ftate, contained in thefe words, the finner being
Oil hundred years old fhall he accurfed — the reader may
remember what was obferved above p. 295, That
as Ifaiah\ charafters of this ftate are not lb refined
as St John's, fo this particular charadler may be un-
dcrftood as applicable only to the beginnino- of it '
bctore it fhali be arrived at its full perfedion, v/hen
it
* Comp. Zuh. viii, 4. which I take to belong chiefly to this
flatc.
34^ Cojicernmg the Removal
it £hall have no Sinners in it, according to St John^
nor Death, as will prefently be particularly Ihewn :
And therefore St John's defcription relates moft pro-
perly to the laft and moft confummate period of this
ftate •, which muft always be remembered, like the
preceding ones, to be progreflive till it arrives at its
full height. — To return to T/'^/^i?, ini;. 22. he adds,
'^hey pall not hiiild and another inhabit, they pall
not flant, and another eat : For as the days of a
Tree (The lxx tranflate, as the days of the Tree
OF Life) are the days of my people, and mine ele5f
pall LONG enjoy the work of their hands. Thefe
words again very emphatically exprefs the longevi-
ty as well as ftability of man's life in this future ftate.
There is efpecially great propriety in the comparifon
of it to a tree, as the cedar, and oak, and feveral other
trees are known to be of very long duration.* Then
will that Ffalm of David's be moft pertinently fung
and applied — Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and all that
is within me blefs his holy name. Blefs the Lord, O
my foul, and forget not all his benefits -, whoforgiveth
all thine iniquities ; who healeth «////:?)' Diseases ;
whofatisfieth thy mouth with good things, fo that thy
youth is REN h WED like the eagle's. Pf. ciii. 1,2. i^c.
And Ff 90. T^hou turneft man to deftrucfion -, again
thou fay ft. Turn again, ye children of men. For 1 000
years in thy fight are but as yefierday, feeing that is
pafi as a watch in the night. This whole Pfalm
feems to be a lamentation of Mofes for the fhortnefs
to which man's life was reduced in his days, with a
Prayer for the reftoration of it to its original lengths
There is a fenfe in which thefe latter generations
in
* The curious may confult PUny\ Natural Hiftory, B. xvi, Ch.
Ixiv. concerning the long life of fome trees; and Bs^WtUiOi.
Art. Jhraham and Bnrcochebas^ Rem. G. where he will find an
dcco'.int of the long duration of the oak ot Mamre, and of the tur-
pentine tree of the lame place, if it be noc one and the fame trce-
♦hat li meant by both.
of Natural EnjiL 349
in general have the advantage of the Antlents, and
in which they may be faid to out-hve them, which
yet I fliall not much infift upon, viz. in that they
live more in lefs time. It is a common obfervation
that children ripen and become men fooner in thefe
latter ages than formerly they did •, and how much
foever they are fuppofed to degenerate from their
fore-fathers in other refpeds, yet that they furpafs
them in acutenefs and quicknefs of parts. Thefe
fuppofitions indeed feem a little contradi6tory, but
it does not concern me to reconcile them. The
fa6t is, that notwithftanding our prejudices in other
refpefts, we efbeem lb well of ourfelves in this, that
we think we are more knowing in every fcience and
profefTionin life, and more capable ofbufinefs, than
our anceftorsj, not far backwards, were at double
our age. And in confirmation hereof, fome tra-
ces in Scripture may be obferved, whereby it ap-
pears that the flate of child-hood continued much
longer in the infancy of the world than at prefent,
and feem'd to bear proportion to the greater length
of men's lives.* And the fame is obferved by hea-
then Authors.-f
Now, tho' our great fore-fathers counted more
years, and our more immediate anceftors as many
as we do ; yet when thefe drawbacks are made up-
on each, we may be faid to out-live the latter, and
not
• In the Story of A'jrah(i?rC% calling out Hainr^ and her fon,
^Wi^^/isreprcfented as a helplefs child ; and yec it is computed
that he was eighteen years old at that time. Gen. xxi.
•j- Thus Hejiod, in liIs defcription of the fccond age of the
world :
ATkA \x.a/to)) fjLH 7ra~? Inx 'rra.pa. fx,y, Tfpi Kioyn
Erg. U Hem. Lib. i. r. 130.
A hundred years the o'ergrovvn boy home-fei.
Was by fond mother a great boyby bred.
3 5<3 Concerning the Removal
not to fall fo much fliort of the former, as in com-
mon account we are reckon'd to do. For the Hfe of
reafonable creatures is not to be eftim.ated by the
' number of days and years, but by the capacity of
applying reafon, and the actual ufe of it : otherwife
it is no more than an animal iite, till our reafoning
faculties begin to exert themfelves.
If this obfervation bejuft, we may be faid, irl
one fenfe, to be noW beginning to recover the lon-
gevity of the firft race of men. Neither, after all^
is it necefifary that m.en (hould come fully up to the
antediluvian ftandard in the literal fenfe, if they can
attain the perfe6tion of their natures in a fiiorter
compafs of years, when the reafon will ceafe for
their longer continuance on earth •, an inftance where-
of we have in Enochs concerning whom it is obfer-
ved, that being perfected in a JJjort time^ he fulfilled
a long tlme^ Wifd. iv. 13. If, therefore, the reader
doubts of the recovery of man's longevity, he is at
liberty to think as he pleafes, without prejudice to
the main dodrine.
There is but one charadler more wanting to com-
plete man's refloration to his primitive ftate.
When God forbad Adam to eat of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, he added, For in the
day that thou eatefi thereof thou fhalt furely die.
Whence it is inferred, that \^ Adam had not eaten of
it, he had been immortal, and in God's due time
had been tranilated from an earthly to a heavenly
paradife, without tailing of deatli.
Now, before man can be reilored to this his firft
feftate, he muft be invefted with tliis as well as all
the other fore-mentioned privileges — He muft not
only live long upon earth, but muft become im-
mortal, and be tranflated immediately into heaven,
without paffing thro' the regions of death. And ac-
of Natural Evil, 351
cordlngly I have obferved above, p. 2 1 4, where I en-
deavourto ftatethetruenotion of our redemption, that
in order to its being complete, it is neceflfary it fhould
deliver us, as from all other temporal Evils, fo like-
wife from Death.*
But is not this that infatiable, all-devouring mon-
fter, that inexorable tyrant, who fpareth none of the
Ions of Jdam ? Is not Death a debt which all muil
pay to nature ? Which the captain of our falvation
was obliged to fubmit to ? And can we hope to e-
fcape it ? Is it poffible for man, who is lb frail a
creature — has the feeds and principles of corruption
in him — feels in himfelf fo quick a decay, that he
feems to be dying daily, and hath fo many other
arguments of mortality about him — Is it poffible
for him, you'll fay, to efcape this law of his natur^^.v,- ^
and to become immortal without tafting of Death ? ,^ .^,;.
Indeed if we argue irom experience and obferva-
tion, we can draw no other conclufion than this,
ihai duji he is, and to duji he nwji return, agreea-
bly
* This truth the famous J/gi/was aware of: he faw that our
Saviour Chrill could not properly be faid to fave us from our Sin%
unlels he likewife faved us from Death, the wages and punifhment
of them. But his miftake wa?, that he did not pay a due regard
to the conditions on which, and which alone this deliverance was
to be wrought for us. Thefe conditions are, faiih and perfcft
obedience, with the former of which only he contented himfelf
entirely overlooking the latter; and herein confifted the great er-
ror on which his argument is built, and which runs through lifs
whole book. And, which renders it the lefs cxcuieable, he (eems
to be not in'.cnfible of the fallacioufnefs and deficiency of his rca-
foning. For, p. 52. he acknowledges, ' that as a mere Ranfom
* doth in ufclf amount to no more than to rcflore us to the fame
* life wc had before we were captive, fo this Uanlom by Chriil
* would only have rc-inllatcd man into that law of life conditional^
' in wh'xch A/iim flood before the Fall.' i.e. of being immortal
upon the condition of performing the terms of that law, perfcJl
Obedience. And to make his title to eternal life ^i/f/cfJu^e; ■ \\h\ch is
wl\at he contends for, he is forced to have r.'.courfe to the fuper-
abundancy ofChvitVs meritf, which, contrary 10 the whole tenor
of Scripture, he fayy, purchafcd this for us over and above our rr.
dcmpiion.
3^2 Concerning the RejUoval
biy to the fejitence denounced againft him. Nel*
ther can we from the principles of nature conclude
any otherwife : becaufe all bodies have the feeds
and principles of corruption in them ; and as they
confift of parts are diflbluble, and therefore naturally
mortal.
This was the cafe of Adam at his creation, as well
as of all his pofterity : as his body was formed out
of the dull of the earth, it was in itfelf liable to re-
turn to duft again ; and had nature been left to it-
felf, mud have returned to duft, tho* no fentence
had been paffed to that purpofe. For immortality
was not his portion any otherwife, than as it was in-
tentionally conferred upon him by God.
^ On the other hand, it may be faid, that tho*
|^ ^^^^kiktidam was not natural immortally, yet it hence ap-
y^fnPrtiJtV^^'^^ that he was" capable * of being made fo ; and
That he adually would have become immortal, had
he performed the condition of it.f
For, as the author of the 5<7o^ of fFifdom juiWy and
finely ftates the cafe, God made not Deaths neither
hath he pleafiire in the defiru5fion of the living. For
he created all things that they might have their being ;
and the generations of the world were healthful ; and.
there is no poifon ofdeJlru5fion in them ; nor the king-
dom of Death upon earth. Fjr right eoufnefs is immortal
— ^Again, God created man to he immortal, and made
him
* Thcophilus of Jntwch exprelTes this matter thus
M/a-o; 5 a.'vSgw7ro5 iyiyovei, are Si/r/To; l'Kw)(i'^uZt kn cc^xvaroc, to x.cSo>Jif
^iKTMoi Je ExaTsgwv. ^^ Juto/yam, Lib. ii.
f Uus Grotius — Hebrsi (dicunt) Abfq; peccafo non
eft Mors; non quod Deo jus non fit earn aliter homini infligere
(cftenim Dominus creature) fed quod ipfius bonitati aliter vilum
fucrit Non negamus hominem, cu;n conditU3 eft, {inSAe ^oixau
(terrenumj ac proinde earn fuiffe corporis conditionem, ut
Deo non fuftentante interitura fuerit; attamen ex diviiio decreto
non fuiffe eum morirurum, fi in innocentia perftitilFet, coatendi-
mus. De Satisjac^ione, &c. cap. i.
of Nataral Evil 353
him to he an image of his oivn eternity. Never thelefsj
through envy of the Devil, came Death into the world :
and they that do hold of his fide do find it. Wifd. i. 1 3,
I4» 15'— ii-23» 24.
There is, therefore, no contradiftion in the fup-
pofition, no impoflibiUty in the thing, nor natural in-
capacity in the fubjedt, but that God, if he pleafes^
may give a man exemption from df^ath, and inveft
him with immortahty, without pafling through any
intermediate flate.
And to convince us of this truth, as well as of his in-
tention to reftore to man this privilege of an uninter-
rupted immortality, God Almighty hath vouchfafed
us two inftances, the one in the old world, the other
in the new, I mean Enoch and Elijah, whom he
tranflated immediately to Heaven without tafting of
Death.
God never capricioudy alters his conduct, nor
departs from the Itated laws of nature, without
fpeciai and weighty reafons. And among other
reafons for this extraordinary exemption of thefe
two perfons from the common fate of mankind,
this may be one, that they were defigned as an
earneft of the privilege to be vouchfafed to the laft
generation of men, of being affumed and tranflated in
like manner. Probably our Saviour's afcenfion might
hereby be likewife typified •, but I am apt to think
if this had been the only, or the chief antitype de-
figned by thefe events, it had been prefigured in an-
other manner, viz. by the aiTumptionoffome per-
fons, whofe bodies had been raifed from the dead,
which had been more appofite, than that of living
perfons who had never died.
But farther, with regard to the credibility of this
fuppofition, the Refurredtion of the Dead is con-
fefledly a fundamental Article of our Faith : And
yet I imagine one would find it difficult to aflign a
A a reafon
3 54 Concerning the Removal
reafon in nature * why death, i. e. deprivation of
life liiould be a necelTary qualification for immor-
tality : or why a living perfon, or rather a living
body (which only is immediately concerned in the
prefent queftion) — I fay, why a Ihing body is not as
capable of being made immortal, as a dead one.
There is fome analogy, fome relation, between this
life and the next j the life temporal, and life eter-
nal ; they are both Species of the fame Genus, as the
Logicians term it •, but Death is the oppofite to both.
And if we make no difficulty in believing, that
we fhall be raifed from the dead to a life immortal,
we cannot think it a ftrange fuppofition, any other-
wife ftrange, than a5 it may appear new, that we
fhould be m.ade imm.ortal without dying. For fure*
ly the tranfition feems at leaft as eafy and natural
from I'fe to lifey as from death to life. Therefore
fince St P^«/ asked, Why it jhould he thought a thing
incredible that God jhould raife the dead ? may we n6t
likewife prefume to ask. Why it fhould be thought
incredible that God fhould make men immortal
without dying ? The Refurreftion, when it was firit
preached, was believed with difficulty •, and fo afe
all new dodlrines, tho' ever fo true, till time hath
made them familiar.
But it may be objefled to this do6lrine, that it is
contrary to St Paul, who fays that flejh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth cor-
ruption inherit incorrwption, I Cor. XV. 20.
In anfwer to which it may be fufficient to reply
— That
* Vlato indeed, in his Pb^do, puts an argument into the mouth
o^ S'ocrates, Vih&TQhy he would endeavour to prove, that life and
death are naturally prodiiiSive of each other. But it is built upon a
luppofition diredlly oppofite to all the kndwn properties of Nature,
viz. that Contraries produce their Contraries, and the inllances by
which he chufes to illullraie it are wide of the purpofe, nor had
he bey-n led into this uay of thinking, but by his favorite notion of a
Rcvotuiicn cfSru/:,
cf Natural Evil. 355
* — That that fiejh and bloody that corruptible body
which is laid in the grave, is not fitter to inherit the
kingdom of Goo, and to put on incorraption, than
that which is fuppofed to be exempted from it
— That therefore it is exprelsly faid in die next verfe,
that both the one and the other muil undergo a
Change for that purpofe ; for tlio' voe jhall not all
Jleep^ we jhall all be changed — and that this Change
is to be effected in a moment^ in the twinkling of an
eye, at the lajl trump \ whence it appears that as
this Change is to be a fingle inftantancous aft of the
divine power, and that not to be exerted till the end
of the world, at the laft trump \ thofe who fhall
then be found alive will be as proper objects of it,
as thofe who will have lain in their graves ever fo
long.
I grant indeed that thofe who die in the Lord may
in their intermediate ftate be in fome fort qualiiied
and pre-difpofed for their Change -, as by the death
of the body, its carnal lulls are likewife mortified,
and deftroyed, by which means it is better fitted to
be raifed d.fpiritual body : and the foul at the fame
time is, by its feparation, weaned and purified from
bodily affedions •, and both are the better difpofed
for a happy and glorious re-union. In this Icnfe,
^72. in a moral one, I deny not but Death may be
a qualification for a happy immortality, tho', phy-
fically fpeaking, it cannot \ that is. Death, or a de-
privation of life', hath as fuch no natural tendency to
a rc-vivifcence, but the contrary, as hath been already
obferved.
On the other hand, as thofe who die in the Lord
will thereby be thus qualified for their Change, fo
the laft generation of men, who Ihall live in the
Lx)rd, will enjoy no kfs advantageous a privilege :
For as their natures in general will be greatly purified
and exalted, fo their bodies particularly will be fo
A a 2 rarified
356 Concerning the Removal
rarified and refined, as to approach in fome degree
the nature of Spirit •, whereby their natural^ or mate-
rial Body will be better difpofed for its tranfmutation
to a fpiritual glorified Body ; For that material Sub-
fiances may be transformed into fpiritual, is not only
agreeable to Scripture, but Philofophy likewife *.
In a word, the prefent caufe and necelTity of Death
will then be entirely removed. The caufe of Death
the Scripture tells us is Sin. Thus Rom. v. 12. it is
faid, that Death entered into the world by Sin, and
that Death hath hitherto pajfed upon all men, for that
ell have fumed; and Ch. vi. 23. that Death is the
wages of Sin, and i Cor. xv. c,6. that Sin is the fling
of Death.
Now as it hath been Ihewn, that when our nature
fliall be arrived at its perfection, there fhall be no
Sin, cor.fequently there can be no Death -, for the
Caufe being removed, the efFeCl muft ceafe of
courfe.
It is faid indeed, i Cor. xv. 22. that in Adam all
die ; and that Death reigned from Adam to Mofes,
even over them that had not finned after the fimilitude
0/ Adam' J tranfgreffion, Rom. v. 14. and Heb. ix. 27.
that it is appointed unto men once to die ; whence it
may be argued that it is appointed to (all) men, all
the defcendants of Adam to die, even tho' we fhould
fuppofe them free from all Sin, both his and their
own.
Now with regard to the laft text it is not faid, it is
appointed to (all) Men, but, to Men (the Generality
of them) to die. And as to Rom. v. 14. it may be.
fufficient to obferve, that tho' thofe whom Death
reigned over from Adam to Mofes did not fin after
the fnnilitude of Adam'j tranfgreffion, i e. did not
fin
■* See Chfjrc's Phil. Principles of Religion, Part 2, p, iig.
where the muoner how a material fubftance may become a IpirituaJ
one is demon lira tcj.
of Natural Evil. 357
fin in that prefumptuous manner he did, againft a
known reveal'd law ; yet fin they did notwithftand-
ing againft the law of their minds, and therefore
theyjuftly received the wages of fin : Or fuppofing
they had not been guilty of adlual fin at all, which
was the cafe of infants, yet their obnoxioufnefs to
Death might proceed from the corruption of their
nature only, the efFeft of yidam*s Sin, which was
not then, nor is yet done away ; tho' it does not
hence follow but that it may be done away here-
after.
As to the firft text. In Adam all die — Thefe words '^
may be underftoodtwo ways, i, That all have the
principles of Death derived to them from Jdam ;
which tho' it be allowed, yet it ftill may be denyed
that all fliall a^ually diej becaufe we have good
grounds to believe that the laft generation lliall fo
entirely overcome thefe principles, the original and
actual corniption of their nature, in this life, that
Death fhall ha've no dominion over them : for as they
will have no principles of Corruption, they will have
no principles of Death in them •, and it will not be
confiftent with the divine juftice to continue the
punilhment, when the caufe of it is cealed. Or
2. The words, In Adam all die^ may be under-
ftood thus — Not that all that defcend from yldam
Ihall die in him -, for that is not true, as will be
Ihewn prefently — But that all tiiat do die, die in
him. This is not my interpretation, but Sx.Auflin''T.
Accordingly the following words, which make the
antithefis to them, are underftood with a like re-
ftridtion •, Even fo in Chriji fhall all he v:ade alive, i.
e. all that are made alive, all the faithful, are made
alive in him, i. e. are in virtue of his merits either
raifcd, or tranflated to a life immortal.
But however the words are to be underftood, it
is necelTary they fliould be underftood with feme
^J^h^ S^ti^€i^^^jHjQ fjj/ 4^/3 ^ V rcftriclion;
35^ Concerning the Removal
reftri6licn-, it not being true that all men without
exception acftually die. For two men, as we havfe
ieen, have been already exempted from Death j and
the Scripture fays exprefsly, or in v/ords to the
fame cfttdl, that we Jhall not all die. Behold., fays
St Paul, IJhew you a myfiery : We shall not all
SLEEP, l^ut weJJjall all be changed in a moment., at
the twinkling of an eye., at the lafi trump ; i Cor. xv.
51, 52. Where we fee that thofe which fhall be
found alive at the lafl day IhaJl nave their change
inllantly without dying: 'Their mortal jhall put on
immortality., in a mom.ent., at the twinkling of an
eye. This is no lefs plainly cxprelfed elfewhere, i
Thef. iv. 15, i^, 17. For this we fay unto you hy
the word of the Lord., that we which are alive^ and
remain unto the coming of the herd., fhall not prevent
them which are afeep. For the herd himfslf fijall
defc end from heaven with a fhout., with the voice of
the arch-angel., and with the trump of God : And
the dead in Chrift fhall rife frrjl : fhen we which
ARE ALIVE and remain., fhall he caught up together
with them in the clouds., to jneet the Lord in the air.
And fo fhall we ever be zvith the Lord.
Thefe words are plain, and need no comment •,
and they confirm the account given above of the
new Jerufalem fiate., one of the chief characters of
which is, that in it there jQiould be no more Death,
Rev. xxi. 4. And accordingly at the clofe of the
chapter before, it is faid that Death and Hell were
cafi into the lake of fire., \. e. before the commence-
ment of tliis fcate. Thefe feveral pallages eftabliih
the fact beyond all contradiftion, that the laft gene-
ration fhall be exempted from Death.
Nor do I know what can be objeded here, un-
lefs it be faid, in order to leiTen the importance of
it, that this privilege is merely accidental, and
proceeds only from the circumilance oi time in
which
qf .Natural Evil 359
which thefe perfons happen to hve, and not from
Any extraordinary moral quahfications in the perfons
thv-mfelves.
In anfwer to which it might be fufficient to fay,
That this is a mere prefumption, not only unfup-
jDorced by either Scripture or Reafon, but contrary
to both. For it is moll agreeable to the divine at-
tributes to fuppofe, that he who doth every thing
hy weight and meafure, who refpedleth not tne per-
fons of men, and beftoweth not the leaft of his fa-
vours cafually and at random, will not confer fo
great a one but on fuch as fhall be proper objefts of
it. Accordingly with regard to Scripture, it hath
been obferved already, p. 370, from the fore- cited
paflage, i Thef. iv. 1 5, &c. that all the quick who
ihall be found on the earth at the laft day, ihall be
joined in their fates and fortunes, as well as compa-
ny, with the dead in Chrifi^ and confequently Ihall
all be in the number of the righteous. Indeed it is
not faid exprefly that they fhall be more righteous
tiian their predeceflbrs i but it is implied, becaufe
there will be no unrighteoufnefs among them. But
what will you fay, :f it be proved from the exprefs
words of Scripture, that this privilege -of immorta-
lity fhall be conferred as the reward of perfed: obe-
dience ?
St John^ the beloved difciple, was admitted to a
greater intimacy with his Lord, and had a deeper
infight vouchfafed him into the fecrets of his king-
dom, then the reft of his Apoftles. He was him-
felf madean emblem or type of this future privilege
of the Church, for wnich I ain contending. For as
our Lord's coming to the dellruclion of Jerufalem
was an emblem of his final cpming to judgment, fb
I take his appointment of John, Ch. xxi. 22. to tar-
ry till this firft coming of his, to be an emblem^ that
Xyme of his beloved difciplcs fliould furvive, and be
Aa 4 wir-
360 Concerning the Remo-cal
witneffes of his laji coming to the deflru6lion of all
his enemies at the end of the world -, elfe why fhould
he exprefs himfelf in fuch ambiguous terms, as to
give occafion to the fpreading of that report among
the brethren, that that difcipte Jhculd not die? This
however is certain, that if we examine his writings,
we fhall find, that he talks more of our life in Chrift,
and of his being the Author of life to us, than any
other of the infpired writers. But with regard to
the quellion before us, I fhall fingle out a paflage
or two, which, I think, prove that exemption from
Death fhall be conferred as the reward of perfe6t
pbedience.
Our Saviour in his reply to Martha^ Jo. xi. 25,
26, exprefles himfelf thus — / am the refurre^ion
and the life — He that beliei-eth in me, tho* he were
dead, yet fhall he live, and whofoever liveth and he-
lieveth in me fhall never die. W here he diftinguifh-
es his difciples into two clafies — into thofe that he-
lieve in him, and thofe that live and believe in him.
By the forrner I underftand fuch as have a true faith
in him, but who, through the infirmity of their na-
ture, cannot live up to that faith •, with regard to
whom he fliles himfelf the refurre^ion, and pro-
mifes, that tho^ they die (a temporal Death) j^/ they
pall live (fhall be raifed to an eternal Life) — By the
latter are meant thofe v/hofe lives ai-t ilridlly and
perfectly conform to their faith : Thefe, and thefe
only properly live as well as believe in him ; and
with refpefl to thefe it is that he ililes himfelf, the
life, and promifes that they foall never die.
The words in the original are very remarkable —
ov iJir\ a'Tro^lvy\ Uc, Tbv d^j^vct — Which do nor
mean, as fome render them, he jhallnot die for ever^
intimating that tho' he dies a Death temporal, he
(hall efcape an eternal one, which is no more than a
repetition of what was f^id before in other v/ords —
But
of Natural Evil. 361
But the true rendering is, He Jhall never die, as it
is in our Tranflation — Or 00 fjuh oLn^^at.vty ^c. he
fliall in no isjife die to all eternity — He (hall neither
die a temporal, nor eternal Death •, which interpre-
tation bell anfwers the force of the two negatives,
which were not inferted for nothing -, and it likewife
conveys the promife of a fiiperior reward to him that
both liveth and believeth in Chrift, as indeed it
ouglit. The feveral parts of this pafTage, in this
view of it, are diftindl and clear, hang well together,
and rife by a juft gradation above each other.
Whereas otherwife it is not eafy to apprehend its
confiftency either with itfelf, or indeed with truth :
For which reafon, Mr Locke, not being aware of
the juft import of the pafiage, makes it a queftion,
* Whether this faying of our Saviour's can with
' truth be tranflated, He that liveth and believeth in
* me jl J all never die' *
Hence we may be enabled better to apprehend the
meaning of another paflTage of our Saviour's — Tour
fathers did eat manna in the wildernefs, and are dead.
This is the bread that comet h down from heaven •, that
a man may eat thereof and not die. Jo. vi. 49, ^o.
To underftand the former member of this fentence
of a temporal, and the latter, of eternal Death, as
they are generally underftood, is not doing jiiftice to
our Saviour's reafoning, and makes it conclude no-
thing. For we believe that the Fathers under the
law efcaped eternal Death, as well as all good Chrif-
tians. But if we fay that by fpiritually manducating
Chrift, the bread of life, fo as to be vitally and per-
fe6lly united unto and incorporated with him, we
fhall become exempt even from that temporal Death,
which the fathers underwent — This preferves a juft
Antithefis bttwcen both terms of the oppofition, by
ynderflanding them in the fame fenfe, and furnilhes
an
• Reafonablends of Chrjllianity. p. 104,
J 62 Concerning the Removal
an eminent proof of the excellence of the one manna
above the other.
To proceed, — Our Saviour arguing with the Jev)s^
tells them with an afTeveration, Verily ^ verily^ if «
man keep my saying, he Jhall never see Heaths
^henfaid the Jews unto him. Now we know that thou
baji a Devil. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets \
and thou fayefi. If a man keep my saying, he fhall
never taste of Death. Jo. viii. 51, 52. My fay-
ing— roV Ac^/Oj' tov ijnov — an emphatical word, by
which the Second Perfon in the BlelTed Trinity cha-
fes to be entitled ; but here it fignifies the precepts
or commands of this divine Perfon, with an affu-.
ranee of exemption from Death to fuch as keep them
as they ought.
But the Queftion is, what Death is here meant ?
It is indeed generally taken for granted, that eternal
Death only is fpoken of by our Saviour.
But the two phrafes here made ufe of, not feeing
Death, and not tafling of Death, if examined in their
true import, .cannot with juftice be underftood to
relate to any thing but temporal Death. Becaufe,
I. This is the natural import of the words, it be-
ing too light and foft an expreflion concerning eter-
nal Death, to call it feeing Death, or tafling Death ;
which terms of fpeech on the contrary imply the
Death meant by them to be of a tranfient nature.
And accordingly our Saviour, whofe continuance in
the ftate of the dead was but for a very fhort time,
is therefore, with great elegance and propriety, faid
to have tafied Death for every man. Heb. ii. 9.
But furely it would be very improper to fay of a
man that had died a natural Death, tho' he efcaped
an eternal one, that he had never feen, nor tafted
Death.
2S Wherever thefe phrafes occur in Scripture they
conftantly fignify temporal Death. Thus concern-
ins
ef Natural Evil. 363
ing feeing of Death it is faid, Pf Ixxxix. 48. JVhat
man is he that liveth^ that JJj all not si-e Death?
Shall he deliver his foul from the hand of the grave ?
So likevvife it was revealed unto Simeon by the Holy
Gholl, That he fhcuid not see Death, before he had
feen the Lord^s thrift. Luke ii. 26. So again, Heb.
xi. ^. By Faith Enoch was tranjlated, that he
Jhould not SEE Death. — All which places are neceffa-
rily underftood of temporal Death.
In like manner with regard to the other parallel
phrafe, tafting of death, it is faid, Matt. xvi. 28.
Verily I fay unto you there be fome ftanding here, who
fhall not T AST \L of Death until they fee the Son of
Man coming in his Kingdom -, and the fame thing is
expreifed in the fame manner, Mark'ix. i. Luke ix.
27. And as we have juft now feen, Jefus is faid
for the fuffering of Death to be crowned with glcry
and honour, that he, by the Grace of God, fhould
TASTE Death for every man.
5. The Jews underftood our Saviour to fpeak
Mncerning temporal Death, as appears from their
fwer, Art thou greater than our father Abrahanrx
.which is dead? And the Prophets are dead: Whom
makeft thou thy felf? v. c^^. For it is obfervable
that the Jews believed, that when the Meffiah fhould
come, thofe of their nation that received him fhould
not die •, but that they, with thofe who, being dead,
fliould then be raifed again by him, flionld enjoy
eternal Life with him. And in this fenfe they un-
derftood Chrift when he faid, that // a man kept his
faying, he ftjould never fee Death ; and therefore they
af]< him, IVhom makeft thou thy felf ? Doft thou pre-
tend to be the Meffiab ? Our Saviour does not charge
them with any miftake, either of his meaning, or in
their own expedations of this kind, as it may be
prefumed he would have done, and have fet them
right, had they needed it : On the contrary, he both
here
364 Concerning the Removal
here, and in feveral other places befides thofe we
have already feen, confirms them in the opinion,
that he, as Mejfiab, would procure his followers
exemption from Death.
Thefe confiderations, I think, make it evident,
that the Death which thofe that keep Chn^' s fayingy
are promifed exemption from, is not eternal, but
temporal Death, tho' this likewife implies the other -,
or rather an ablblute freedom from Death in gene-
ral, both temporal and eternal, is here ftipulated.
But how, it will be afk'd, is tliis Promife or Co-
venant performed ? I anfwer, it will actually be
performed upon the performance of the Condition.
It is not as yet ftriftiy true of any Chriftian, that
he keeps Cbriji's faying, i. e. that he pays univerfal
and perfe6t obedience to his commands •, therefore
the performance of the promife is not as yet to be
expected : But when the condition is made good,
the promife (hall be made good hkewife. And this
was probably the cafe with Enoch and Elijah, viz.
That they were enabled in an extraordinary manner
to overcome the corruption of their nature, fo far
as to be qualified for immortality without tailing of
Death. It is certain that the tranllation of the one,
.aiid afilimption of the other, were the rewards of
fliperior virtue. Thus the Scripture tells us expref-
ly concerning the former — By Faith Enoch was
trayiflated that he jJoould not jee Death, and zvas not
found hecaufe God had tranjlated him ; for before his
iranflation he had this tejlimony, that he pleafed God.
Heb. xi. 5. His great and intimate converfation
with God is denoted by the phrafe which Mofes
makes twice ufe of, importing thus much, viz. his
'Walking with God. Gen. v. 22, 24. And the au-
thor of the book of Wifdom gives him this character
. — Ch. iv. 3C, 13, 14. That he pleafed God, and
ivas bdo-ved of him, fo that living among finnsrs he
of 'Natural Evil, 365
was trnnjlated — He being made perfect in a Jhort
time^ fulfilled a long time •, for his foul pleafed the
Lord^ therefore hafied he to take him aivay from a-
mong the wicked. And concerning Elijah^ the au-
thor of the firft book of Maccabees gives this teili-
mony of him — Elias/^?;- bei'ng zealous and ferve'at
for the law, was taken up into heaven, i Mace.
ii. 58.
That exemption from Death temporal as well as
eternal is the reward of perfed: obedience, may be
farther inferr'd from the nature of the law of Mofes,
■compared with the firft law given to man. For to
ufe St. Paulas words, Rom. x. 5. Mofes defcribeth
the righteoufnejs which is cf the law, that the man
which doth thofe things fhall live by them. Lev-
xviii. 5.
But it is certain that thofe who were under the
Law died like other men, and could not live by it ;
becaufe they could not do the things of the Law ;
could not perform an exad: and perfect obedience
to it ; which if they had been able to do, they
fhould have lived, and have been exempted from
Death, as Elijah was. For the Law of Mofes was
founded upon the firft Covenant, of which it was a
fort of renewal or re-publication : The terms of both
were the fame, viz. perfe6l, unfinning obedience ;
and their fanftions were the fame likewife, viz.
Life and Death : This Life indeed doth not appear
from the laiw o^ Mofes to have been any other than
temporal, but from the firft. law given to Adam, it
is juftly inferr'd, that his Life temporal had been
exchanged for an eternal one, without tafting of
Death, had he performed the condition of it j and
fo confequently had the lives of thofe who were un-
der the law of Mofes, on fuppofition of their paying
a pcrfeft obedience to it.
Hence by the way may be inferred the true rea-
fon
366 Concerning the Removal
fon why. the dodrine of a future ftate is not more
infifled upon in the Law of Mofes : A point which
has been much controverted of late, but I think not
fatisfactorily cleared up as yet. As the Law of
Mofes was founded on the firft Covenant, its fanc-
tions were the fame, Life and Death — Life without
tailing of Death, and Death without promife or
hope of a relloration to Life. Mofes therefore had
no concern with a future ftate after Death, as the
iirft Covenant fuppofed no fuch thing, nor gave
any hopes of it. It had therefore been not only
quite foreign and fuperfluous, but even contradicto-
ry to his purpofe, to have made it a part of his
Law i becaufe it was armed with fanftions equally
noble, and equally forcible, not to fay, more fo -, as
it cut off all hope in Death on the one hand, and
conferred, a right to the moft perfeft and abfolute,
i. e. to an uninternipted Immortality on the other.
But an open Revelation of a future ftate after Death
muft have greatly weaken' d, if not totally deftroy'd,
the great fandions of his Law ; which were built
upon the contrary fuppofition.*
For,
* Hence it maybe inferred, that McJ. s zvanoX properly be faid
to have omitted a future Hate, even luppoiing he had made no
mention of it. For an omifficn implies a defedl, and confifti in
leaving out fomcthing that ought to have been inferted, or taken
notice oh Confequently this can be no medium for any argument
either \x\ favour or prejudice of the divine original of it ; fo that, on
•the one hand, it is to be doubted, that the foundaiion of a certain
Author's pretended demonftration if the divine legation of Mofes is
as faulty, as that of his hypothejh concerning the Book oi Job.
And yet, on the oher hand, Infidel?, in this view of the matter,
have as little ground to triumph in Zifi^yt'j's filence concernirg a
ifuture flate : Nor need pious Chriilians be in any pain about
finding this Dcdlrine in his Law, fince they may there find what
.is tantamount to \t. As in Lev. xviii. 5. Te fia/l keep myjia-
•iutes, and my judgments, which if a Man do, he jh all live in them.
And, Dcut XXX. 15. See 1 have fet before thee this da\. Life and'
Good, ^/;^/ Death wvi'^.-Evil. — And r. 19. / call heaven- and
Edrtb
ef Natural Evil. 367
For, as a difcerning Author juftly obferv-es,
* Righteoufnefs, or an exact obedience, feems by
* the Scripture to have a claim of. right to eternafl
* Life. Rom. iv. 4. To him that worketh^ i. e. doth
the
Earth to record this day againjl you, that Ihave fet before you Life
and Death, Blefling and Curling, tkercflre chiije Life, that both
thou and th-i feed may live ; with more to the (ame purpole. Comp.
WkcvflitNehem. ix. 29. Deut. iv. 40. ch.x\. iS, 21, ^^nd Ezek.
XX. II. Thefe are the great fardions of the Law, clearly lai4.
down, and flrongly enforced, as t'hings of fuch a nature ought to
be. And this I apprehend is thehiglieft Argument of its Divini-
ty, much better than fuch as are deduced either from the I'uppofed
omiffion or infertion of a future ftate. ForMiy?j's filcnce concern-
ing this Do(flrine is founded upon a good and wife reafon, and
inpplied in a much better manner than that which the above men-
tioned Author has fancied J and fuch, if I miflakenot, as will bet-
ter aniwer the Obj^ftions of Unbelievers. And with regard to the
mention of a future ftate (for it is not yet agreed whether it be men-
tioned in it exprcffly or not) it might be pleaded, that this is a
Doctrine which all Law-givers have conftantly inculcated, as the
fame Author hath fhewn, and therefore is not peculiar to the Law-
giver of the Jews j nay Infidels would not ftick to fay he had bor-
rowed it from fome other. But it can never be faid, that any hu-
man Law-giver has pretended to carry the Sandtions of his Laws
fo high as to confer a perpetuity of Life, as the Reward of Obe-
dience to them; or to vifit TranfgrefTors with immediate Death ;
By which I do not mean that which was infl idled by the Magiftratc,
butby divine Judgments, of which many dreadful examples were
made at the firlt publication of this Law.
Moreover, as this was a Death from which there was no hope
of a deliverance by any other means befidcs the performance of a
perfeft unfinning Obedience, which was morally impoilible to be
performed in the ftate mankind was then in ; this I take to be the
true reafon why David, Ilezckiah, and others under the I-aw,-
fometimestalkin fuch a ilrain, as if they had no hope in a future ftate,
ziz. becaufe they groaned under thc<everity of the fiift Covenant
which afforded them fo little proJpcft of it. Here therefore the
fecond Covenant came in to their relief, with which the firlt was
tempered in this Difpenfation, and which mitigated the feverilty
of it, by refpiting the execution of the lentencc of Death on the
one hand; and on the other by vouchfafing them fo much lig;ht
concerning a Life after this, as afforded them a comfortable Hope
of it, ftill referving tiie full Revelat'on of it for the Gofpel. Ahd
this I take to be a true Hate of this Qucftion, which people have
been fo long dilputing ia the dark about.
368 Corner fling the Remonjal
' the works of the Law, the reward is not reckoned
' of Grace, kit of Di.bt. And i?^i;. xxii 14. Blef-
* fed are they that do his commandments, that they
* may have Right to the tree of life. Therefore^
' as he farther obferves, if any of the pofterity of
< Jdam wtrt juft, they fhould not lofe the reward
* of it by being his mortal ifilie — For immortaUty
* and bhfs belong to the righteous, and thofe who
' have lived in an exa6t conformity to the law of
* God, are out of the reach of Death.'*
Hence therefore we may juftly infer, that exemp-
tion from Death temporal is the reward of perfe61:
obedience, which v/as the thing to be proved, the'
not the fole nor greateft reward of it. Here are
two undeniable inftances of it, viz. in the Law firft
o-iven to Jdam, and in that given by Mofes.
And when mankind fhall by means of the fecond
Covenant be enabled to keep the terms of the firft,
they Ihall be made partakers of the rewards of it ;
they fhall live by it. And that they fhall be enabled fo
to do, appears from St Paul, who fuppofes as much
when he fays. If the uncirctimcifion keep the righte-
oufnefs of the Law, and fulfill the Law, fhall it
not be counted for circumcifton ? Rom. ii. 26, 27.
And Ch. 8, 4. he fays that God fent his Son that the
right eoufnefs of the law raight he fulfilled in us. The
Law of Mofes will then no more feem to command
impolTibilities, but what was iw-poffille with Men,
will appear to be ■poffihle with God. Then our Sa-
viour's faying will be fully verified, that he came
not to defiroy the Law, but to fulfill it ; and then
Law, and Gofpel, firft and fecond Covenant, will
co-incide : they will appear to be but different parts
of the fame wife and great ceconomy -, the main
end of both, one and the fame ; and that end will
then be fully attain'd, viz. the reftitution of our
nature,
• Mr Lofke'^ Rearonablenefi of Chrillianity, p. 1 4.
of Natural E'viL 369
nature, and its re-eftabliHiment in its primitive
ftate. See p. 204. & 267.
When this is brought to pafs, the full import of
that faying of our Saviour's will be clearly underftood,
/ came that they might have life^ and that they might
have it more abundantly, Jo. x. 10. Then may
he be faid, through his Death, to have fully dejlroycd
him that had the power of Death, that is, the Devil-,
and to have completely delivered * them who through
fear of Death were all their life-time fubje^f to bondage.
Heb. ii. 14, 15. And then he will have entirely
•ABOLISHED Death, and have brought Life a'ud Lnmor-
tality to full light by the Gofpel, 2 Tim. i. io>
This truth, as it was heretofore under great un-
certainty and obfcurity, as to the reality of it •, io
neither is it flill but very darkly apprehended^ as to
the feveral circumftances of it ; tor it doth not yet
appear what we fljall he, i Jo. iii. 2. And eye hath
not feen, nor car heard, neither have entered into tha
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him. 1 Cor. ii. 9. Then we fliall ob-
tain the adoption we now with groaning wait for,
viz. the redemption of the body. Rom. viii. 23, from
its prefcnt corrupt mortal ftate. I'hen the lafl
furviving happy generation of men fliall at Chrifl's
coming be found cloathed, and not naked. 2. Cor.
V. 3. i. e. fliall be found alive in the body, not di-
vefted of it by Death ; and fhall be cloathed upon
with their hcufe which is from heaven, ^^ 2. i. e.
their fpiritual, heavenly bodies fhall be fuper- indu-
ced upon the natural and earthly : And of this (as
the Apoftle in the fame place obferves) Nature it-
B b feif
* It is obfervable that the Greek word aVaMa^jj,- being a com-
pound from the fimpie verb aAAairaw to cb.ir.ge, ele2,antly points
out what kind of Lkliverance from iJeath is here principally meant,
viz. a Deliverance by way of change, which is the moit abloiute
and only proper Deliverance Itom it.
37© Concerning the Removal
felf feems to have fome inftindt and prefage, even
in this corrupt, mortal ftate : For we^ fays he, that
are in this tabernacle, do groan, being burthened -,
not for that we would be uncloathed, but cloathed up-
on. V. 4. i. e. Notwithftanding all the pains and
preffures which our bodies do now fufFer, we are
not willing to put them off, and part with them,
however weary we may be of them -, but our defire
is, if it might be, to have them cloathed upon with
that glorious, incorruptible body, without fuffering
a feparation from them by Death.
And this inftind or defire implanted in us by
nature, which doth nothing ih vain, is an argument
that this will be the cafe of the laft Generation, viz.
that they fhall not fufFer a feparation of Soul ar^d
Body at all. That they fhall not put off their ter-
reftrial Body •, but that the celeftial one, as hath
been obferved before, Iliall be fuper-induced upon
it: For fuch a Body, it feems, the glorified Saints are
to have, into which their earthly Body will be as it
v/ere incorporated, and both make one glorious
Vehicle. And that this is the true fenfe of this paf-
age mod of the commentators are agreed.
When matters are brought to this crifis, then
mortality Jhall be /wallowed up of life, as the Apoftle
here adds, v. 4. And then cometh the end, when
Chrift Jhall deliver up his mediatorial kingdom to God,
e\jen the Father^, having reigned, till he hath put all
enemies under his feet : and Death the laft of all :
For the last enemy that fhall be deftrofd is Death.
1 Cor. XV, 24, 25, 26. This corruptible Jhall then put
OM incorruptlcn, and this mortal/hall put on immor-
tality ; and then floall be brought topafs the faying
that is written. Death is swallowed up in Vic-
tory. V. 54.
Kere our refearches are at a ftand ; Here we muft
fcal lip the vifion and the prophecy, for here all pro-
phecy
of Natural Evil 27^
phecy is at an end. the myjlery of Godisnoiafinijhed^
Rev. X. 7. and the great fcheme of Man's Redemp-
tion is wound up and completed, as far as the wife
Author of it has through fit to reveal it to us.
By the light of the facred Oracles, which have all
along been our guide, and which is the only fure
guide in this cafe, we have (ttn what the firfl: happy
ftate of man was by his creation — how he fell from
that ftate — what the confequences of his fall were
— and how he fhall by degrees recover from it, and
be rc'eftablifhed in his original condition : And the
reader, upon the whole, m aft be left to judge con-
cerning the view in which thefe important points are
here placed.
The revolutions which our nature, and the world
about us have hitherto undergone, are pretty well a-
greed upon : Thefe are Ldls which have been eftab •
lifhedupon the credit of the facred hiftory, and con-
firm'd by the experience of men in all ages. What
is future is not fo certain, for this very reafon, becaufe
it IS future. Scripture indeed treats no lefs of this ;
but then as it neceflarily treats of it in the way of
Prophecy, and as all Prophecy is dark, and more
difficult to be underftood before the Completion, fo
no wonder that thofe Prophecies which relate to the
future Renovation and Redintegration of Man and
Nature are no better apprehended.
That I have hit upon the true fenfe of them, 1
will not peremptorily affert — That muft abide the
teft of examination, to which I very willingly fub-
mit the foregoing Treatife, being no otherwife con-
cernM about the fate of it, than as it will appear to be
agreeable to Scripture, or otherwife. Ifl have gone
upon a wrong hypothefis, I defire nothing more
than that it may appear to be fo, both to myfelf
and every other perfon into whofe hands thefe
B b 2 papers
^'j2 Concerning the Removal
i3apers fhall fall ; for kt God he true, and ev'&}1nAfi
a lyar.
In the mean time, I would beg leave to offer thus
much in its favour — That as we muft have very
partial and imperfed notions of the great Myftery of
our Redemption, if we look upon it any otherwife
than as a Scheme contrived by infinite Wifdom^ and
conduced by gradual Advances (*), till it be bro't
to its utmoll Accomplifhment \ fo it is here confidered
as fuch. And that this is ajuft, tho' faint and im-
perfedl Iketch of it, is humbly apprehended, be-.
Caufc it feems worthy of God, and agreeable to our
notions of the divine Attributes : It gives us more
enlarged and exalted ideas of the great work of our
Redemption, and of its Author ; and £it the fame
time does honour to human Nature, and makes us
entertain higher and nobler fentiments of it, than we
are otherwife apt to do.
1 . This Hypothefi^ feems worthy of God, becaufe
it is agreeable to our notions of his attributes, that he
fhould relcue his works from the confufion and dif-
order they were thrown into, and re-fettle them in
the ftate and condition he firll placed them in.
2. It gives us more enlarged and exalted ideas of
the great work of our Redemption, becaufe much
more is attributed to it on this hypothefis concern-
ing it, than by any other reprefentation of it that I
have met with. It better anfwers the true notion of
Redemption, and fuppofes it to be carried further
than is ordinarily apprehended — It tends to the
greater difplay of the excellency of our moft holy
Religion, which contains the means for accomplifh-
ing all the great ends defign'd by our Redemption ;
as it alfo makes thofe ends greater and more worth/
tiie Incarnation of the Son of God, and of tile Em-
bafiy
* Pret'ium redemptloinsjam foJutum ej}, 'ejus avtem ofpUcatio fit
c'rVii gr/idihus. Tolecus in Rom. viii. 2 ^,
of Natural Evil, 373
bsiTy on wliich he came down from Heaven — In in
the end crowns that important Embaffy and Under-
taking of his with full fiiccefs, and illuftrates the
virtue and elEcacy of all that he hath done and fuf-
fer'd for us.
3. This Hypothefis tends not only to the Honour
of our Redeemer, but to that of human Nature like-
wife, in as much as it fuppofes it not fallen fo low as to
be pall ail hopes of Recovery •, but on the contrary,
that it is capable of great improvements, and, with
the aids of divine Grace, of being reftored to the loft
Image of its Maker, and of aflerting and regaining
its original Dignity and Excellence. But thefe
Heads, which were hinted in the Introduction^ are
treated of more largely in Chapters icthand i ith, to
which therefore I refer the Reader.
Some reprefent Mankind as Devils, and that
tends to make them fuch : Others reprefent therr^
as mere natural Men, and that tends to continue
them fuch : Others again reprefent them as more
than Men, as Creatures poiTeffed ot fuch a ftock of
Sufficiency within themfelves, as if they needed not
to alpire after a greater Perfe6tion, at leaft as if they
were -not fallen men; but this is a fufficicnt proof
that they are fuch. Here they are reprefented in a
quite different vie;w from all thefe. It is Ihewn not
only what they heretofore have been, what they are
by Nature at prefent, and what by Grace — but more-
over what they may, and (hall be hereafter -, and
this tends at once to make us think more humbly of
ourfelves, and at the fame time elevates our aims,
excites our endeavours, and infpires us with the hopes
pf the greateft attainments.
From thefe confiderations, that this Hypothefis
tends to the Honour of God, and of his Son Jefus
Qhrifi^ of the Chriftian Difpenfation, and of human
Nature — This, I f^y, is fome prefumption that this
Bb 3 rough
374 Concerning the Removal y &c.
rough Draught may rudely exprefs fome of the out-
lines of the myfterious and incomprehenfible fcheme
of the redemption of the world by Jefus Chriji i the
perfect model and archetype of which is framed only
in the divine mind, and is not to be copied out with
exaftnefs by any creature. This is that myfterious
and facred book^ which none in heaven^ in earthy or
under the earthy is able or worthy to read or open-t
but the Lamb who was Jlain, and hath redeemed us to
God by his bloody out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation. Rev. v. 3, 9.
I am fenfible fo fublime a fubjedt muft have great-
ly fuffered by falling into fuch unfkilful hands, and
that it had appeared to much greater advantage by
the help of an abler and more learned pen. But the
truth, if I have found it, will fhine through all the
obfcurities and imperfeftions of ftyle and method.
However, this pertormance, mean as it is, and er-
roneous as it may be, may have its ufe notwithftand-
ing, xxi giving occafion to a more accurate and clear
examination and difcuflion of the great dodtrine of
our Redemption j as fome of the moft important
dodrines of Chriftianity have of late, by occafion of
unfl<:ilrul treatifes concerning them, to fay no worfe,
been judicioufly and folidly explained, by the la-
bours of learned men in defence of them ; to which
Chriftianity is much indebted, being better undeij--
ftood, at this day, than ever it v/as fince the firft
promulgation of it.
^T H E
375
The CONCLUSION.
By 'way of Application to three Sorts of Men^
viz. Jews, Deists, and Christians.
I. T F any of you who have been the chofen people
X of God, and are ^A\ beloved for the fathers
fakes, Rom. ii. 28. Ihouldfo far lay afide your pre-
judices, or gratify your curiofity, as to look into a
book written by a Chriftian, and profeffedly for the
honour of Chriftianity ; you may fee that the author
conceives very highly of your future flourifhing llate,
as highly as even you yourfelves can — hath as iirm a
faith, and as ftrong hopes, that all Ifrael fhali be fa-
ved. Ifa. xlv, 17. and that the Lord will turn again
the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole
Houfe of Ifrael. E-zek. xxxix. 25. — That the time
will come, when Hefhallfet his hand a fecond time
to recover the remnant of his people, and f jail ajfem-
ble the out-cajls of Ifrael, and gather together the dif-
perfed of Judah from the four corners of the earthy
Ifa. xi. II, 12. and plant them in their own land,
that they foall no more be pulled up out of the land
that he hath given them. Amos ix. 14, 15. — That
they fjall build up Jerufalem glorioufly, and the houfe
of God glorioufly in it, as the Propl>ets have fpoken.
Tobit xiv. 5, 6. and that they fy all again worJJjip
the Lord in the holy mount in Jeruialem. Ifa. xxvii.
13,— that the fons of fir anger s f jail build up their
walls, and kings Jhall minifier unto them. Lh. Ix. 10.
— that they Jhall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and
boflfi thcnifclves in their glory. Ch. vi. 6. All this,
and much more contain'd in your Prophecies, I be-
lieve, with you, fliall conic to pafs. But I differ
B b 4 from
37^ Application U
from you in the manner of explaining it : And would
you but !ay yourfeives open to convi6lion, and im-
partially examine the title of the crucified Jejus to
the Mejfiah-pip, you would foon fee all your Pro-
phecies fulfilled, and your hopes accomplilhed.
This being the appointed means whereby you may
fhorten the period of your difperfion, and haften
your return to your antient inheritance, and your
eflablilhrnent in all the promifed power and glory
of it.
But to this end, you'll fay, you m.uft have a con-
quering, triumphant Mejfiah^ agreeably to your
conftant expedations : And herein you are very
right, a conquering, triumphant MeJJiah you fhall
have ; and you will be convinced, that Jefus Chriji^
at lafb, is the perfon, to whom you v/ill find your-
feives obliged to have recourfe -, and having in vaiq
looked for others, to loGk upon him whom you have
fiercedj for hopes of deliverance. The fooner you
do this, the fooner you fhall obtain it •, and the lon-
ger you (land out, the longer you will continue
yourfeives in your prefent difperfed and defpifed con-
dition.
You ought at lead to abate fomething of your
hatred of Jeftis Chrift, and of your prejudices againft
Chriilianity, face we Chriilians hope lO well ot you,
and agree with you in lb many points. Chriftiani-
ty is the means of your being reftored to your pro-
mifed land ^ it is not tiie deftru6lion of your religi-
on, but the perfcftion of it, and is defigned ^oxyour
as v/ell as ciir eternal faivation : For obedience to its
precepts will in time enable you to perform what
hath hitherto exceeded all your abilities, viz. an
exa^l obedience to the moral part ol your own laWy
which is all that will then be required of you : For
you have feen it proved from the writings of your
ovvn Law -giver, and Prophets, that you have no
ground
the Jews and Deijls^ ^77
ground to exped a reftoration of your own form of
worfhip, or any part of the Ceremonial-Law — That
the Circumcifton^ which upon your Reftoration will
tal<.e place, will be the Circumcifion of the hearty
which is the Chriftian Circumcifion— That the Ark
of the Covenant Jh all no more come to mind, nor be
rememi^ered, nor viftted by you — And that a new Co-
venant fhall be made with you, which what other
can it be, than the Chriftian Covenant? ^ee p.
247.
I ftiall conclude this addrefs to you with the ad-
vice which Gamaliel, a reputable dotftor of your
own law, gave to your fore-fathers with regard to
this matter. Te men of Ifrael, take heed to your
felves — If this counfel, or this work, had been of
Men, it would long ago have come to nought -, but if
it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lejf haply ye be
found even to fight againfi God.
II. With regard to thofe who are ftiled Deifis,
and other Free-thinkers in Religion, who tho' they
have not entirely apoftatifed from their Chriftianity,
yet are tempted to entertain flight and unworthy no-
tions of it, and are accuftomed to treat the Holy
Scriptures with too much difregard and contempt — •
If fuch think that I have built without foundation,
and have afcribed more to our Redemption than
they can be induced to believe will be effected by it,
as fuch will be the moft likely of all others to think
fo — The favour I would beg of them is, that their
cenfure may fall where it ought, viz. on the faulti-
nefs of the performance ; but that they would not
take occafion from hence to treat Scripture or
Chriftianity irreverently, which are not anfv/erable
for the miilaken notions of Men.
But on the other hand, if fuch perfons, upon the
perufal of the foregoing EJfay, can be perfuaded but
tp think, thiit poflibly there may be truth in it — If
they
37^ Application to Deifis^
they cannot deny but that the records of Reveard
Religion afford fome foundation for the great things
here afcribed to it — If they cannot difprove, as I
think they cannot, that human Nature, and Nature
in general already have undergone, and hereafter
fhall undergo, the Revolutions here maintained con-
cerning them — If they cannot with reafon difallow,
but that the Scheme of the World's Redemption, in
this view of it, is a confiftent Scheme, worthy of
God, and highly beneficial to Man — If it ferves to
remove any of their difficulties, or furnilhes an an-
fwer to any of their objedions againft Revelation —
Particularly, if they admit of the above account of
the origin of moral and natural Evil, which hath
been made the greateft pretence of all others for
quarrelling with Religion •, as they mull admit of it,
if it be Demonftration — and if they admit likewife
that there is any probability of the removal of it
upon the gofpel-fcheme — Should this prove to be
the cafe, it is to be hoped, if they will not hence be
induced intirely to lay afide their prejudices againft
Chriftianity, and heartily to embrace it in the love
of it — -at leaft, that they will begin to think more
favourably of it, and treat Reveal'd Religion, and
its facred records with decency and refpedl ; becaufe
it may, and, for ought they know, it doth, deferve
their utmoft efteem and veneration. Were there
nothing elfe to recommend it, yet the grandeur and
noblenefs of its pretenfions alone, nothing like to
which hath ever been fet up upon any other fcheme,
ought to place it above fcorn and ridicule, and pro-
cure it fome degree of awe and refpedt, till luch
time as thefe its pretenfions can be manifeftly prov-
ed to be falfe, abfurd, and groundlefs i which I con-
ceive they never can.
LI. With regard to all fincere and good Chrifti-
sXir, whom I am in the laft place to addrefs, if this
Free-thinkers, and Chrifliam, 379
EJfay hath in any meafure contributed to the difco-
very of any Truths, which before lay concealed —
If they find thtimfeives infpired by it with nobler fen-
timents of Chriflianity and human Nature — If it
gives them more enlarged and exalted notions of the
great work of our Redemption ; or particularly ex-
plains any do£trines or texts of Scripture, or puts
the whole or any part of Reveal'd Religion in a more
advantageous light to them — I fhall have my reward
in the fatisfa6lion of contributing my mite towards
the inftrudion and improvement of mankind, in or-
der to xhcir going on unto Perfe5lion — of being a weak
inftrument in God's hand in carrying on the Great
Scheme of Man'j Redemption, and Restora-
tion to his primitive State.
The Profpeft we have that this gracious and glo-
rious undertaking will be brought to a happy end,
however diftant it may be, is not without its ufes
and advantages even to us of this prefent time. For,
I . It affords a proper exercife of our faith in God*s
promifes, and in the truth of the many Prophecies
which foretel this great event, that they fhall at
length be moft affuredly fulfilled : And it hkewifc
is a fource of great joy and fatisfa6lion to good men,
who wifli well to the intereft of God and Religion,
to reflect that Chrijl^s Kingdom fhall in due time uni-
verfally prevail. Abraham, as Chrift himfelf tells us,
rejoyced to fee my day^ and hefaw it, and was glad.
Jo. viii. c^6. And all generous minds, who arc
children of the faith of Abraham, will in like man-
cer rejoice and be exceeding glad to fee, tho' afar offy-
nas he did, and as it were in a glafs darkly , the boun
tiful goodnefs of the Lord to his Church, and the
happy end towards which his difpenfations through-
cut all ages have been working.
The blefjing promifed to Abraham in his feed wa
ablef.
^8o Application
a blefBng to himfelf i and all true lovers of mankind
have a natural regard and concern for their mofl dif-
tant poiterity, which miift give them an agreeable
relilh and fore-tafte of whatever good they believe to
be referved for them.
2. This confideration may ferve to prevent our
being too much difcouraged by the bold advances
of Aiheifm and Infidelity, and the great increafe of
Trofanenefs and Immorality in the prefent age. Thefe
daring offences and impieties fore-bode indeed but ill
to the reformation and improvement of the world
in Virtue and Religion : They even threaten the to-
tal corruption and diflolution of Morality as well as
Religion, in principle as well as practice. Notwith-
ftanding, thefe Overflowings of Ungodlinefs ought
not to make us afraid.^ or to be difmayed at them.
For this is our confidence, that he who hath faid to
the Sea, Beftill, and hitherto /ball thou come, and no
farther, hath like wife fet to this deluge of impiety
its hounds^ which it cannot pafs, nor return to cover
the earth : So that how much foever it may rage and
fwell for a time, yet at length its -proud waves will
be flayed^ and its rage will be fpentinvainj becaufe
we have a moil fure Word of Prophecy that the Gates
cf Hell fhall not prevail againft the Church ofChrifi;
but that notwithftanding the prefent low eftate of
Chriftianity, the time will come when it will yet
have its due influence, and finally triumph over the
obftinate prejudices, and unruly lulls of Men, and
every thing elfe that exalts itfelf againft it. Therefore,
g. This fhould excite ourbeft endeavours for the
promoting of this great end, by ufing all diligence
to overcome the remaining corruption, each or his
. own nature, in all holy converfation and godlinefs,^
looking for, and hafienmg the coming of the day of
God : And by uniting, one and all, in our refpec-
tive places ana ftations, to promote, or at leaft pre-
pare
to Chrifliafis. 381
pat^e the way for, what hath been often wiflied and
talked of by good men, tho' hitherto fcarce hoped
for, viz. An universal Reformatiox, but which
this Scheme affords encouragement to attempt, as it
gives us at leafl a diftant profpedl of it.
Laftly, as a chief means of obtaining tliis end, we
fhould make conftant apphcation to the Throne of
Grace, ' that God,' to ufe the v/ords of our excel-
lent Liturgy, ' would be pleafed to make his ways
known unto all forts and conditions of men, and
his faving health unto all nations ;* particularly,
that he would have mercy upon all Je'ujs, Turks^
Injideh, and Her clicks, and take from thern all ig-
norance, hardnefs of heart, and contempt of his
word •, and fo fetch them home to his flock, that
they may be faved among the remnant of the true
Ifr.ielites, and be made one fold under one fhep-
herd •, befeeching him likev/ife to infpire continu-*
ally the univerfal Church with the fpirit of truth,
unity, and concord, that all who confefs his holy
name may agree in the truth of his holy word,
and hold the faith in the unity of the Spirit, in the
bond of peace, and in righteoufnefs of life.* That
all Chriftians being brought to an agreement in the
faith and knowledge of God, and to a ripenefs and
perfeclnefs of age in Chrift, there may be no place
left for error in religion, or vicioulhefs of life.*
And efpecially, when we put up our petitions to
God in the Lord's prayer, we fliould never fail moft
zealoufly and fervently, in this fenfe, to fay, tky
Kingdom come. Even fo. Lord Jefus, come
quickly !
* Offici/nr crSeritig Priejls.
A D I S
A
DISSERTATION
O N T H E
DESIGN
AND
ARGUMENTATION
O F T H E
BOOK o(JOB,
With a Vindication of feme particular PafTages
in it againft the Objedtions of the Rev. Dr,
Richard Grey,
Hearken to me^ I alfo will Jhew mine Opinion.
Elihu in Job xxxii. lo.
[385]
A Dissertation on the T)efign^ Sec. of tkc
Book of Job.
TH E Book of Job hath been always efteemed
one ot the mod difficult in the whole Canon
of Scripture ; and therefore many learned meri have
bellowed much pains about it. But their enquiries
having been generally confined either to the age,
country, and family of Job and his Friends, or to
the reality of the pcrlbn, the author of the book,
the nature of the compofition, and thcoccafion of it,
feldom penetrating much into the main defign, or
the argument debated in it ; but all in this refped:,
in a manner treading in each other's lleps, and, as
it were, by general confent, taking it for granted —
hence little has been done in reality towards clear-
ing up what I apprehend to be of greateft impor-
tance, as well as difficulty in this very difficult
book.
A late Author indeed hath gone out of the com-
mon road, fo far as to interpret this divine compofi-
tion allegorkally \ but the literal meaning, which he
does not exclude, and on which his Allegory is found-
ed, is undertfood by him in much the fame man-
ner as by all that went before him.
As I cannot acquicfce in his Hypoihefis^ it may be
expefted as a piece of ceremony due to fo ditlin-
guifhed a writer, as the Author of the divine Lega-
tion c/Mofes, that I fliould give the rcafons of my
diflent, before I Offer a different one.
This, therefore, I fliall do in as fhort a way as I
can, without any inclination of erecting my fcherne
upon the ruins of another, much lefs of entering the
lifts with a gentleman, who for his great learning
Cc and
386 A Dijferfation on
and abilities, as well as for other confiderations, is
by no means an eligible adverfary.
This Book, Mr War bur ton fays, was written for
l^t ufe of the people of the Jews^ foon after their
return from the Babylonijh Captivity, in order to
convince them that they were no more to expecl to
be governed by an extraordinary and e^ual Provi-
dence, as formerly •, and to reconcile them to an
ordinary and unequal one, by which he fiippofes that
they, as well as the reft of the world, were thence-
forward to be governed*.
A perfon who is going to build, ought firft to be
very careful in laying a good foundation, left he
jQiould render himfelf obnoxious to the fate and cha-
ra(5ter of the man in the gofpel, who built his houfe
upon the [and : the pertinency of which refiedlion will
prefently appear.
The foundation on which the fpecious pile of
building now before us ftands, is, as we have feen,
■ the fuppofition that the Jewijh ftate after the Capti-
. vity was not governed by an extraordinary and equal
Providence. Let us examine it.
I. With regard to an equal Providence. The
diftindion of an equal and unequal Providence is
what this learned writer feems very fond of, and fo
confident of its being juft, that he thinks ' it cannot
' be made matter of difpute^ whether God admini-
' fters his government of the world by an equal or
* unequal Providence, all ages and countries having,
* as he fays, experienced the adminiftration of it to
' be vifibly and confefledly unequal.'' — And more-
over, that ' in all the vaft variety of human opinions,
* as extravagant as many of thofe are which philofo-
' phic men have fome time or other held, we do
•' not find any of them ever conceived or maintained,
' that
* See the Divine Legation, l5fc. Part II. B. vi. § 2.
the Book of Job. 387
that God' J Providence was equally adminiftred. p. 501.
But the truth of this obfervation may notwichftand-
ing bejuftly queftioned*. For, tho' it muft be own-
ed that the inequality of the adminiftrations of Pro-
vidence hath been too much the topic of complaint
in all ages, yet hath it never received any counte-
nance from the Author of Providence.
The Jews in Ezekiel's time, particularly. Were
of the fame opinion with this learned Author. They
faid, Tbe way of the Lord was not equal.f But God
complains of the wrong, expoftulates with them up-
on it, and retorts the charge upon themfelves. Te
fay, the way of the Lord is not equal: Hear now, O
houfe of Ijrael, is not my way equal ? Are not your
ways unequal? Ezek. xviii. 25. Where he plainly
fignifies to us, that the inequalities and diforders
which are in the world, are not in his ways^ but our
own. And, indeed, to fuppofe that there are any
real Inequalities in the adminiftrations of Providencf!:,
what elfe is it than fuppofing that the Lord of the
whole earth doth not do right ? fince every kind and
degree of inequality is a deviation from right and
equity. God is the God of order, notof confufion ;
and to fay that he deviates from order and right, tho'
in ever fo fmall a degree, or for ever fo fhort a time,
is very unworthy of him, and is a betraying of his
juftice, and other attributes.
It is true, there are many feeming inequalities in
his difpenfations -, but that proceeds from our par-
tial view of them •, whereas, if we were able to com-
prehend the many reafons upon which they are found-
ed, they would appear to be moll equal, as well as
juft. But fo clofely connefted and interwoven are
men's interefts with each other -, fo infinitely diver-
C c 2 Tified
• Sec Mr. Sett's Anfwcr to the Divine Legation, p. 89.
f See Bifhop Stilling fleet' i Aofwcr to Crtllius, ch. 3. f. 6.
throughout.
^SiS A Diffhrfafion m'
•fified'ar^ their virtues and vices •,' fuch an rnfinitE
variety of cafes is hereby conftituted ; and fuch
a multitude of circumftances, and very exterifive-
relations concur in each cafe ; that it is impolTibte
for us to judge of the right of any one cafe, not even
of our own. It is therefore rafh and prefumptuous to
judge of the- ways of- providence by outward ap-
pearances. Scripture, and the notions we have of the
divine attributes, are the only fure guides in this caf^.
The fliort of the matter feems to be this. : Thot'
there are apparent Inequalities in the diftributions of
Providence, yet we ought not, upon that account;
to pronounce Providence itfelf to be unequal^- -this
being harfh language, and injurious to Providence.
The proper diftindtion here I conceive is this— Ine-
quality, when applied to the diftributions of Provi-
dence (tho' I think it ought not to be abfolutely af-
firmed even of them) is to be underftood in a natu-
ral fenfe. But Providence itfelf being one of the
moral attributes of God, no epithets are applicable
to it but moral ones, or fuch as are to be underftood
in a moral fehfe. And therefore to fay that God's
Providence is unequal^ is the fame as to fay it is un-
equitable, or unjuft ; which I am fatisfied the learn-
ed author is far from thinking it to be at any time.
He therefore muft admit that God continued to go-
vern the Jews by an equal Providence after the Cap-
tivity, as well as before, becaufe his Providence is
always equals with regard to them, arid all the
World ; tho' there were apparent Inequalities in the
adminiftrations of it, no lefs before the Captivity,
than after ; as not only Jeremiah^ but David, Afaph,
Habacuc, and others before his time were tempted
to complain.
• -Had this learned writer impartially confidered the
above-mentioned text of Ezekiel, it would have
Jielped him to corred his notion?, concerning Provi-'
dence.
the Book of Job. 389
dcnce. But it was not for his purpofe in point of
Chronology. Had Ezekiel wrote in the days of the
Judges, when he fuppofes an e(iual Providence was
at the height, he had not failed to have made good
ufe of it. But as the time when he prophefied was
under the Captivity, whei;i Mr PK fuppofes an
eqtial Providence was in a manner ceafed, any men-
tion of an fj«^/ Providence, at that time, did not at
allfuit his Scheme; and therefore he thinks fit not
to take any notice of this Text ; . tho'; it boje, fuch an
obvious relation to his fubjedl, that it is'the onlj? text S-^x,
I can at prefent recoiled:, that makes exprels, men-/'£fG^
tion of the Equality of God's ways j and tho' inXxy:/ z
treating of it, he cited other texts in this Chapter,
even the next verfe to it, p. 457, with which it has
an immediate connexion. But his purpofe in citing
them was quite different : God here tells tlie Jews,
that they (hould not any more have occafion to ufe
that Proverb, The fathers have eaten four grapes^
mtd the childrens teeth are fet on edge : becaufe the
fon Jfjould not bear the iniquity of the father^, hut that
the foul that finned fhould die, * and afl fliould be
dealt with according to their perfonal deferts : And
then he cxpoftulates with them, Tet ye fay — not-
withilanding the juftice and equity of thefe proceed-
ings, ye fay, the way of the Lord is not equal.
Here we fee that God produces this inftance on
purpofe to prove the equality of his ways, or, in
Mr py.''s language, an equal Providence. But he,
Mr IV. in direft oppofition hereto, as well as to all
our notions of juftice and equity, makes this to bj
the inftitution of an unequal one. ^.453.
Whom Ihall we believe? God himfelf, or this
Cc 3 pre-
• See Dtut. xxiv. i6. 2 Kings xiv. 6. whcrce it appears there
\V39 lodflctcnce before the Captivity and afrtrwards, with re-
giid to this Law, that every one was to die tor his own fin.
2go A Dijfertation on
prefumptuous man, who, to eflablifh his own fond
notions, feareth not to pervert the right ways of the
Lord ?
Hence it appears that the Adminiftration of an equal
Providence was fo far from being withdrawn after
the Captivity (which is one part of Mr /F/s founda-
tion of his Hypothefts concerning the Book of Job)
that we have the moft exprefs teftimony that the
whole Scripture affords for the future continuance of
it in that period -, and that the diftinftion of an
equal and unequal Providence is groundlefs, odious,
and injurious to Providence. *
Let us now fee, whether the other part of his
foundation fiandeth more fure : I mean, Whether
the Adminiftration of an extraordinary Providence
was then withdrawn or not.
And that it was not v/ithdrawn may be inferred
from his own reafoning, notwithftanding that he
maintains the contrary.
The '^dife^ion of his 5th book treats of the durati-
on of the Jewijh theocracy^ and is fpent in proving
that it continued till the coming of Chrift. The firlt
pofition laid down, inlifted upon, and fupported
with arguments, in the next fe£iion is. That an ex-
traordinary Providence was apecuhar confequence
necejfarily attending fuch a form of government, viz.
a Theocracy, and infeparable from it. What now is
the inf rence to be made from hence, but that the
one, b ingfo effential to, and infeparable from the
other, both muft have been of the fame continuance;
and if the Theocracy continued till the coming of
Chrift, an extraordinary Providence likewife continu-
ed ti 1 that time? Mr/iF. therefore m.ufthave great-
ly forgotten himfelf, when in his chapter concern-
ing the book of Job, he maintains, that the admini-
ftration
* See Bp Stilllvgjieet ubi fupra. ch. 3. f. 6.
the Book of Jo^. J91
ftratlon of an extraordinary Providence entirely ceafed
upon the return from the Captivity.
This matter might be refted here, but two or three
fads will put it beyond all difpute.
Andfirft, I might mention the continuance of the
Spirit of Prophecy after this time •, but Ihall not infill
upon this, fmce the learned author acknowledges,
' that Prophets were raifed up •, and an extraordina-
* ry Providence forfome fliort time was adminifter-
' ed , as appears from many places in thofe pro-
' phets,* fome of which he refers to, p. 417. tho' he
might have chofe fome more to the purpofe. *
But there are inftances of the exercifeof an extraor-
dinary Providence, which continued for a long time
after theCaptivity,eventothe end oixhtJewiJh^^XG,
It was required by the law of Mofes^ that all the
males of the land fhould appear three times in they ear y
kef ore the Lord in Jerujalem. This law we find re-
ligioudy obfferved by them till the lateft times of the
republick, in numerous paflTages of 7o/^/>^//J, the four
Gofpels , and the Ai:is of the Apofiles •, nor do we
learn that they ever fuffered the leaft inconvenience
at thefc feafons from the incurfions of their enemies,
during all the wars of the Maccabees^ and others in
which from time to time they were engaged -, tho'
their frontiers and whole country muil at thefe times
have been left in a very defencelefs ftate, and muft
have become an eafy prey to any invader, if the di-
vine Providence had not always in an extraordinary
manner reftrained their enemies from all thoughts of
C c 4 it,
* It appears from the Prophecy of Uaggal, that the Jeivs
after rlie Captivity were puni(h'd with a famine for negleftirg to
rebuild the temple. And the fame Prophet upon their obedience
in this refpeft, makes them a promife of great plenty, ch. ii. 19.
than which I queftion much whether Mr W. can produce any in-
iVances of an extraordinary Providence before the Captivity more
remarkafale. S»c likewife Zech. viii. \i. x. i. xiv. 17. Mai.
ili. 10, 1 1..
392 A Dijferfation on
it, purfuant to his promife, neither Jhall any man
dtjir e thy land^ when thou Jloalt go up to appear be-
fore the Lord thy God, thrice in the year. Exod.
xxxix. 24. Tliis is the more obfervable, as their
enemies did not fail upon other occafions to make
their advantage of their ftrid obfervance of the fab-
bath, wherein they were fo fcrupulous, that they
would not defend themfclves when attacked by them
en that day ; till at length they fuffer'd fo much for
their fuperftition herein, that they found it advife-
able to be laid afide. See i Mac. ii. 34.
The continuance of an extraordinary Providence,
during the period under confideration, may be fur-
ther interred from another remarkable inftance of a
very extraordinary nature. The inftitution of the
fahhatical year., which was to ht2iyear of refi to the
land, wherein it was to be neither yc-ie;^^^, nor reaped,
could never be obferved without an extraordinary
increafe beforehand, for the fupply of it. Accord-
ingly God promifeth to command his blefftng on the
jixth year, that it fhould bring forth fruit for three
years. LjCV. xxv. 21. Now it appears that the y^<^-
b^iticalyear was obferved after the Captivity as low
dovv^n as the time oi Alexander, nor have we any ac-
counts of its difcontinuance afterwards. For Jo-
fephus tells us that this prince when he vifited Jeru-
falem, at the requtil of the high priefl:, remitted the
fevemh year's tribute * : And that this was on no o-
ther confideration, than that of their not tilling their
lands in that year, appears from the account which
follows concerning the Samaritans, applying for the
fame
* Jofeph. Ant. lib, xi. cap. vii.
It is queftioncd by infidel writers whether Alexander ever was
in Judea. But Jofphus is vindicated, as to the probability of
the ' !• .'. riters of better Credif, parucuiariy by Bp
lloyd, Dr Pridea'x Conn. i. and B^Cbay.ndi'ers'Vir.d.ofhic
Defence of Chriltianity, p 17S.
the Book of Job. 393
fame favour, where he mentions this as the reafon
of it.
Now the treble crop of xhtfixth year was no lefs
neceflary for the obfervation of xhtfabbaticalyear^ af-
ter the Captivity, than before, and much more fo
when this ftate became tributary to others : But it is
obftrvable th.U this was quite contrary to the courfe
and philofophy of nature, which ordinarily throws
out its ftrength moll plentifully in the firji years af-
ter it hath lain fallow ; and the longer it hatii been
driven, the more its vigour is impaired, and the
lighter its crops prove : fo that the Irrength of nature
being thus referved, as it were, for xhtfixth year,
in which it proi^uced as much as in any three of the
foregoing, could proceed only from the wonderful,
efficacy of tiie divin r'rovidence, in an extraordinary
manner impregnating it for that purpofe.
And as a means to this ?nd, it may hence be infer-
red, that God in a particular manner ftill cared for
this land, and that his eyes, as he declares, were al-
ways upon it, from the beginning of the year, even
unto the end of the year, Deut. xi. 12. And that ac-
cording to his cxprefs Promife, he gave them the rain
cf their land in his duefeafon, the firft rain, and the
latter rain, that they might gather in their corn, and
their wine, and their oyl. v. 14. which may be rcckon-
ied as another remarkable inilance of the continuance
of an extraordinary Providence.
For God Almighty, it feems, vouchfafed to blefs
and fertihze this foil, and promote the growth of its
produce in a peculiar manner, different from that of
any otiicr country under heaven ; by caufing hisrain
to come down at two fixed and ftated feafons of the
year : The former rain at feed-time, which was about
October, to bring up their corn, and the latter rain
in the frfi month, Joel ii. 23. which partly anfwers
to our March, and which was about three -months be-
fore
• 394 -^ Dijfertation on
fore vrhe^t-harvefi, Amos iv. 7. in order to -make
it grow, and fill the ear. And that this extraordinary
blefling was continued to the Jews after the Captivi-
ty, is evident, not only from the great plenty which
Hag. and Zech. frequently promife them, as already
taken notice of, but likewife from an exprefs encou-
ragement given them by the latter, ch. x.i. to ajk rain
in the time of the latter rain., tiyip^O, with an afiiirance
of obtaining it. Compare likewife Ezrax. 9, 13.
And thus, I think, it plainly appears, that God
continued to exercife an eq^ual and extraordinary Pro-
vidence over the JewiJIj ftate, in the period that
fucceeded the Captivity, as well as before -, and con-
fequently, that the foundation of Mr IV.'s Hypothe-
fis concerning the book of Job., is not only faulty,
but that it hath indeed no foundation at all : and if
fo, it needs not to be faid what the fate of the fu-
perftruclure muft be.
In the following courfe of this Difiertation, I pro-
pofe, firll, to point out fome difficulties, which this
book feems to labour under, and which it is prefum-
ed the Hypothefts here offered will remove. Second-
ly, to make fome enquiry concerning the age, fami-
ly, and religion of Joh., and his Friends, and the
author of this book which bears his name. And, laft-
ly, to confider the ftate of the world in thefe ages
with regard to religion and philofophy. Thefe
points being previoufly difcuffed, we fhall then be
better able to apprehend the defign of the book
itfelf, and to profecute without interruption the argu-
mentation that runs through it.
The great difficulty in this book is to underiland
x!nt true ftate of the controverfy carried on in it,
to have a right apprehennon of the queftion difcufled,
arid of the drift and . aim of the feveral difputants,
without
the Book o/" Job. 395
v/ithout a clear conception of which it is impoflible to
judge of any controverfy.
That it hath been the fate of the book of Joh^ to
have hitherto been widely miftaken, and the grounds
of the debate wliich runs through it to have lain un-
difcovered, will be allowed to amount to a fufpicion
at leaft, if the following particulars be confidered.
I. The conduft of Job^s Friends -, which is fo
ftrange and unaccountable, that it is very difficult to
reconcile it with that character, in the view it com-
monly appears in. Their feeming uncharitablenefs
and inhumanity, their acrimony, virulence, un-
juft cenfdre, and pertinacious obftinacy, and the in-
decency of their behaviour in general, towards a
perfon in fuch diftrefs, looks as if they came v^^ith a
defign to mock and infult, and not, as they profeffed,
to mourn with^ and comfort him -, and, as Mr
Warh. fuppofes, not without an appearance of rea-
fon, that they were nox. real, hui pretended ¥v\f:\ds.
And yet there are other circumftances relating to
them, that will not fuffer us to think thus of them,
or that the motive of their vifit was any other than
pure friendfhip and compaflion. For it is exprefsly
faid, that they came by appointinent to mourn with,
and comfort him. Accordingly, as foon as they faw
him, they burft out into tears, rent their cloaths, co-
vered themfelves with a cloud of dufi, and fat down
fympathizing with him in filent ^nti fenjen days and
nights \ which were all tokens of deep mourning
in the eaftern parts of the world.
And that this their deportment was dictated to
them by their difcretion, as they faw his afflidtion
to be fo great as to admit of no other comfort than
that of fympathy \ and that their filence was not the
effc<5l of obftinacy and ill fufpicion, as fome ima-
gine *, appears from the context, in which it is add-
ed
• Vidt CI. Grey in Ucum. The
'^g6 u4 Dijfei-tatwn on
ed as the reafon of their conduct, they f aw that hh
grief was '-eery great.
And
I was greatly furprized to iind that this learned Author (in his
Ai.lwer to Mr Warburtcn^ p. 6z) had taken fo much oflFence at this
reference, which affords fo little ground for it.The reader fees that the
only epithet I give him is that of clarijpmus, which ca/inot furely be
unacceptable to him. And when I faw reafon to difapprove of the ac-
count he had given cf the filence oi yell's Friends,! was fo cautious of
giving citence, that I think I have, in the inoffenfive little I faid
(See ib. p. 127) excrefTed my difient with as much refpeB and de-
cency as he did his from Mr Warb. notwithftanding at the fame
time that he is making heavy complaints of the undeferved feveriry
with which Mr JVarb. had ufed liim, he endeavours to be no lefs
fevere upon me, and no lefs undefervedly. So eafily does he fall
into his adverfary's way of returning civilities, in the fame breath
that he is exclaiming againil ii !
I might therefore cxpollulate with this learned Gentleman in
Kis own words to Mr. Warb. " What mud no man prefume. Sir,
" to conrradidl your opinion, or deliver his own fentiments, tho'
** with ever fo much Modelty and Candour, when they happch
*• not to coincide with yours,, without being immediately drag*d
•' into a Controverfy, or elfe fufier what he has faid to be made
" the fubjefl of your contemptuous raillery ? &c. Or could you
*' really believe that any perfon of common fenfibility, who had
** ufed you with decency and refpeft, would think you had ufed
** him fo, when he fhouid at every turn meet with little fneers and
*' infultsr" &:c. Sec. p. 20.
Mtitato nomine de tefabuh norraiur.
What this learned writer complains of me for is, that I have
notafted fairly by him, in not quoting him at length, but inftead
thereof in coviradiiting him with his own opinion: Whereas I
thought 1 had a£led fairly enough by him, not to lay tenderly, in
referring to him infiead of quoting him. For, had I quoted him
as fully as he deHres, I could not well avoid fhewing that he con-
tradiSied hiiKfelf, as he now indeed i:i pleafed to tell us. For when
he fays, that 1 contrndicl him with his own opinion, this is fa'-rly
owningf that his oion opinion does coniradid him, or implies a Con-
tradition in ii, as in truth it does. For fince he will have it our,
here it is — Omnino qui albcuturi veneran^, altijpmum tentierur.tfi-
hntium, erga Amicum telis divinitus confixiim., partim prudens if^
(Oimnijsratioiie plenum, ne videreniur importuni conjolatorcs ; partim
imprudcns, ob/Iinntum, atque, tit 7nox paiebit, finijh'is fufpicionibus
Jubulceratum. An admirable Account of the filence of thcfe per-
fons! It was vv.<c\.\y pnident, and partly imprudent : it was full of
compaffion. and yes: not fo fulL but ilieie was room for as ?nucb
' ' Ail-
fhe Book of Jo6. 397
-—And this friendlhip of theirs appears to have had
the more merit in it, as they gave this proof of \t at
a time, which fails not to bring it to the tefl ; and
when his neareft kinsfolk, his brethren, and event
the wife of his hofom, (hunned and deferted him, as
he complains, ch. vi. 1 5. xix. 1 3. Solomon obferves^
that^ friend loveih at all times, and a brother is bom
for adverftty — nay that there is a friend that fiicketb
clofer than a brother. Prov. xvii. 17. xviii. 24-
and thefe Friends verified the obfervation. Accord-
ingly, Job calleth them his Friends, ch. xix. 21.
after they had been fo long altercating v/ith him.
And the fincerity of tlieir friendfhip was fo far froni
being queftioned, that it became proverbial among
the Hebrews, who were ufcd to fay, that death was
more defirable than life, without fiich a Friend, as
were thcfe which Job had. We muft therefore ftill
conclude that they were true Friends, and yet there
is fomething very unaccountable in their behaviour.
2. As fucha friendfhip as this mufb have had its
foundation in a fmiilitude of manners^ as all true
friendfhip has, fo mufl it have been contracted like-
v/ife and continued by an intimate acquaintance •, by
which means his Friends had an opportunity of form-
ing the truefl judgment of his private life. And
Job muft have been an exquifite hypocrite indeed^
and muft have managed more artfully than ever hy-
pocrite did, t o have concealed his true charadterj
and impofed upon his mofl intimate acquaintance,
without ever being difcovered by them, or betraying
the
fullennefs and ill rnfpicion. Where fo many inccnfiflcnt opinions
are jumbled together, it is odds but a man will fall in with feme
of them ; which happened to be my cafe. I afcribed the filencc of
thefe Friends to prudence and compafTion ; which forfooth I could
not do without borrowing this npinion from him ! Whereas I (Tiew
whence I borrow'd, and whereon I ground ir, viz. on the coii-
texr, which ftrongly implies ir, but givei no countenance to'Kis
fullsnncf:! and ill lufpiclon.
•398 A DiJJertation on
the leaft ground of fufpicion, befides what his pre-
fent calamities fiirnifhed them with. For that he
gave them no caufe of fufpicion is evident from the
holy Spirit's tellimony of him, that he was a good
man^ and therefore could give none.
* How then came his Friends to judge fo unchari-
tably
* The above Author thinks to folve this difficulty by faying,
^' that how fair an appearance foever of virtue and religion Jolf
*' might make in the eyes of his Friends, none but God alone
** could peiredtly know the lincerity of his heart, and the purity
** of his private converfation/' (p. 56.) A folution which. I can
by no means comprehend. That God alone knows the heart, and
the fir.cerity of our intention?, is an argument commonly ufcd
agaiiij} uncharitable cenfure, even where the outward conduft af-
fords fome ground for it. But thi?, I believe, is the firft time it
iias been made ufe oi ^ojuftify the judging hard of a man, in oppo-
fition to a fair appearance of virtue and religion. A man //itiynot-
withftanding be a hypocrite, therefore you may venture to judge
as feverely of him as you pleaie. An excellent confequence, and
as excellenc morality it eftablifhes; whereby cenl'ure is free from
all bounds, and the falfeil accufations are pronounced innocent .'
I have often call about in my thoughts what could run in this
learned Author's head, when he fuffer'd fuch an argument as this
to fall from his pen. Did he fancy that yoi> poffibly might have
been a hypocrite, and that it was by the diftates of GoJ's holy
Spirit, that his Friends judged fo of him ? On this i'uppofition in-
deed his reafoning is jull: but then when he made iuch a fuppoii-
tion, he mull have forgot that this is direftly contrary to God's
exprefs teftimony of him. In whatever light we view this matter,
it can be deem'd no othcrwife of, than an egregiou-, hallucination,
or, to ufe his favourite phrafe, i Saliva fomisoleiiti a". Bu; leil the
Reader fhould be at a lofs to know what this elegant phrafe means,
take his own definition of it. Saliva fomuokntia gnaz'iter ^gMnrt
poteft jejunam futilttatetn verborum Jomniantis quail j Anglice,
^be Driveling! of a drozvfy fit.
Nor does Mr /Ftfr^.'s.lolution of this difficulty, which he adopts
with great cnmplacency, much mend the matter, viz. " that this
•' ftrange captious humour of ^o^'s Friends was neceffary to pro-
" duce a piece of that integrity of aflion which a fcenic repreien-
*• tation demanded." But is this fpiritof contradiflion foeffential
to dramatic performances ? Is there no juft one without it ? On the
contrary are there not many without any, or with very little of it ?
Thif, 1 am fure, is neceffary, that all the Perfons of a Drama be
drawn
the Book of Job, 3^9
tably of him ? Were his prefent fufferings a fufficient
proof of his guilt, contrary to the whole tenor of
his paft condu(5t, their thorough knowledge of him,
and all the moral evidence that fenfe and experience
could furnifh them with ? Would they with one
voice condemn him for a vile hypocrite, and hein-
ous offender, merely from his outward circumffances,
and ftill perfiil in it, notwithftanding all the afTuran-
ces he could give them to the contrary, and all his
appeals to God for his innocence ? This is not the
ufual condudl of Friends •, that efteem and tender-
nefs, implied in all true friendfhip, would fcarcely
fuffer a fufpicion of this kind. An Enemy indeed
would be forward enough to pronounce fuch a vifi-
tation as this to be judicial, and ftrangers to his cha-
racter might be tempted to put the fame interpreta-
tion upon it : it is but what we daily fee. But this is
the time, when Friends, from their affedion for the
man, as well as their better knowledge of him, ftand
up in his defence, and vindicate his charader to the
world. This did not the friends of Jch ; nay they
not only accufe him of hypocrify, but one of them
charges him with crimes of a notorious and publick
nature. Is not ihy wickednefs great , and thine ini-
quities infinite ? For thou hajl taken a -pledge from thy
brother for nought, and firipped the naked of their
cloathing, &c. ch. xxii. 5, 6, 7, ^c. Now here is a
dired charge of down-right fads, of fuch notorious
inftances of cruelty and opprefTion, as no one durfl:
make againft another without good proof of them.
And yet no proof of this kind could be produced,
becaufe there was no foundation for it. How is this
conduct reconcileable with the character of friends ?
How is it to be reconciled with any character ?
3. From
drawn in charafler, and that Friends flhouM not be reprefcnred as
Ensmic,% vyhich yet thefe appear to be in every view cf them,
but that I have given.
400 A Di/ferfafion on
3. From the grounds bf the Charge, let us pro-
teed to the management of it. The great queftion
controverted between Joh and his friends, with fo
much warmth and obftinacy, was concerning the
caufe of his fufFerings. They affirm that this ex-
traordinary vifitation was a judgment upon him for
his fins, and that he mull have been an enormous
offender to have drawn down fo fore a vengeance
upon himfelf. To this what reply does Job make ?
In the conclufion of his firft anfwer to Eliphaz he
makes confeiTion of his fins, and implores God's
pardon and remiffion of the punifhment he then fuf-
fer'd for them. ch. vii. 20, 21. Here then the con-
troverfy furely is cut fhort, the queftion is given up,
and the opponents are fatisfied? Nothing like it.
Bildad roundly takes him up, and does not under-
ftand him as if \\t had yielded any thing — Job^ in his
reply to him, one while condemns himfelf, as in ch.
ix. 21. and prefently after, ch. x. 7. in the fame
fpeech appeals to God for his innocence. And elfe-
"where he fometimes juftifies himfelf, as in ch, xiii.
15, 18. and vindicates his innocence (which indeed he
perfifts in the maintenance of to the laft) and almoft
m the fame breath, viz. v. 2^. not only acknowledges
himfelf a finner, but even confefles that his fins were
the caufe of his fufferings. Thou makefi me to pojjefs
the iniquities of my youth, ch. xiii. 26. the very thing
his adverfaries feem to be contending for. But yet
this does not feem to be meant by way of conceffiori
to them, nor do they underftand it as fuch : but
they go on to accufe him, and he to de-fend himfelf,-
as before. There feems to be fom.e diftinclion want-
ing here, better than any I have yet met with.
4. As the queftion is generally ftated, it relates
only to a matter of fa^f., viz. whether Job had been
a wicked liver or not ? And whether it was not for
his wickednefs and hypocrify tliat he was puniflied ?
Whereas
the Book of Job. 401
Wliereas I think it fufficiently appears, from his own
v/ords, that it was a matter of opinion^ and not fatl
which was fo much debated between them. For
thus he tells them, ch. xix. 4. Be it indeed that I
have ERRED, mine error remaineth "with myfelf —
* Suppofing I am miftaken herein, I already fuiFer
* fufficiently for my miflake, without the addition
* of your reproaches : It is T, not you, that am to
* bear the ill confequences ot it.' But how could
Job be miftaken in a matter of this nature ? Did not
he beft know himfelf ? And was it poffible for him
not to know, whether he were a wicked or juft
man, a hypocrite or fincere fervant of God } Or
would they maintain fo long a difpute about a faft
of this nature, when they muft allow him to be the
beft judge in the cafe ? It will not bear reafoning
upon — The difpute was about matter of opinion,
the proper objed of error, fome abftrufe fpecula-
tive point, that admitted fo much ftrenuous con-
tention, without advancing a ftep, or coming to any
eclaircilfement about it, as we often fee to happen
now-a-days. What that is will appear hereafter. In
the mean time let us,
5.. Examine the religious Charadler and Deport-
ment of Job on the one hand, and of his Accufers on
the other ; together with God's judgment of both,
in the view wherein this mattter at prefent appears.
The general principle which J^b'^s friends argue
upon is, That fin is the caufe cf all fiiffering — And
can there be a principle more juft or pious ^. They
were therefore quite right in this general dodrine,
however wrong they were otherwifc. And if we ex-
amine their feveral fpeechcs, we ftiall find them fo
far from betraying any difrefpeft for God or Reli-
gion, that we may perceive them animated with a
warm zeal for both, and a vein of piety to run thro*
their feveral difcourfes : They all along fhew a great
Dd jca-
4o2 A Dijferfatton on
jealoufy for God's honour, vindicate his attribute?,
and at every turn reprove Job for impiety, impa-
tience, or other offences.
For take his conduft as it appears in itfelf, and
how frowardly does he behave under the Hand of
the Almighty ! How bitterly does he curfe the Day
of his Birth ! How does he abandon himfelf to De-
fpair ! And what do we hear him vent, befides incef-
fant Murmurs and Complaints ? How vehemently
does he expoftulate with his Maker 1 And how free-
ly does he cenfure the Methods of his Providence !
In a word, how boldly does he ftand on his own
juftification, and how obflinately perfift in the main-
tenance of his innocence ! Great allowances ought
certainly to be made for the infirmities of flefli and
blood under fuch a fevere tryal ; but it is difficult
to bring thefe daring offences under the clafs of fins
of infirmity. And yet Job is acquitted, and his op-
ponents are condemned. My wrath is kindled againji
thee, fays the Lord to Elipbaz, and againft thy
two friends ; for ye have not fpoken of me * the thing
that
* Dr Gr^j, in his Anfwer to Mr Warburtony p. 59. cenfures me
for following our Eng/ijh tnnHidon of this text; inftead whereof
he gives us two or three other tranflations, ye have not fpoken 10
ME— or BEFORE ME, the thing that is right, with a paraphrafc
on each. The particle el I acknowledge is generally tranflated, to,
and fometimes before \ But this learned Hebrean needs not to be
told, that in fome places it requires to be tranflated, of. As in Ge».
XX. 2. And Ahrz}\dim f aid {el Sara) of Sarah his Wife, Jhe is m)
Sifter — nor can ir,in any commodious fenfe, be render'd otherwife.
Vide I Sam. iv. 19. 2 Sam. iii. 18. zChron. vi. 32. cumSy^
■Hopft Crit, in loco. And in the place before us it is fo tranflated,
by feveral learned men, befides our Englfh tranflators, andj
among the reft, by Albert Schultens, and The Rev.
Dr. RtcHARD Grey, in his Edition of the Book of y?^, cap.
xlii. c. 7, 8. p. 298 1 queftion now whether the Reader be-
lieves me, when I tell him this ; for indeed I could hardly believe
my own eyes. But let him examine for himfelf, and he will find
it thuj — I'lon loctiti cftis reRum de me ; with this note upon it,
Hoc (nacov.ah) ad Statum CoNTftovERSi.ffi revocare res dsf
ratio ju'ient. In co Jobus (naconah) reSlim oa Deq d'Jeruitt
qsamm
the Book of Job, 403
tifal is rights as my fervant Job hath. ch. xlii. 7.
Whence it appears that their crime did not confift in
D d 2 their
quamvis in drcumjitintils ulterius eveBus fuerit, &c. What a per-
fedl Harmony is here between Dr. Grey and my felf ! My very
defign in quoting this text being to infer the ftate of the contro-
v«rfy from it in the fenfe he here paraphrafes upon it. Now in his
Anfwer to Mr Warb. he quotes th's Note at length ; but as he had
departed from hisfirft tranflation {de me) of the Text, fo he thinks
fit to leave de deo put of the Note ; and with good reafon, becaufe
he was then endeavouring to fix fome other fehfe, no matter vvhat»
upon this paifage —How valuable are thefe Notes that with fmall
■Iteration may be made to fcrve quite different purpofes ! But I am
afhamed of fuch wretched prevarication.
What muft the reader think of a man that thus renounces and
perverts his own fenfe of Scripture, and glaringly contradifts him-
lelf, for the fake of cavilling at another, who had not given him
the leaft provocation to excite his fpleen againll him ? Surely my
performance is not fo free from error and imperfedion, but that he
might have employ'd his critical acumen more happily upon ir,
than at the fame time to criticife himfelf ! But I leave the Reader
to his own refleflions upon this conduft, as well as upon the mo-
defty and ingenuity of the manner in which it is introduced
•* This it is for gentlemen of learning to be arguing from Tranfla-
** tions, or not accurately tp examine for themfelves the Original."
He to be fure had examined it accurately, and yet while he was
free from prejudice, he tranflated in the lame manner. And I
• can afTure him that when I firft had this Text under confidera-
tion, it was not without as accurate an examination of the Origi'
nal as I was capable of, and now upon a review of ir, I Ice no
reafon to depart from our Englijh Tranflation ; and it had been
more for his credit if he had fluck to it too. And, after all, I
think he has not been very fuccefsful in his Emendations of it,
cither in this place, or wherever elfe he has attempted it ; tho' he
fo often alFeds^to condemn ir, as being quitewrotig, wretched, hard-
ly Jenje, Sec. with an intent, as it feem?, of magnifying his own
Tranflation at the cxpence of it. But what muft the Engiifhrtad'
cr think of his Bible, when he fees it at every turn thus traduced }
Happy is it that its authority is too well ellablilhed to be brougl t
into difreputc by him, notwithftanding he lo confidently fets up
as a ccnfor of it. Perfons efteem'd among the bell judges have had
quite different fcntiments concerning it. Bi(hop Walton (in his
Proieg. to his Pofyghtt) prefers it to all our modern lVanf]ation.',
and Mr Se/den to all the Trandations in the world. And particu-
hrly with regard to the Book oijjb, Bilhop Patrick^ tliD'hefays
be has not always tied himfelf lo our Engl'Jh Tranflation in his
Pa.
404 A Dijfertation oft
their hard cenfures of Joh — not in the application of
their doftrine, but in the do^rine itfelf, as it con-
cerned God and his attributes — ye have not fpoken
of ME (not of Job) the thing that is right. And yet
the general doftrine which they maintain. That fin is
the catife of fuflrering — Or, that moral evil is the
caufe of natural evil,, is an undoubted and funda-
mental doftrine both of natural and revealed religion.
This is the principle they build all their reafoning-
upon, and which they never vary from ; and I think
I may defy any one to point out wherein either of
them derogates from the divine attributes, in any
view we have yet {ttn of the part they aft.
On the other hand, Job feems to argue upon no
fixed principles : Befides the inconfiftences above-
mentioned, he feems to contradid; himfelf likewife
with regard to the great doftrine of a future flate.
In one place, he declares his faith in the Refurredli-
on in as ftrong terms as that do6lrine is delivered in,-
in any other part of Scripture ; I knoijo that my Re-
deemer liveth, &c. ch. xix. 35, i^c. But in many
other places he feems to aflert the contrary fo pe-
remptorily, that I fhould think myfelf obliged to
fubmit to the opinions of feveral learned men, who-
think this text hath no manner of relation to the Re-
furredion, if I could not find out another meaning,
in thofe that feem to contradid it. Such are the
following — Let me alone — before I go whence I floall
7wt return^ even to the Land of 'Darhiefs. ch. x. 20,
2 1 . And ch. xiv. 7, &c. There is hope of a tree
'f
Paraphrafe upon if, yet acknowledges that it ever gives an excellent
fcnlecf the original Words. And tho' in fome particulars it may
need Amendment (as no human compofuioncan boaft of perfec-
tion) yet if it is to be altered, I hope it will ht for fomething
better than his nihil co7ivulJum, and (aliva pnmckntia (fee his An-
Ivver to Mr Warb. p. 66. 72}, As he has been plealed to give his
rc-ideri a tafte of my performance, or rather to prejudice their'
talle agiinft it, fo here they have a lalle of hi.s j but whether they
cun have any taftc for it, I know no:.
ihe Bcok of Job. 405
tfii be cut down^ that it will fpr out again — hut Man
dieth and ivafieth away j yea Man g'veth tip the
ghofi, and where is he ? And v. i/\.. If a Man die,
Jhall he live again ? So Ch. xvi. 22. }Fhen a few
years are come^ then Jhall I go the way whence I jhdl
not return.
In a word, read the Controverfy throughout in
the view in which it is commonly taken, and it will
appear that Eliphaz and his Friends all along have
the right fide of the Queftion. Confult the Com-
mentators, and you will find they are either forced
to yield it them, or elfe to ftrain hard to give it Job^
Notwithftanding all this, God himfelf declares, that
Eliphaz and his two Friends had not fpoken of him
the thing that was rights as his fervant Job hadJ^
What are we left to conclude from hence ? What,
but that there is fomething worfe in the doflrine of
Eliphaz and his Friends, and fomething better in
that of Job, than hath been yet difcovered ?
What that is will appear hereafter ; in the mean
time let us proceed,
II. To our Enquiry concerning the Age, Family,
and Religion of Job and his Friends, and the Au-
thor of this Book which bears his Name.
Concerning the age and family of Job, we have
no better authority than that of the I .XX. who, in
their additions to the laft chapter of this book, tell
us that he was of the pofterity oi Abraham, and the
fifh in defcent from him, whence he is dippofed to
have been contemporary with Mofes, who was like-
wife defcended from him in the fame degree. And
Dd 3 if
* With regard hereto Mr ///jr^ar/i-;; very juftly obferves, * that
the fevere lemcncc pafl'cd upon tlie ihne Friends for itvpiely is a
thing to be admired, being utterly inexplicable on the common
inierprctaiion. For let thera be, fays he, as guilty as they would
to Jcb, they arc all the way advocates forGoo, and hold nothing
concerning him, that did not become his nature and providcRce.'
Vol. ii. p. 538.
40 6 A Dijfertation on
if they were both born about the fame time, Job^
of courfe, mufl have been the furvivor by many
years ; in which cafe Mofes could not have been the
writer of his ftory, and fome other author muft be
fought for it.
Many of the facred writers have had this honour
conferred upon them by one or other ; nor is it any
thing materia] to my purpofe, which of them it be a-
fcribedto : but if I may be allowed my conjefture a-?.
mong others,! fhould think,from the nature and fubjefl
of the compofition, the beft rule that is left us of
judging by in this cafe, there feems none whom it
fuits fo well as the renowned Solomon.
1. Becaufe of the frequent fimilitude of fentiments
and expreffion, which is obferved between this book,
and the books of Proverbs^ and Ecclefiajies -, as well
as Pfdms, which does not render it the lefs probable
%o be his, as it was natural for him to fall fometimes
into his father's thoughts.
2. If this be confidered as a Poem, Solomon hath
left other fpecimens of his genius this way in the
Canticles^ and book of Proverbs. Nay he is faid to
havecompoled 1005 Songs, none of which, except
the above-mentioned, are come down to us, i Kings
iv. 32.
But 3. Solomon was a Philofopher, as well as a
Poet ; and there are difcovered in the latter part of
this book the fublimeft conceptions, and deepeft in-
fight in JJironomy^ the works of nature, and all
parts of the creation •, and it will hereafter appear
that the general fubject of it is philofophical. Who
therefore could be fo capable of being the author of
it, as he who was fo famed for his wifdom and know-
ledge of all kinds in all nations round about, and
whofe wifdoM excelled the wifdom of all the children
cf the eajl- country (Chaldsea) and all the wifdom of
Egypt, I Kings iv. 30, 31. the two moft renown-
ed
the Book of ]oB, 407
cd countries for philofophy and learning of all kinds
at that time upon earth ? Who could give better
Defcriptions of the wild afs, unicorn, horfe, the
peacock, Jiork, ojirich, and eagle, &c. the behemoth^
and leviathan, as they occur in Job, Ch. xxxix. xl.
xli. than he who profefTedly treated of beafts and of
fowl, and of creeping things, and offifhes ? i Kings
iv. 23' And it is not improbable that the de-
fcriptions which we have of thefe feveral kinds of
animals in Job, is that which is alluded to here, to
dired us to the author of that book. From thefe
internal charaders, therefore, I am induced to think,,
with feveral of the antient Fathers, that Solomon has
the faireft title to this fublime book.
The ReHgion of Job and his Friends, wliich is
moft material in this Enquiry, remains yet to be
fpoken to. Job, as hath been faid, was of Abra-
ha-tn's family, and his Friends, as is conjedured
from the patronymical namesof fomeof them, were
defcended from him likewife ; and it being part of
God's character of Abraham, that he would cora-
mand his children after him to keep the way of the
Lord, it is probable that thefe his defcendants pro-
fefled the religion of their father Abraham, tho* not
all with equal purity.
The Religion of Abraham, which diflinguifhed it
from that of all others, confifted in the worlliip of
the true God through the Mediator*. The fame
likewife, as may be inferred from feveral places in
this book, was the Religion of Job, which he pro-
bably received by tradition from his anceftor. Mr
Shuckfcrd, '\' indeed, concludes the contrary, be-
caufe we do not find in the worfhip of Job any ex-
prefs mention of his invoking God in the Name of
the Lord Jehovah. Notwithftanding, we find he
mentions him by name, and moreover acknowledges
Dd 4 his
See W»</yir «/'5 Conneif\:pn, Vol. ii. p. 130 f Ih.
408 A Dijfertation en
his fovereign right to the difpofal of all things hers
below, and thereupon bk][eth his name^ which is a
fufficient acknowledgment of him, and his worfhip.
Jehovah ^^t'f, urA^t\iOW2^ hath taken away^ blejjed
he the Name of Jehovah * Ch, i. 2 1 . And it is the
fame Jehovah who addreffeth himfelf to him out of
the whirlwind, and at length decides the controver-
fy in his favour. Ch. xix. 25, he declares his faith
in him as his Redeemer with great aflurance, I know,
that my Redeemer liveth, &c. And ch. ix. 3. he
no lefs ftrongly profefles his belief in him as Media-
tor and InterceiTor, -f as that paffage is tranflated
and interpreted by a very learned author. If he will
contend with him, fhall not he who is called, by way
of eminent dillinClion, one among a thcufand, anfwer
him, and plead the caufe in behalf of mankind § ?
And hence probably it is, viz. in virtue of his reliance
on Chrift's merits, that he prefumes to plead with his
maker, and to juftify himfelf fo much as he doth,
which at leaft renders him the more excufable in,
this refpecl. In Chrijl Jeftis he had holdnefs and
accefs to God ivith confidence, hy the faith of him, as
St P/3«/ exprefles it, Eph. iii. 12.
Elihu profeffed the fame Religion with Job, and
in the fame uncorrupt manner. For he no lefs
clearly delivers the great do6trine of a Mediator in
the following words. If there be a Meffenger
with him, an Interpreter, or as the laft cited Author
more properly renders it. If the Angel-Mediator be
over him, one among a thoufand, to fhew unto man his
uprightnefs : Then he is gracious unto him^ and faith.
Deliver him from going down into the pit, I have
found a Ranfom' Ch. xxxiii. 23, 24.
Nor
* Thus the Chaldee Paraphraft underllood it, who renders,
Verhum domini dedit, &c.
■\ He alludes to him likewife 'v. 33. of which hereafter, and
mentions him by name, ch. xii. 9.
§ See Mifcellaneous Refledlionson Mr ^^KzVff's Eflays, p. 16.
the Book of Job. 409
Nor had Eliphaz and the other two Friends of
y^^ entirely renounced the worfliip 0^ Jehovah^ as
appears from his addrefling himfeifto them, ch. xUi.
direfling them to offer facrifice, and from their o-
bedience therein. On the other hand, their faith in
the Mediator feems to have been but loofe and wa-
vering, as may be inferred from the words of
Eliphaz to Job in the entrance of his firft fpeech.
Js not this thy fear*^ thy confidence^ thy hope^ and the
iiprightyiefs of thy ways ? ch. \v. 6. Where he feems
to upbraid him with his rigid adherence to the reH-
gion of his fathers, ridicuhng it for its infufficiency
to preferve him from, or fupport him tinder that
load of calamities which he fuffered. ' Lo ! this is
' what your religion comes to, and fo little benefit
f do you receive from it. And I am apt to think,
for reafons which will appear hereafter, that their
error confifted in fetting up their own Reafon in
rivalfhip with this the true Rehgion (a vice to which
men are at all times too much addidted) and in cor-
rupting it with the Philofophy then in vogue. Let
us therefore in the next place enquire what kind of
Philofophy that probably was.
III. When the Gentile world had loft the Hiftory
of the Fall of our firft Parents , the tradition con-
cerning it, by length of time, the general corrup-
tion, and negled: of divine matters, being quite worn
out among them — as foon as they began to turn
their thoughts to fpeculation, the Origin of all that
Evil which they obferved in the world was a fub-
ie6l, which, we may fuppofe, prefented itfelf to their
view, as early as any other. This problem may
well be prefumed to have greatly perplexed man-
kind to account for, when they had only the dim
light
* This verfe may be rendere.1, 7s not thy Fear (i. e. Religion)
thy FJ')? 8cc. which is agreeable both to theHfi. and LXX ; the
Syrian and Jrai'U reiader it, thy Reproof. •
^lo A Dijfertation on
light of reafon, and that in its dawn, to guide them ;
^nc^ it ftill continues to fill their heads with fo
many fcruples, now they enjoy the full fun-Ihine of
Revelation.
They bethought themfelves of two ways, where-
by this abftrufe matter might be accounted for.
The firft was by means of the dodtrine of two in-
dependent principles ; the one, the author of all the
good J the other, of all the evil in the world. This,
I fay^ was probably the firft folution they found
out, becaufe it was the moft grofs, and therefore
has the beft claim to a firft invention -, and, I believe^
may likewife be traced higher. For Plutarch tells
us, it was the moft antient and univerfal account he
had met with.
But this being fo abfurd and impious an opinion,
the better and more philofophical Heathens grew
diflatisfied with it (tho* it is ftill efpoufed by fome
barbarous atheiftical people) and therefore another
more plaufible, and lefs offenfive Hypothefis, was
ftruck out. This was the famous Dodrine which
was ufually ftiled by the Pythagoreans the metem-
ffychofts^ and by the Platonijls, palingenejta ; which
is known to have been invented in order to account
for the Origin of Evil, without which the wifer
Heathens thought the Ways of Providence could
not be juftified. But by the help of this fuppofition
they could in fome fort account for the introduftion
of Evil into the world, without making God the
Author of it, and without impeachment of his mo-
ral attributes.
For they looked upon this ftate as a ftate of punifti-
ment, and thefe bodies as a workhoufe into which
the foul was caft, and therein condemned to hard
labour ; which, including all the miferies of this life,
it was to undergo, by way of penance for the tranf-
gre^Tions it had been guilty of in a pre-exiftent ftatq.
This
the Book o/" Job. 411
This Doflrine, tho' commonly afcribed to Pytha-
goras^ yet is known to have been much more an-
tient, * and efponfed long before his time, not only
in Egypty but over all the Eaft, where it is ftill
taught by feveral carts of their Philofophers, and
makes the principal foundation of their idolatrous
religions. And there cannot be aftronger prefump-
tion of the antiquity of both thefe opinions, than
that it is not known, who the firft author of eitha*
of them was.
This notion of a Metempfychofis being fpread fo
much around them, it is no wonder if the Jews
likewife were tindtured with it -, it were rather to be
wondered if they fliould efcape it, notwithftanding
they were otherwife taught.
Accordingly we find the opinion was common a-
mong them, as appears particularly from that pafT-
age in the Book of Wifdom, Iijuas a witty child, ani
had a good fpirit, yea rather being good, I came
into a Body undefled. Wifd, viii. 19, 20. and that
other in the Gofpel, where the Difciples ask our
J_.ord, Majier, who did Jin, this Man or his Parents^
that he was horn blind ? Jo. ix. 2. which queftion
fuppofes that the man might have finned in a former
ftate, and that he was punifhed with Windnefs for
it in this. Nor was this a do6lrine lately broached
among them, but was probably infufed into them,
as early as any of their neighbours, fmce their own
writers mention it is an opinion current among them,
■f and that it was particularly held by a certain fet of
their
xoAaftSai. yoj(pb. dc Bella Jud. lib. 2. cat. 8'./. 14. '
kxhimtik; te X7 rtf^cct; 6.? a^sT'i? vi'iccix\oc(; ETriTjj^ytri; in tui Q.u yeyovi' x^ rxTf
u-ii/ heyu,l\i ut^iov TrpcffViBtcQui, t«k ^t pcccurriv t« ANABIOYN.
■ ' '■ ^ jKt.JudJit.i'S.cap.i.r.i,
412 A Differtafion on
their wife men or Philofohers, Sapientes Mechar,
who were diftinguifhed by it.
Nor were the tavourite people of God entirely free
from that other opinion of two principles, as ap-
pears from Ifa. xlv. 5, 7. lam the Lord, and there
is none elfe, there is no God hefides me, I form the
light, and create darknefs, I make peace, and create
evil, I the lord do all thefe things. For light and
darknefs were the fymbols, the one of the good,
the other of the evil principle. And tho' God
here addrefles himfelf to Cyrus, in whofe dominions
this notion chiefly prevailed, yet as he was not
then in being, this pafTage was undoubtedly defigned
in the mean time as a needful prefervative againft
this dangerous error to his own people, during the
tim.e of their captivity, for whofe benefit all the
facred writings were chiefly intended.
Now as the gentile world in general had quite loft
the hiilory of the Fall, and were bewilder'd with thefe
ftrange notions concerning the Origin of Evil, which
were derogatory from the honour of God, and
defl:ru6live of all true religion •, and as the Jews
themfelves were not altogether free from the in-
fection, it became the wifdom of providence to re-
fute thefe errors, and to give to mankind a jufter
notion of their ftate : And with this defign I conceive
the Book of Job was written.
IV. Tho' I differ with the learned author above-
mention'd, concerning the defign of this book, I
agree with him in this, that it is an allegorical poem ;
* and have hinted, that it is a, philofophical one like-
wife.
* Here again I fall under Dr Gre/s cenfure. Indeed this is
the whole Ground of his Quarrel with me, that I have prefumed
to differ from him in the Interpretation of this Book. After
complimenting me with my Faculty of fmelling out an Allegory
(an exprefllon not very decent to be ufed towards one joined in
the fame well-meant endeavour with himfelf, of making the fa-
cred
the Book of Job. 413
wife. From the extraordinary chara61:er given by
God of Job — the folemn manner in which he in-
troduces
cred oracles of God better underftood) he goes on to give an ac-
count of my Allegory, and allows it to be at lead as fpecious,
and even more fo, than what had appeared before it. " But the
" mifchief is that this fame Allegory carries me on to fomething
** elfe, that is not altogether fo fpecious." This, if I underfland
him, is the dodrine of the Tranfmigration, which difpleafes hinx
fo much, that he falls into this piteous Exclamation. Poor Job!
What will thefe allegorical " Refiners make of thee at lad]'*
But why all this averfion t(f fcripture allegory ? The only two
reafons he brings againft it are. The Scope of the book, and
Age of the Writer. As for the fcope of the book, it appears at
leaft that it admits of an Allegory ; for here is one deduced from
it, which he himfelf cannot deny to be fufficiently fpecious. The
Writer he fuppofes to be Mofes. Now allowing the fuppofition,
why is an Allegory fo unfuitable to him or his Age ? Was not
this fame Mofes founder of a law which abounds with Types and
Allegories, nay which was all a (hadow of other things ? And
has not St Paul found out an Allegory even in his hiftorical
writings, which feem lefs capable of it, relating to times long
before his own ? Gal. 4. Abraham had tn.ij3 fans, the one hy a
bond-maid, the other by afree-nuoman ; nuhich thingi, fays he, arx
an Allegory ; for thefe are the tvuo Co'venants. The one from mount
Sinai, nvhich gendereth to Bondage, nuhich is Agar : For this Agar
is mcu7it Sinai in Arabia, and anf'wereth to Jerufalem tvhich naiv
is, Sec. Toot Jgar! What will this allegorical refiner, Paul,
make of thee ?
This, I hope, may fuffice in general to juftify the interpreting
of the Book of y©^ allegorically, even I'uppcfing it written by
Mofes, which is of equal fervice to my Friend Mr Warb. and
myfelf. I muft take leave to add a word or two in defence of
the particular Allegory which I fuppofe contain'd in it. The
Origin of Evil from the Fall of Man ir. a Doftrine highly worthy
of this divine Book, and the Author of it, whoever he was ; and
fuch moreover as, if fully made out to be taught in it, would be
of fingular fervice to Chrillianity.at this time of day, for the con-
viction of fuch as do not deny the authority of Revelation, and
yet will not allow that we fuffer'dany thing by the Fall. That
this dodtrine is contain'd in the Book oi Job was feen before me
by a right rev. author, whom Dr Griyi himfelf makes honourable
mention of, particularly on account of his Oblervations on this
Book ; and he has indeed a juft claim to the honour and eftcem
©f all well-wifiiers to revealed religion, a;id iias done more to-
wards
^I^ A Tiijferfntibn oh
torduces him — his uncommon tijumph m him— and
the fingular diftin(5lion he makes between him and
other men, both in profperity and adverfity — hence,
I fay, there is reafon to conclude, that this extraordi-
nary perfon bears a publick charafler ; which I
conceive to confift in this — that Joh is fet forth as
a fort of reprefentative of Adam, or rather of man-
kind in general j and that in his private life human
nature is drawn, as it were, in miniature. For
■whoever confiders the plan of his ftory attentively,
may fee therein a lively emblem of the different ftates
of man, and of the various changes and revolutions
which he has, and fhall have undergone in this life.
The happinefs of JoFs firft condition, and the up-
rightnefs of his life, well agree with the ftate of our
firit parents in paradife : Satan's temptation was
common to both •, and the deplorable condition to
which Job was reduced, in confequence of Saian*s
permifTion to aflault him, fitly enough reprefents
the miferable condition of fallen man, ftript of the
riches of God's grace, and fmitten all over with
the leprofy of fin, which is more noifome to the foul,
than the moft loathfome difeafe that can befall it, is
to the body. So likwife the cure and reftoration of
yob — the blefling him with a portion of earthly
felicity, double to what he enjoy 'd before, and the
prolonga-
wards clearing up the fubjedl of this Book by a few incidental
obfervations, than moft who have gone before or followed him,
tho' they wrote profeffedly upon it. He has fhewn that this
Book was written in oppolition to the doftrine of two Principles,
a doflrine well known to have been invented in order to account
for the Origin of Evil, otherwifc than from the Fall. This is
what I likewife have maintained, and thus far am not without
iauthority on my fide. Now if this be allowed, where is the
imi/ch ie/ in go'mg a ftep further, and afferting, not I think with •
out fufficient Proof from the Book itfelf, that it was likewife cal-
culated againft the doftrine of Tranfmigration ? A dodrineno lefs
oppofite to the Origin of Evil from the Fall, but more fpecious,
ad that obtain'dmore in fhe world.
thf Book of ]oz, 41^
pTolongation of his life beyond the common extent
of the times he Uvedin * : All this feemsto intimate
^opes of the future recovery of human nature, to
its firlt happy State, in full as great perfection as
our firft parents enjoyed it, if not greater.
I cannot therefore, for this as well as other rea-
fons, come into any of the received opinions, that
this book was written, either for the confolation of
the Ifraelites, under the Egyftian bondage -, or of
their defcendants in the Bahylonijh captivity \ nor on
any other of thofe particular occafions which learn-
ed men have conjeftured, which have all their feve-
ral difficulties -, tho' at the fame time it is Angular-
ly well adapted to adminifter comfort in the day
of adverfity, to any people as well as to private per-
fons, indillrefs-
But I take this book to have been calculated with
a more noble and extenfive view, viz. for the com-
fort and fupport of mankind in general, groaning
under the fpiritual bondage of Satan^ and waiting
for their redemption from it \ of which pofTibly thefe
temporary fervitudes and deliverances of the Jews
might themfelves be only typical.
There is one circumftance, indeed, in which this
parallel does not feem to hold ; which is, that Job
preferved his integrity, which Adam and his pofteri-
ty did not. With regard to which it may be faid,
that thefmfulnefs and mifery of fallen man is here
imaged in another and more beautiful manner, agree-
ably to the poetic genius of the compofition, which
hatU
• It is fuppofcd by fome of the Amients, and not improbably,
that Job lived 70 years in prolperity, and that God in reward
of his lufferingj, as he bleffed him with a double increafe of hw
fubftance, doubled likcwile the number of hb years, fo that Ki»
vvholelife was equal to thrice the then age of man : and therefore
no argument can be diawn from the Jength of it, in behalf of the
opinion of thofe that fuppofe liim 10 have lived in earlier liaitf;,
Ssc Shuck/iris Conncfl. Vo!. ii. p. 134, ^ J'q^,
^i6 A Dijfertation on
hath been already taken notice of. But wherein di(i
Job indeed preferve his innocence ? In afcribing his
afflictions to their juft caufe, and acknowledging
the abfolute fovereignty of the one Lord of all
over his creatures, and his right to deal with them
he thinks fit. In this refped we are exprefsly told
it was that Job did not fin with his lips^ nor charge
God foolijhly : And we have the Authority of a
great Writer for underftanding it thus * .
But that Job did not preferve himfelf clear of
guilt, either before or after his vifitation, we have
already had occafion to fhew -, which further ap-
pears from his acknowledgment of his offences,
when he came to his right mind, and his repenting
of them in dufl and afhes.
From the reprefentation exhibited to t hem in
the Hiflory of Job^ mankind might learn to cor-
red: their notions concerning the Origin of Evil :
For here they were inftrufted that Man was ori-
ginally upright ; but by the divine permiflion, and
the practices of a wicked apoftate Spirit, he was
reduced from a ftate of perfection and great felicity,
to a filthy wretched condition •, under which his
imbecillity, ignorance, and various infirmities are
here likewife but too jufdy depictured : But at the
fame time, not to leave us in defpair at the fight of
fo melancholy a profpect, the fcene brightens up
atthelaft, and gives us a comfortable hope of being
refcued out of this deplorable ftate. And for our
farther comfort it is obfervable, that the whole of
Job^^ misfortunes are attributed to Satan^ as he was
indeed the author of them, as well as of thofe of
mankind in general : Nor are they at all imputed to
Job himfelf, notwithftanding it is hinted that he was
not whithout his demerits ; and that therefore he
was
* See Bp Sherlock's Difiert. on the Senfe of che Antlents upa»
the Circumflances, &c. of the Fall, p. 236.
the Book of Job, 417
was afflicted. — That they were not imputed to liim,
and that after all his tVowardneft, he was accepted of
God, can be accounted for only through the merits
of the Mediator.
It is farther obfervable, that this document con-
cerning the original dignity of our- Nature, the lofs
and recovery of it, the Holy Spirit thought fit to
give us, not by dry Precept, but in the more livcfy
way of Example -, whereby his Mercy to Job^ in
rcftoring him out of the rnoft abjed and feemingly
remedilefs eftate, to an highly exalted one, is a molt
■illuftrating proof of his kind intentions towards man-
kind in general, and an earneft or pledge both of
his power and good- will for that purpofe.
■'•■ But God Almighty not thinking it fufficient to
give us a right reprefentation ot our Hate, the inrro-
du<51:ion of evil, and the removal of it — Therefore
for our better inftru6lion and fecurity in adodlrine of
fuch importance, and which fo nearly concern'd
his own attributes, he moreover in this Book fets
himfelf direftly to confute the dangerous errors
which mankind had imbibed concerning this matter.
Thefe, as hath been faid, were chiefly two. The O -
pinion oiiwo Principles, and thQ' MeUmpJychq/is.
With regard to the firlt of whicli, an eminent Au-
thor has proved, to the general fatisfaftion, that this
Book was written in oppofition to it * , and at tlie
fame time flicws that it contains fcveral allufions to
the Fall of our firft Parents ; which favcs me th..'
trouble of fpeaking in a worfe manner tothofe points*
But I believe it v.'ill appear tliat the far greater,
that is, all the controverfial part of it, was levelled
chiefiy againft the other of thefc, two opinions, viz.
that of the Metemp/ychajis, if the following particulars
be confidered.
Jo/b and his Friends have been tommonly efteem'd
Ee fhilo-
* Bp Shfrlock, uhi fupra.
41 8 A Differ fatiori 6n
Philofophers •, as the Arabians in general were an-
tiently famed for wifdom : And the remarkable cir-*
ciimftance of their long filence ftho' very proper
and fuitable to the occafion, and cafe of Job, as
hath been obferved j might be taken notice of chiefly
to point out what Se6l of Philofophers they were ;
the Se<5l, afterwards called Pythagoreans, being fo
remarkable for their profound Taciturnity, that they
kept a flri6t filence fometimes for years together.
* A week's filence therefore is not at all to be won-
dered at inperfons of this tribe ; tho% otherwife one
would be apt to think the Writer had made ufe of a
figure before he entered upon the poetical part of
the
• Dr Grey here obferves that the Text does not fay that thefe
Friends did not fpeak at all during that time, but that they
did not Ipeak to Job ; which is very true. But though the
Text does not fay, yet the context does imply, that they faid lit-
tle or nothing even to each other ; for their clofe attendance on^
and deep fympathy with him, did not, in the nature of the thing,
admit of much fpeaking or converfation even among themfelves.
Admitting therefore that they did not obferve a ftridl filence all
this while, yet, as it is probable they brake filence but feldom,
they furely may be faid, in an equitable conftrudlion, to have
cbferved filence, even great filence, during this whole week ;
which manner of expreflion might be eafily vindicated by ex-
amples out of many authors, facred and profane. But to go no
further than this very verfe, thefe Perfons are here faid to have
fat do^vn nvith Job Jifon the grormd /even days and Je'ven n'tghtSy
which is not to be underllood, as if they had never ftirred from
him, nor changed pofture ; fince it is probable they frequently
relieved themfelves and each other. But this is fuch anotheryrr-
*volou5 Di/pute, of no great importance to religion or learning, as
that he maintains with Mr Warb. according to his own account
of it, p. I, raS ; fo that I do not think it worth the contefting.
Neither am I concerned whether I gain any converts to my opi-
nion, that the filence of thefe perfons might indicate what feft of
philofophers they were, it being no more than a conjefture, that
little affefts the merits of my Hypothefis, and as little ftrefs is
laid upon it.
l^ote, Seultetus, whom I take to be as good a Commentator
as Scultens, is of opinion that Job''s Friends obferved a ftrift
filence, plane nihil loquebantur. And fo the Ixx. Syriac, and Ara-
bic translate.
the Book of Job. 419
the work •, fince it can hardly be fiippofed, how fo
many perfons could ordinarily retrain fpeaking for fo
iong a time.
Thefe fpeculative Friends, we may fuppofe, had
often before this time difcufied feveral Queftions in
Philofophy \ one of which was the Origin of Evil :
but this was a point they could never fettle. Three
of them were agreed in opinion upon it, but they .
could never bring Job into their way of thinking.
But now he lay under fuch a load of affliftions and
lufFerings of all kinds, and that feemingly fo unde-
fervedly, they thought this a proper time to renew
the difpute, as they flattered themfelvcs, that JoF^
fufflrings, the mod cogent of all arguments, would
experimentally convince him of the truth of their
do6lrine, and oblige him to alter his opinion. And
we fhall fee hereafter that JoFs complaint, chap. iii.
■furnirtied them with a pretence for attacking him
on this fubje6t.
In Ch. iv. Eliphaz begins the controverfy. FIcre
therefore we may exped:, he fhould lay down his
general the/is, as the foundation of the difputations
" pro and con that follow, which therefore ought to be
carefully attended to. * x\ccordingly we find he
E e 2 intro-
• Dr Grf^ is pleafed to make this Remark his own, and that
it might pafs as iuch, he exprefl'es himfelf as the' I had borrow'J
it from him, who wrote in anfwer to me ; " Mr Worihingtan,
" fays he, was fcnfiblc of the truth of tliis Remark, tho' lie
" happens to be miltaken in applying it." h'or he adds, that if
I had carefully attended to the btginniiig of the Controverfy, I
would have feen that it begins a liillc higher. Why really f
have beftowcd upon it all the attention I can, and yet cannot
trace it any higher in my Bible tlian the beginning oi Elipha'z\
fpecch; the former part of whicJi I had confidcred as iniioduc-
tory to what follows. For any unprejudiced pcrfon mull allow,
that tho' the Conirovcrfy begins a few vcHo.s before, yet that the
main Itrefs of it lies in the Doftrinc which is fo folemuly intio-
duced, and fo often inlitlcd upon, 'vix,. •' That in the holy
" i\ngeJs themfelves, the pureft and moft exalted of Ciod's
" crea;urc5
420 A Dtjfertiition on
introduces it in a very pompous and folemn manner "
Fur after ridiculing the religion of Joh^ in order to
give his own opinion the greater weight and fanftionj
he pretends^ or ehe perhaps fancies, he had feen an
apparition which had revealed it to him. Now a
thing zvas fecretly brought to me,^ and mine ear re-
ceived a little thereof. In thoughts from the vijions
of the night., when deep fleep falleth on men ; fear
came upon me and trembling., which made all my bones
to fJoake. Then a fpirit paffed before my face ^ the
hair of my jiefh flood up. It food fill., but I could
nctdjfcern the form thereof: animage was before mine
eyes., there was filence., and I heard a voice, v. 12. 16.
The fubflance of this revelation is undoubtedly
the
" creatures, there was a degree of failure and imperfcftion,
" which rendered them unclean in his fight." I have given it
the Reader in his own words, couched, you fee, in general
terms, and it is applied to man in general, not particularly to
J oh. And yet he will not allow that here is any general l^hejis
laid down, but only a perfonal charge, and aflerts thnt the open-
ing of the Debate is entirely perfonal, relating to ^oi's charafter
and behaviour, I'hat this is a perfonal Debate is what I no
where deny, but all <;long fuppofe ; but the Principles on v^hich it
is carried on is what we differ about. This learned Writer is
very free in charging me Vv-ith Overfights and Errors (which I
own myfelf liable enough to) fays I have miltaken the chief and
immediate fubjeft of the Controverfy, and intimates that I was
not careful enough in attending to the beginning and conclufion
of 'it, when I point out both to the Reader in this v&xy Page- In
f'.ipport of all this, might it not be expetled he iTiould produce
his p. rang rcafons, or at leafl: invalidate thofe en which my fup-
pofed miilakes are founded ? But inllead thereof he contents him-
felf v/ith bare afiertions, and then taking what he had afferted
far granted. As I pretend to no uncommon (hare of dexterity
a:id dlfcernment, I fhould be glad of any aiTiftance in unravetlir.g
the difficulties of this intricate Book, and in difcovering the fub-
jeft matter of it, if it Hill lies concealed ; or, in the doctor's
phrafe, " in unravelling the thread, and knowing the materials of
" which it is compofed ;" but I expeft but little from this me-
thod of proceeding, which does but entangle and perplex mat-
ters the more.
the Book 0/ Job. 421
t3ie general doftrine which he maintains, and which
the lublequent arguments ufed by himlelf and Friends
tend to confirm. Let us fee therefore what that is.
The words of tlie Oracle are thefe, — Shall mor-
tal man be juftified hy God, JImU a man be pure
before his maker ? Behold he put tto trufi^ or flabih-
ty, in his fervants, and his Angels he charged with
folly. How much lefs on them that dwell in houfes of
day., whofe foundation is in thedujl ! &c. v. ly.
In his firft reply to Job he repeats the fame
thing — PFhat is man that he Jhould be clean., and he
that is born of a woman that he fhould be righteous !
Behold he putteth no ft ability in his faints., yea the
heavens are not clean in his fight. How much more
abominable and filthy is man., which drinketh iniquity
like water! ch. xv. 14, 15, 16. And jB///^^(i clofes the
controverfy in much the fame words. How can riian
hejufiified with God .? or how can he be clean which
is born cf a woman ? Behold even to the moon^ and it
Jhineth not ; yea the fiars are not pure in his fight.
How much lefs man that is a worm., and the fon of
man., which is a worm ! Ch. xxv. 4, 5, 6. Now what-
ever be the meaning of thcfc words, it is plain they
are of great importance, and that great flrefs i<?
laid upon them, fince they are fo often repeated, and
the controverfy is begun and ended with them.
Were they intended only to mortiiy Job, and to
convince him that he was not poU'eHed of abfolute
and finlefs perfedion, but that he had his imperfec-
tions cleaving to him, as well as all other Created
beings ? Alas! this was a needlefs difcovery •, fure-
ly Job did not want to be convinced either of his
own fins and iuaperfeflions, or of the corruption and
frailty of human nature in general •, efpecially from
fjch liigh topics as thefe, as if he had arrogated to
himfelf a more than angelical, and even divine per-
iedlion. It is true, he (fands much on his own Juili-
E e 3 fication i
422 A Differ tat ion on
fication •, but it is as true, that he makes frequent
confelTion of his fins — that he acknowledges the uni-
verfal corruption of human nature, proceeding from
the Fall of our firfl parents. Who can bring a clean
thing out of an unclean ? Not one. Ch. xiv. 4. And
that he declares liis faith in the Mediator, which im-.
plies the fame thing, being built upon, the fuppofi-
tion of the Fall.
It was not, therefore, for this, but fome other
reafon, that the fuppofed impurity of the holy An-
gels, and of the material Heavens likewife, the ce-
leftial orbs and firmament, is fo much infilled upon.
Which reafon I conceive to have been this, becaufe
this was the foundation of the afterwards Platonic
notion of the revolution of all things : For the end
and defign of this Revolution was to renovate and
purge them from the defilements they were fuppo-
fed to have contrafted in their former itate.
Th^Metempfychofis., or rather Palingenefta^ of Souls,^
by pafling from one Body to another, was but a
part of this univerfal Palingenefia^ or Apocataflafis.
This Argument, therefore, fo often repeated, was
not ufed to convinceJcZ' of the corruption and frailty
ofhisprefent flate, but tliat he had fome pollutions
adhering to him contradled in a prae-exiftent one,
for which he now fufFer'd. Whether or no this be
the true fenfe of thefe paffages let the Difputants
themfelves declare. Elifha-z^ in the conclufion of
his firft fpeech, fets forth the advantages of being
tried and purified in the furnace of afflidion. Happy y
fays he, is the man "juhom God corre£feth. Ch. v. 17.
Among other benefits of which, he reckons this as
one — 1'hou fhalt knoiv that thy tabernacle jh all be in
peace y and thou fhalt 'vijit thy habitation, and fijalt
120 1 fin ; i;. 24. or, as fome tranllate it, thou fJoalt
reviftt, or return to, thy habit atioti, &c. Now this
15 exactly agreeable to the dodrine of the Revolution
of
the Booh of Job. 423
cf Souls ', for thereby a man was to be reftored, not
only to his former ftate, but to the fame fpot of
earth, or earthly manfion, he inhabited before ; and
in proportion to his improvement and reformation
in that his former life, he was in his future one to be
advanced to a ftate of greater freedom from fin and
imittx^^-^Thou Jhalt revijit thy habitation^ and /halt
710 tfm.
Let us now compare Job'^s Anfwer herewith, and
fee what countenance he gives to this interpretation.
Ch. vii. 6. i^ feq(i. he bewails himfelf in this man-
ner. My days are fwifter than a weaver'* s Jhuttle^
and are [pent without hope. O remember that my life
is wind, mine eye Jh all no more fee good. The eye of
him that hath feen me fhall fee me no more; thine eyes
ure upon me, and I am not. As the cloud is confumed,
^nd vanifheth away -, fo he that goeth down to the
grave fhall come up no more. He ^all return no more
to his houfe, neither fhall his place know him anymore.
What can thefe words mean ? Do they contradi6l the
dodlrine of the Refurredion, which he elfewhere fo
flrongly profeffes his faith in, as he is underftood by
our Church, and moft Divines both antient and mo •
dern ? *And even thofe who underftand that paffage,
ch. x\x. 25. of a Rcfurredlion, not in the literal, but
metaphorical fenfe, do not pretend that Job any
where elfe advances any thing inconfiftent with it*.
How then are we to underftand thefe words, mine
eye Jh all no more fee good ? Or, as it is in the margin
of our bibles, mine eye fhall not return to fee, i. e. en-
joy, good? which is the jufter tranflation.
E e 4 Mer-
* Mr ^r/,'rii////o« mu ft here be excepted, who underftands the
above pa fiagc, with many others parallel lo it, in oppofition to a
Rcfurrcdlion, and a future ilaic : And yet he would fain perfuade
us that he does not contradict the Doftrine of the Church o*^ Eng-
iand in her VII. y/r/zV/-, where flie fay?, That the old^ejiii merit is
K'.t contrary to the ficzv. Compare Dk\ Leg/it ion , Vol, iii. p. 465
and 545 wiih 5S7.
424 A DiJfe7'tafion on
Mercenis explains them thus, ' that man after
* death fiiall not return to this life, to fee and aft
* the fame fcene over again, as fome Philofophers
* maintained he fliould after the revolution of the
* great year,' afcribed by him to Plato^ but known,
to have been invented long before his time. And
the fame Author ;;.clds, that all fuch like pafiages in,
this Book (and many fuch there are, as we fliall pre-
fently fee,) in the Pfahns, and in other parts of
Scripture are to be underftood in the fame manner. |f
I his opinion is yet more plainly oppofed by Job
in the wqrds immediately following, and in direct
contradiction to what Eliphaz advanced, ch. v. 24.
As the cloud is confumed and vaviJJjeth away^ fo he
that goeth down to the Qs'^hNY.jhall come up no more,.
He JI J all RETURN no more to his House [alluding to,
liovsES of Clay, mentioned Ch. iv. i^.)neitherjhall
his Place know him any more. i. e. tht place of his
abode upon earth, his habitation, ch. v. 24.
Now what think you ? Was Job here combating
with the winds ? Or, is it not more reafonable to be-
lieve he was engaging with his opponents ^ It is not
ufual for people to take abundance of pains, as it
will farther appear he does in this cafe, to overthrow
opinions which nobody endeavours to eflabhrii: Nor
ciid Job want adverfaries, that he fhould fet up a
mau
II ^od nojiintclligas (fell diBum J obi. Cap. viii. v. 7) gu^ij: Rc-
funeHionem neget, fed quod in banc vitam non fit redttwus, tit
nirjum felicitate aut u^Ij bono hie fruatur. In qua ta?nen fentcjUia
vonnulli Philofophorian fuerunt, quafi eadem fit homo, vita rejtiiu •
ttiS, hie vifiuus Iff experturus atq; aBuru^, qiice hie quondam rgc-
raty revoluto Anno magno, quern finxit Plato. — quo modofum mici-
ligcnda quaeunque tahamkoe librOy in Pfalmis, ^ a/iii //oris Ser'p-
iitra cecurruit. Mercerus in ljcu?n.
Take the Senfe of another very learned Commentator on this
pali'dge — Sapientgs Mecar — in ea fententia dim juerunt, ut exifti-
marent animas defanLtorum pcft aliquot rnilha annorum reuituras in
jua corpora, quod job hie aperte negai i^ inficiatur.
Drufius in locum.
the Book of ]o'bI 425
man ofjlrazv, only in ordtr to demolifh him again.
Thtrc^tore if we think the dilputants underitood each
other, v/e could not help concluding from this Tin-
gle paHiige, that the doctrine of the Palingene/iaw^s
that which Eliphaz maintained, tho' he hadexprefs-
ed himfclf concerning it in much obfcurer Terms
tlian he has done.
But to convince us that JoFs, adverfaries held this
opinion in oppofition to him, let us hear what Bil-
4<2d fays to him by way of reply, ch. viii. After ha-
ving appealed to antiquity for the truth of his opi-
nion, V. II. he compares the hypocrite to a rujh or
fidg^ which cannot grow without moifture, but pre-
fently withereth and dieth away, without ever revi-
ving again •, which, as I fhall fhew prefently, is a-
grecable to the dodtrine of the Talingenefia. In op-
pofition hereto, V. 16. he compares the righteous
(as many commentators underftand it) to a plant in
a garden, that preferves its moifture, notwithftand-
ing it bears the heat of the fun. It even ftrikes its
roots thro' heaps of ftones, and fiourifnes in fpite of
all oppofition. He is green before the fun^ and his
branch Jljooteth forth in his garden. His roots are
wrapped about the heap^ and he feeth the place of
fiones. If it be deftroy'd, or (as fome underfland it)
if it be tranfplanted, and taken up fo entirely that
no remains of it are left in the place j this will not be
any detriment to, but an improvement of it: for it
will grow again, and flourifli anew, either there or
in another Ibil, x?. 18, 19. If he dejlroy him., or take
him up, frc;n his place., and it fhall deny him., faying.,
I have not fcen thee ; Behold this is the joy of his way^
and out of the earth fhall others grow. Or, as it is
otherwife rcnder'd, out of another foil fhall they
grow, or flourifh again •, the fingular number, a-
greeably to the Hebrezv idiom, being changed into
the plural, to denote the improvement of it. v. 20.
All
426 A Diffeftation on
All this is accommodated to the perfed man, who
fhall greatly profper and triumph in his tranfplanted^
■ if I may fo call it, /*. e. in his tranfmigrated ftate.
In anfwer to this, Joh^ after fome fublime reflec-
tions on the infinite and uncontroiilable power of di-
vine providence over his whole creation, fubjoins,
^.12. Behold he taketh away (man's life in this ftate)
and who can hinder him, or rather, who can oblige
him to refiore it, as the verb iJi^i in Hiphil requires"
to be tranflated. It is true there is no mention
made of man in the text, but the Chaldee Paraphraft
does fo render it. Ecce auferet hominem in feculo, et
quis erit qui reducat ilium ? quis dicet ei, quid tufacis?
Not to infift here upon every pafiage in this fpeech
which glances at the opinion which Job combats,
becaufe fome of them will foon fall under our notice
elfewhere, he concludes it in thefe remarkable words,
Ch. X. 1 8, 22. Oh that I had given up the ghoft, and
no eye had feen me! I jhould have been as though T
bad not been (which plainly fuppofes no prae-exiftcnt
ftate -, and it is obferveable that the fame fcntiment
runs thro' JoFs> complaint, Ch. iii. which undoubted-
ly gave occafion to Eliphaz to fcart the controverfy •,
and it is plainly exprefled, v. 1 6. of that Ch. As an
hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants which
•never faw light.) But to proceed with y<?Z''s words
in this place, I Jhould have been carried from the
womb to the grave. Are not my days few ? ceafe then
mid let me alone, that I may take comfort a little: Be-
fore I go WHENCE I fid all not return, even to the
land cf darknefs, and the fhadow of death. A land of
darknefs as darknefs itfelf, and of the fhadow of death
without any order ; and where the light is as dark-
?iefs.
Zophar is highly exafperated at thefe v/ords, in-
fomuch that he falls a railing at Job in a more inde-
cent manner tlian cither of his companions, who had
fpokcn
the Book oj Job. 427
fpoken before him. He is greatly offended that
Job Ihould maintain that his doctrine was pure and
found, and that he himfelf was clean in the liglit of
God, /. e. clean from any defilements contrafted in
^ former Hate -, for this was v/hat he could not fay
with regard to this life. He then proceeds to fhew
the unfathomable profundity of God*s wifdom. O
that God would /peak and open his lips againjl theCy
and that he would Jhew thee the fecrets of wifdom^
that they are double to that which is ! Ch. xi. 6.
Here he intimates that there are many myfteries un-
known to us ; and therefore that we ought not too
peremptorily to deny the pofTibility of any do6lrine,
which we cannot clearly difprove. Then follows,
according to our tranflation, Know therefore that
God exatteth of thee lefs than thine Iniquity deferveth.
'. — But others with greater juftnefs render it, God
caufeth thee to forget concerning thine Iniquity*. 'Now
what Iniquities could he mean that God had caufed
Job to forget^ except thofe of a former ftate ? It is
difiicult tor a man to forget any wickednefs he has
been guilty of in this hfe : Let him do all he can,
he has a remembrancer within him, that will ever and
anon revive the thoughts of it.
But it is certain that God caufeth no wicked per-
fon to forget his fins, but on the contrary frequently
reminds us of them, by the twitches he gives our
confcience concerning them. It can therefore be the
Iniquity of a former ftate only, which Zophar fup-
pofes God had caufed Job to forget •, for that is a-
grccable to this do6lrine -, and we know what ftories
the poets have told us concerning the waters of Lethe,
which each perfon is made to drink of before he re-
turns
* Thus it is rendered by many of the bed Interpreters ; and
the fame Veib occurs Cb. .xxxix. 17. where it is necetlarily Co to
W iindcrllooH, and accord. ng!y diey generally tranflate HK^n O
rCDH nl/Ji Qu'u4 ilLirc! fait mm DiUiSapUniia.
'4^8 A Dijfertation on
^Lirns to a fecond life*. Which Pable was Invented in
order to weaken the force of the objeftion -f againft
a pr£-exiftent ftate, drawn from our having no con-
fcioufnefs of it, and confequently the injuftice and
abfurdity of puniOiing a man tor crimes he knew
nothing of. And this objeftion J oh had not failed
to make in his reply to Bildad. Ch. ix. v. 21.
'Though I were perfe^^ yet would I not know my foul.
I fhould be utterly ignorant of the ftate or quality
of it. And 1;. 29, 30, 31. If I be wicked^ why then
labour I in vain ? If I wafh my f elf with fnow -water ^
end make my hands never fo clean^ yet fhalt thou
■plunge me in the ditch^ and mine own clothes ffoall ab-
hor me. § For labour in vain it is to endeavour to
preferve one's innocence in this ftate, if he is never-
thelefs to be puniftied for he knows not what fins in
a former.
Let us make ourfelves ever fo clean^ yet if this be
the cafe, we do but endeavour to zy ^7^ the Ethiopian
white. This is an unanfwerable argument, and fo
ftrongly urged, that it ought to have filenced his
adverfaries : But Zophar is refolved to fay fome-
thing to keep the controverfy a going. He re-
folves all this into the divine Wifdom. He fays,
God had caufed him to drink of the river Lethe,
and tho' he had forgot his Iniquity, yet God him-
felf
• Ha! ow«r;' uh! ni.ll: rot am vclvers per /inncs,
Lethxum (it^fi'ivivjn Deusevocat ngmine msgno:
Sc'Ucet hnmemnre? fupera nt convexa rei'ifant,
Rurjus et incipimtt in corpora vclle reverti.
Virgil. jEn. Lib. vi, v. 74.8.
-)- This objeftion is mentioned by Lucretius in thefe words, iho'
it is pullicd too far — ■
P rater ca jlirnmort alii natura animai
Onftat, 6f in corpus nafcentibus injinuatur.
Car Juper ante a ^am (Statem vieminiffe nequimus ?
Kcc feiJigia gcftariint rerutn ulh temmus ?
^ V. 33. He add.', tliac on this fuppofition ihere c-mld be no
da'js-man between him and God, .'. e. no Mediator, MEsrir';?, as
tiis LXX. rranilaie it.
the Book of ] OB. 429
felf had not. For he knoweth vain man^ he feeth
wickednefs alfo ; will he net then conjider it ? Or, as
it may be rendered, tho' Man iinderjiands it jiot,
or is not confcioiis of it. He concludes with exhort-
ing Job to forfake his fms, and make fupplication
unto God for them, v. 13, 14. Which if he did,
that he JJjould forget his mifery\ and remember it as
waters that pafs away\ (but flich m.ifery as his could
not well be forgotten in this life.) And thine Age *
(thy future Age) jhall arife Qip^ clearer than the
noon-day ; thou Jhalt go into darknefs (as the verb
T\^'^T\ ought to be render'd) yet thou Jhalt be as
the morning. And thou Jhalt be fecure^ becauje there
is hope^ yea thou Jhalt dig \\ (thy grave), and thouJJjah
take thy rejt in Jafety. Alfo thou JJjalt lie down^ and
7ione JI: all make thee afraid, yea many Jhall make Juit
unto thee. §
Let us now fee what account Job makes of all
this. No doubts fays he, in a larcaftical manner,
but ye are the -people., and wijdom Jhall die with you.
Ch. xii. 2. But he does not yield a whit to them.
I haveunderjianding as well as you. And, ch. xiii. 2.
What ye know., thejame do I know alfo., I am not in-
ferior unto you. And v. 4. Ye are forgers of lyes^
ye are all phyjicians of no value. And again -y. y.
Will you fpeak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully
for him ? It needs not to be fhewn how applicable all
this is to the dodlrine they maintain, which as it was
all a groundlefs forgery, lb it muft be allowed to be
a
^ 77t ChalJ. P/imph. renders the 1 7 and 1 8. :'. thru. Et dc tr.e-
ridic Jicriim tuorum coiifurgct corpus mum, quoJ abu in glebim ;
qiiin obfcuriiu? tcnebrarum qu:;li lux matutina ciir. Et confides
quoniini eft tibi fpcs, <&: prxparabis doinum kpuhuia;, & lecurus
dermics.
I The vul^ — Et defofili'! fecurus dermic?.
% The LXX, tranllate the latter pirtcl r.igt after this manner,
f*,!Ta.0xXoiA,noi ('but according -o qmtALx. M.S. |iA£T«/3«Aof*/>a) h vafv
430 A bijfer'fation on
a well-meant one ; it being, in the opinion of thofe
who contrived and efpoufed it, the only expedient
that could be thought of, for falving God's honour
with regard to the introdu6lion of evil into the
world, at the fame time that it betray'd his juftice in
making him to punifli perfons for fins they were not
confcious of. And therefore the abettors of it are
here properly faid tofpeak wickedly^ and talk deceit-
fully for God — to accept his perfon^ and contend for
him, and at the fame time to mock him. v. 7, 8, 9.
They are here likewife called Phyftcians of no Value ;
and elfewhere, Ch. xvi. 6. their doftrine for its in-
Bpidnefs is compared to the white of an egg. And
truly an infignificant, comfortlefs, infipid do6lrine
it is : For what comfort, what relief can it yield a
good man ftruggling under all the miferies and hard-
ihips of lifci to be told, that thefe evils are inflidled
upon him as punifhments for fms he had been guil-
ty of in a former ftate ? Was not this infulting liim
in his mifery, inftead of affording him comfort un-
der it ? This was pouring vinegar inftead of oyi into
his wounds, and adminiftring fuch lenitives as were
likelier tofharpen than ajfuage his pains.
And this was the effedl they really had upon Jol^.
For hence it is in a great meafure that he makes fuch
pafTionate expoftulations with God, and that, in op-
pofition to this charge, he appeals fo often to him
for his innocence. It was the contradi^ion of [inner s
that vexed and grieved his righteous foul — the obfti-
nacy and perverfenefs of his adverfaries in maintain-
ing an opinion, which, tho' he was not able clearly
to confute, yet he was fully fatisfied was abfurd and
wrong in itfelf, and in its confequences injurious to
God — This, 1 fay, threw him into fuch confuQon
and diftradlion of thought, as he complains, that he
loft all patience, was betrayed into great indifcre-
tions, and feem'd to be fometimes deftitute of all
fcnfe
the Book of Job. 431
fenfe of behaviour even towards God himfelf. For
whoever confiders the feveral fpeeches of Job^ will
be apt to look on them as the pafTionate rhapfodies
and exclamations of a man confcious of the truth and
goodnefs ofhiscaufe, rather than a folid vindication
of it. Indeed neither Job^ nor his opponents, feem
to be maftcrs of the argument they handle •, and tho*
each in his turn occafionally utters many noble and
fublime fentiments, many excellent fayings^ arid
even whole leflbns of morality, fuch as are worthy
of the holy Spirit to indite, and greatly exceed any
human compofition -, yet, with regard to the fub-
jeft of the debate, they feem rather to talk like men
got out of their depths.* And this judgment of
them is fupported by the authority of Elihu and God
himfelf, who feverely cenfure their ignorance and
errors.
To return; Ch. xii. 14. jfob makes this among
other refleflions on the divine wifdom and power :'
— Behold he breakeih down, and it cannot be built
again : h.tjhutteth up a man (in death or the grave)"!-
and there can be no opening. In the xivth Ch. Job en-
ters upon a fuller and more dired refutation of the
dodrine
• Dr Grey feems to cenfure this judgment on Job, in defence
of which I need only refer the Reader to the whole tenor of
£//-&«'s fpcech, particularly io chap. xxxw. 35. — xxxv. 16.
This learned Author obfcrvcs that here, and in two or three
points more, I agree with Mr fVarb. but whether he had any
meaning in his obfervation docs not appear. I hope it is no
crime to agree with him. Whatever he thinks of it, I can af-
fure him it would be a great pleafure to me to agree both with
Mr Warb. and himfelf in every point wherem we happen to dif-
fer ; but I fee no great likeliliood of it, as yet. Ehewhere he
endeavours to play us againft each other, where he fays I have
the hardinefs to attack and dellroy Mr IFarb.'s foundation : A
Talk he might have fpared me the trouble of, if he had fet about
it to purpofe ; and perhaps have fpared himfelf too the trouble of
a Reply.
f Ecce deftruit & non cedificabitur ; concludet homincm in fe-
pulchro, nee aperiatur. largum.
432 A Dijfertatioti on
dodlrineof hisadverfaries, and of their arguments in"
fupport of it, which he* continues almoft throughout
the chapter, and illuftrates by mmy apt fimilitudes.
Thus 17. 7. ^ feqq. Thtre is hcpe^ fays he, of ;z
tree, if it be cut down, that it will fpr out out again^
^nd that the tender branch thereof will not ceafe \ tho*
the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the fiock
thereof die in the ground ; yet through the fcent of
water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
But man dieth and wafieth away, yea man giveth
up the gh oft, and WHERE is he ?
In which words he manifeftly alludes to Bildad's
comparifon of a righteous man (Ch. viii. 16. above
taken notice of) to a plant or tree, which after it is
Cut down fhoots up again more vigoroufly. This is
true, fays he. There is hope of a Tree that is cut down,
&c. but what proof have you of fuch a revivifcence
in man ? He giveth up the ghoji^ and where is he F So
again, yfy the waters fail from the fea, and the flood
decay eth and dryeth up •, fo man lieth down, and
RisETH NOT, TILL the hcavcns hem more'-, they
fh all not awake, norberaifedoutcftheirfleep. Im^
plying not that they fliall not rife at all, but that
they fhall not rife //// the general Refurreftion,
which will not be //// the heavens pafs away, and
the prefent ftate of nature be diffolved. Thus like-
wife is to be underftood what follows, v. \\. If a
Man di-e, (hall he live again} No. There are inftances,
as he goes on, of things of a much more durable
nature, which perilh, and that irreparably ; what
hopes therefore can there be of fuch a frail creature
as man, being reftored again after death to his former
ftate ? Surely the mountain falling cometh to nought 5
and the rock is re-moved out of his place : The wa^
ters wear the ftones ; thou waffjefi away the things
that grew out of the diifi of the earth, and thou de^
Jiroyefi the hope of man. Thou prcvailefi for ever a-
gainfi
the Book of ]o'B. 433
gainjl him, and he pajfeth •, thou chr,ngefi his cottnte*
nance, andfendejl him away. His Jons ccme to honour,
and he knoweth it not ; and they are brought lo'-j;,
but he perceiveth it vM of them. Tliefe lalt words
feem to be particularly meant in oppofition to what
Eliphaz had faid above, Ch. v. 25. ^hau [bait knoi>j
alfo that thy feed fro a II be great, and thine offspring
as the grafs of the earth.
Now what occafion was there for multiplying i^
mages, and heaping comparifons one upon another, to
exprcfs the fame thing fo many difrerent ways, unlefs
it had a near relation to the fubjecl in hand, and were
particularly ferviceable to the caufe Job maintained?
Eliphaz in his reply to this, after fome unjuft
reproaches, flies to authority — What know?fi thou,
that we know not ? What underfiandefi thou, which
is not in us ? With us are both the grey-headed and
very aged men, much older than thy father. This
confirms what was obferved above, p. 400, that it
was matter of opinion they were debating about, con- •
cerning which alone authority could be of any
weight. He then repeats his firft pofition, ch. iv.
that there are no creatures of God fo pure, as to be
entirely free from corruption •, and thence con-
cludes, as before, a fortiori, againfb any fuch puri-
ty and prrfeclion in man ; which has been already
explained.
Job notwithftanding perfifts in his former per-
fuafion. For having fpent the next Chapter in dole-
ful complaints of the mifery of his condition, he
concludes it in th;.^fe words ; When a few years are
come, then fhall I go the way whence I fh.iil not
RETURN, Ch. xvi. 22. And Ch. xvii. 14., 15. /
/ have faid to corruption, thou art my father ; to
the worm, thou art my mother, and my fijier. And
where is fiow -my hypo? Js fur my hope, who fhall fee it^
y^'i'conftantly talks in a defponding wj.yandfrt:quent-
F f 1/
434 ^ Dijfertatton on
ly complains of his hope, and what fmall grounds
he had of it. His opponents likewife often touch
on this fubjeib, always promifing good hopes to the
righteous, but none at all to the wicked, or hypo-
crite •, which is ftill agreeable to the opinion they
maintained : with .regard to which, this, I think,
may be laid down as a rule — That wherever any
mention is made of hope, or its contrary, either by
the one, or the other party, it is meant in reference
to a return to this life after death. And it is farther
obfervable, that in every reply which Job hath hi-
therto made, he does not fail to declare againfb this
notion ; which had been idle and impertinent for
him to have done, had not his adverfaries as ftiffly
perfifted in maintaining that opinion againft him..
As they had no notion of any future flate other
than this, they undoubtedly thought it great impiety
in any one to deny it ; and therefore Eliphaz accuffs
Job of irreligion. Ch. xv. 4. 7'hou ccifiefi off fear,
i. e. religion, and rejlrainefi prayer before God.
And, Cb. xxii. 13. Thou fayefi. How does God
knoiJi) ? Can he judge through the dark cloud? Hence
it is likewife they lb often charge him with hypocrify:
For, notxvithftanding the feeming holinefs and in-
tegrity of his life, they could not reckon him any
better than fuch, fince, in their opinion, he denied a
future fiate. This was dov/nright impiety, and e-
qual to the greateft wickednefs.
Their repeated provocations at laft forced him
to declare himfeif more fully on that head, and to
make his appeal to the final judgment, when he was
confident he fliould triumph in the goodnefs and ju-
ftice of his caufe, notwithftanding it was its fate at
prefent to be decried and vilified.
To this purpofc he makes a mofl noble and ample
Confefiion of his Faith in his Redeemer and Judge,
and of his Hope in the. general Refurre^ion -, and lie
intru-
the Book of ]q-^. 435
introduces \t with fb it much zeal, that thefe his
fentinients might be perpetually preferved and re-
corded, as is fuitable, not only to the dignity of the
fiibjeft, but to the importance of it likewife to the
matter in difpute, which fhould awake us to a more
careful confideration of them. Ch. xix. 23.
Oh that my words were now written ! Oh that they
were printed in a book ! "That they were graven with
tin iron pen and lead, in the rock for ever ! For I
know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he Jhall jiand
at the latter day upon the earth. And tho* after my
Jkin, worms dejiroy this body, yet in my fiefh fball I fee
God: Whom I fh all fee for mv self, and mine
eyrs f jail behold, and not another. Some learned
men deny that thefe words have any relatiom to the
Refurrcfbion, and others will not allow them to have
any other fenfe. But tho' this be undoubtedly the
flrfl and moft obvious fenfe of tliis palTage, yet
I fee no reafon why it may not admit of another
confidently with it •, viz. that as Job here repre-
fents human nature, why may not this be likewife
intended as a comfortable affurance ot the future
rtfloration of our nature out of its prefent miferable,
into its firft happy ftate ?
It is firther obfervablc, that Job, in thefe words,
doth not only profefs his faith in the refurredlion
in general, but moreover explicitely declares his be-
lief of the Refurreclion of the fame numerical Body
he lived in, when he uttered thefe words ; — In ai y
fefifjail Ifee God, whom I jhall fee for mv self, and
MINE eyes fjall behold, and not another : Which
Grotius tranQates thus — In came tanien mea Dciim
videbo ; ego, inquam, hifce oculis meis ; ego, non.
autem alius pro me. Upon which an eminent Au-
thor asks him this very natural Queftion — Had he
' ever feen atranfmutationofperfons in this world?
'• Or
436 A Dijfertat'icn on
' Or heard of any man who ceafed to be himfelf, and
' became another ? *
No. But "Job was then difputing with perfons
who maintained fuch an opinion, in direct oppo-
fition to which he thus ftrongly and particularly de-
clares himfelf.
Wdentity of perfon confifts in an union of the
fame foul with the fame body, (as learned men, with
all their endeavours, have not been able to fix it up-
on a better bottom) then this identity muft be de-
ftroyed by the fuppofed paflage of the foul from one
body to another, and a kind of tranfmutation mult
in part enfue. This was the tenet maintained by
JpFs opponents, againft which he could not have
expreffed himfelf more pertinently than in thefe
emphatical terms, but for which there feem no
grounds upon any other fuppofition. -j- For fuppofe,
with Grotiiis, that the words are meant of a tempo-
ral deliverance only, and the abfurdity of yob''s
exprefling himfelf in fuch a manner cannot be bet-
ter expofed than by asking the Queftion above-
menti-
* Bifliop Sher/oci's fecond Diflertation.
•\- This feems the more probable, fincc Dr Grey, after baviqg
furn'd the words (It i^"?!— '"'? nTHi^ '':3l^ l^i^) fo'inany difFercnc
ways, cannot fatisfadorily, as it ihould ieem, even to hrmlelf, r-e-
concile them to the notion of a Refurredion, but is obliged to
leave them in great uncertainty at laft. On the other hand, Mr
Co/lard is for any other fenie rather than this, and I agree with
liim that to fee for erne's felf would be a fenfelefs phrafe in any other
view of it. But for a man who was arguing in defence of his
own felf as it were, againft thofe who maiiuain'd a kind q{ another
fdf-r-zvhcm 1 [hall fee for my felf^ and not another I know not
who in my Head, was not only a very fenfible, but a very proper
and pertinent way of fpeaking. We may therefore acquiefce in the
literal tranfiation, and literal fenfe of thefe words, as well as of
the whole palfage, of which they make a part, without having
recourfe to any forced and foreign explications. See Mr Coftard*;
Ohfervations on Job This Genileman may fee the word fehov/ih
iifed in the i 2th ch. and 9'.h v. of the Beck of Job, as well as in the
beginning and conclufion of it. See p. 408. of thh Dijfcrtation.
the Book of Job. 437
mentioned •, ' Had he ever feen a tranfmutation,
' ^c ?' Or fuppofe them meant of a Rcfurredion
in the literal fenle, yet if this docflrine were either .
altogether unknown to, or abfolutely denied by his
adverfaries, it had been quite needl-fs, at leaft, for
him to have exprelTed himfelf in fuch particular,
and indeed redundant terms. They mull, there-
fore, have believed a Refurreflion in fome fcnfe or
other : But what fenfe could that be ? Did they,
with feme of our modern Scepikks, queftion the
ftridt propriety of it ? Indeed JgI could not have de-
livered himfeif with more precifion and exadnefs,
had he been, in profefs'd oppofition to thefe, efta-
biilhing the doftrine cf the Refurredion of the fame
numerical, identical Body. But the Refurre<5tion
was not then, nor many ages after, become fuch a
known and fettled point of faith, as to be thus
minutely canvaffed : It remains, therefore, that they^
could have no other notion of a Refurrcdion than a
Pythagorean one •, which indeed was not properly
a Refurrediion at all, but which no lefs required
that he ihould cxprefs himfelf in this manner in op-
pofition to it.
This was the root of the whole Matter: Here was
a Revivifcence granted, and a much more proper
one than they contended for, which they ought to
reft fatisfied with, and to leave off teazing him
any longer with their vexatious contentions. To
this eifeft Job immediately adds to the foregoing
words — JVherefors (as the conjunction O? which is
fometimes illative, requires to be here tranflated)j^
JJjoidd fay, JVhy per fe cute we him, feeing the root of
the matter is found in me ? v. 2S.*
But all this was to no purpofe. They were fo
bigottcd to their own opinion, that they would not
recede
• Rar/ix verbi nihil alii'd eft quam Rindamentum caufae, quod
Cicero vocai Stirpc/r, quaJliiMs, lib. 4. Jt' Fiitil/us. Car,
43 B A DiJferfafiGn on
recede a tittle from it. Therefore let Joh make
ev?r fo ilrong profcilions of his faith in a Refurrec-
tlon, it would be little regarded by his adverfa-
ries, becaiife this was not the Refiirredtion they con-
tended for; and fmce he did not admit of that, they
would not hear of any other ; he was flill a wicked
hypocrite. Ch. xx. 5. Zophar proceeds to defcant
largely on the miferable ftate and portion of the
wicked, and among other things he fays, 'The eye
alfo which fdvj kim-i Jhall fee him no mcre^ neither
jhall bis place any more behold him, v. 9 . the very
words of ^(Ji^ already taken notice of, Ch.vn. 8, 10.
Does Zophar then come over to Job^s opinion ? Far
irom it. Job denied the Palingemjia in general :
Zophar denounces it as part of the punifhment of
the v/icked, to be deprived of the benefit of this pri-
vilege ; which is the very doctrine delivered by Pla-
to m his Ph^edo, ' That thofe, v/hofe Sins were
' fo enormous as to render them incapable of be-
* ing cured and purged of them, lliould never
* emerge into Light, but be thruft into Hell, there
' eternally to fuffer the Torments due to them *.
The point which they raoftly dwelt upon was,
that Job was punilhed for his fins ; and at this point
all their defcriptions of the judgments which betall
the wicked undoubtedly are aimed : All their oblique
infinuations drive at the fame end, and are levelled
againft him. Nay, they do not ftick fometimes to
charge him directly with particular crimes. Job
owns, over and over, he was punilhed for his fins in
general, and particularly for the fins of his youths
as hath been already obferved. What then would
they have .'' They wanted he ihould go farther, and
own
* Oi 0 ccv oozua-iv aviccraii; I'y^eiv, d>« Ta [Myi^y) Ta:y a.i^x^ryi[Aoc,Tuv, ^
i^icycci7fA>evoi, i) uSha, oaa. rcy^ccvH ovroc Toteivr», Toinrovi oe t, TTCoariKovaa.
Plutonis Phado. Vidt etiam Gorgiam, (S" de lie».
the Book of Job. 439
own he was puniflied for Tins he had been guiky
of in a former ftate, otherwife they mull have been
fatisfied with the confcfiion he made in his firfl re-
ply 10 Eliphaz. Ch, vii. 20, 21. This was what
they never could bring him to •, in this refpe^t
he conftantly maintained his innocence, and this oc-
cafioned the continuance of the debate with fo much
heat and violence.
The ccntroverfy -was at length rifen to fuch a height,
that Eliphaz^ in his lail fpeech, by way of fare-
well, draws up a diredl charge againft Job^ and
recites a catalogue of crimes of the deepefb dye. Is
not thy 'zvickednefs great, aytd thine iniquities infinite ?
For thou haft taken a pledge of thy brother for
nought^ and ftripped the naked of their cloathing.
Thou haft not given water to th<^ weary to drink, arcl
thou haft witholden bread from the hungry — Thou hajt
fent ividows away empty, and the arms of the
fatherlefs have been broken. Therefore fnares cire
roundabout thee, &c. Ch. xxii. 5, 6, 7, 9,10. Job was
as clear as the fun from thefe offences ; nay was re-
markable for the contrary virtues. Ch. xxvii. and
xxxi. Was this then a mere groundlefs calumny ?
Call upon him by his friend too, who came to com -
fort him in his af?iidicn ? And all this for no end,
as far as appears, unlefs it were to r,iake him believe,
what he beft knew to be falfe, that he was a vile,
wicked mifcreant, a merciiefs tyrant, cpprefibr,
and what not } Contrary to what his cor.fcicnce
told him, and what theirs too might have told them,
as the whole tenor of his hfe bore witnefs ? For
thefe were overt at5ls of a publick nature, which no
art or hypocrify could conceal. It is remarkable.
Job docs not take any pains to clear himfclf cf
thefe crimes, in his reply, where he ought to do it,
tho' he afterwards m.akes a folemn proteitation c^f his
fincerity and integrity in the difcharg- of kyerai du-
ties.
440 A Dijfertation on
•ties. Ch. xxvii. and xxxi. But, methinks, if Job
had underftcod Eliphaz to have charged him with
the commiiTion of that great wickednefs, thofe
infinite iniquities, in his prefent hfe, he would
immediately have taken fire at him — would have
lolt all temper, as he often does upon feemingly lefs
provocations, and have complain'd bitterly of the
abufe and calumny.
But inftead of this, what does he do ? and what
refentment does he fhew of the barbarous treat-
ment ? Why nothing like what one would have
expedled from a perfon fo accufed ; for he feems to
take little or no notice of it. He breaks out, indeed,
with thefe v/ords, Even to day is ray complaint bitter,
my Jiroke is heavier than ray groaning. He then ex-
preifes an earnefb defire that he might appear before
God, in confidence that he would decide this in-
tricate controverfy in his favour. He afterwards
makes a general declaration of his regard to God's
Jaws ; but fpends the fubflance of his ani-vver in
.Ihewing that wickednefs often efcapes unpunifhed
here, fo that we can conclude nothing from a per-
fon's fuffering in this fute, with regard to his hav-
ing been an enormous offender even in this, much
lefs in any other. Bildad hereto makes a fhort reply,
v/hich is only a repetition of E]iphaz his firll pofi-
tion concerning the univerfal corruption of all crea-
tures, to fignify that they ftill perfifted in their firft
opinion. C^^^f/'.xxvi. contains yoi-'sanrv/er, in which,
after fome ironical refie61:ions and reproofs, we read
in our tranflation, I'. 5. Bead things are formed from
under the waters, and the i^ihabitants thereof. The
v/ords in the original are thefe : iV^in*' □"'SS^'in
D.TJDU;'! D^Q QPnn which, notwithilanding the com-
mentators are fo perplexed about them, admit of
two very eafy interpretations, both v/hich I ihall lay
before the re.ider. i. Tlicy may be underftood of
the
th Book of Jo i. 441
the Refurrcdion, in confirmation of what Johhad
before declared concerning it, chap. xix. And then
they are to be rendered. The dead jhall he brought
forth from under the waters^ and the inhabitants
thereof. This is the literal interpretation of the verb
iV'^inS ■^^2:. to be born or brought forth., which is
very fignificant of what it is here applied to, as the
Refurreclion may be termed a fort of new Birth.
And as Job had before made confeflion of his faith
in this dodlrine in general, he here declares particu-
larly, that even the fea fhouldgive up its dead., not-
withftanding their bodies were diflTolved in water,
or devoured by lifhes, the inhabitants thereof. And
left it fhould be doubted whether the divine power
itfelf were fufficient to produce fuch a wondertul ef-
fe6l, he adds, Hell is naked before him., and defiru£ii-
on hath no covering. And continues to defcant on
the divine omnipotence in a noble fublime manner,
to the end of the chapter. Bur, idly., thefc words
may be underftood as oppofed dire(^tly to the doc-
trine of the Palingenefia, if they be but rendered
interrogatively, as they may, and are by feveral in-
terpreters •, Shall the dead be brought forth., or born
again., from under the waters? Sec. Thus the Ixx.
tfandate it, except that inftead of the dead they ren-
der Giants *, as the word Q^i^S") fometimes fignifies.
M^"; yiyxvrz; f/.cLi'-je^ATOvryj v-no^tartM^iv v^ctro^ ;
which may be rendered, Nunquid Gigantes objietri-
cnhiintur {fcil. ab objietricefufcipientur) fubter aquam?
The Chaldee Paraphrafe exprclfes it thus : Nunquid
pojfunt gigantes qui contremifcunt regenerari ? The
very fenfe I have tranflated it in. To this fpeech of
Job*s> his adverfaries did not think fit to make any
G g reply
* According to Mr Metle, Hell is fometimes defcribei by the
place of giants. Thus he tranflares Prov,v.x\. i6. The mr.n that
teandretb out of the way of underflanding, p^all dtoell in the Con-
grcgetiott ^Giantf. And thus this text of Job.
442 A Dijfertatioji on
reply, whereby they left him in poirefllon of tlie vic-
tory, and at leifure to perfue his own reflexions.
At length Elihu^ a new perfonage, appears on
the ftage, who efpoufes neither party, but acls rather
as a moderator than difputant. He reproves both
in their turns. He upbraids Eliphaz and his Friends,
that they managed their caufe fo weakly, and after
fpending fo many words, made fo little of it at laft.
As to Jo-b^ he Ihews wherein he likewife was faulty,
and points out feveral particulars, wherein he had
fuffered himfelf in die heat of the difpute to be carried
beyond the reverence that was due to God, fo as to
let fall fome expreilions offenfive to the divine
majefty, and which favoured too much of prefump-
tion. With j-egard to the merits of the queftion, he
does not enter into it, but feems to refolve it all into
the divine power and wifdom, as becomes us to do
in all n^^ters above our comprehenfion, and as St
Paul does that of de5lion and reprobation. Rom. ix.
1 1 . And leaves the decifion of it to God.
Who at length defcends in terrible majefty : And
firft he reproves and humbles Job for his confidence
in challenging his maker to contend with him, by
convincing him of his weaknefs, and ignorance in
the works of nature and leveral parts of the crea^
tion i thereby intimating, how much more ignorant
he muft be in metaphyfical enquiries, which lie
further out of the reach of our facilities ; agreeably
to what the author of the Book of Wifdom obferves,
^hat hardly do we guefs aright at things that are up-
on earth, and with labour do we find the things that
ere before us : But the things that are in heaven,
who hath fear ched out ? Wifd. ix. 1 6. God having '
by thefe means brought Job to a due fenfe of his
Qwp blindnefs and nothingnefs in comparifon of the
Almighty,
the Book of ]o-&. 443
Almighty, vonchfafes at laft to determine the con-
troverfy, and gives it in liis favour.
The Reader is now to judge of the View I have
given of this difficult Book, which as it muft be own-
ed to be every way worthy of it, fo I flatter myfelf
it isjuft in itfelf, and confident throughout. And,
I. Of its Dignity. The fubjeft of this poem is
the mod noble that polTibly could be conceived,
with which thofe oi heathen poetry, fo much admired,
are not to be once named in comparifon. For the
drama reprefents t\\t^xt2iX. drama of theuniverfe, artd
therein are exhibited, not the travels and fortunes, nor
the caprice and humour of fome one man ; but the
fortunes, if I may fo fpeak, of the whole race of
mankind.
The Hero of it. In his private capacity, is a
pattern of the greateft fuffering virtue, in which
confifts more true courage, than if he had flain his
thoufands. But view him in his repref^ntative
capacity, and it is not a fingle man, but man in the
aggregate that is the Hero of the poem ; which in a
lively and affecting manner reprefents the various
changes and revolutions allotted him throughout
this whole /^^;/f of things, from the beginning to
the end of time. And the fubje<5t which is debated
is not the criminal amours, intrigues, or paflion of
this or that weak man, but the Origin of Evil in
general, from whence thefe and all others evils fpring.
Laftly, the Machinery of this Poem is the mod
grand imaginable ; for therein the Lord Jehovah^
making the clouds his chariot, and riding upon the
wings of the wind, defcends, and accods Job out
of the whirlwind in thefe tremendous terms — J'Fho
is this that darkneth counfel, by words without know-
ledge ? The whole fpeech, for fublimity of dyle
and matter, is worthy of the divine majedy, and fo
far above being equall'd by any human compoliti-
on,
444 -^ Dijfertatlon on
on, that I am fatisfied no one can have the vanity
to attempt it. The occafion hkevvife cf the Al
mighty's interpofition was of im.portance worthy of
it, and vhich indeed required it •, for it was to de-
cide an intricate controverfy, which could not o-
therv/ife be decided, relating to himfelf, and his own
attributes. It was therefore highly requifite the
Pcst'z rule fhould here take place, as this may jullly
be faid to be dignus vindice nodus.
2. The light in v/hich this controverfy here
ftands, removes thofe diHiculties, which, as was
pointed out in the beginning of this difcoufe, the
Book of Job otherwife labours under.
1. It furnifhes diXi apology iov the condu6l of JoFs
friends. As it had been uncharitable to pafs fuch a
fevere cenfure ori fo upright a man as to prefume
him guilty of fome very heinous crimes in this ftate,
merely from outward appearances ^ fo he might
have been fuppofed a finncr in fome former ftate,
v/ithcuc breach , of charity, from his fuffering fo
much in this ; becaufe this was no more than what
their own principles di6lated to them, and at the
fame time v/as confiftent with their good opinion of,
and efteem for him as a friend.
2. As they are thus acquitted from paOlng any ur^-
juft and uncharitable cenfures on their friend, fo that
acrim.ony, violence, and obftinacy with which they
maintained the difpute,isina great meafure excufable.
Mens prejudices for their ov/n favourite notions,
their impatience of contradiflion, and ambition of
triumph, naturally beget heat, and paffion, and
perverfnefs. And we nov/ fometimes fee very
good friends fall into great indecencies towards
each other about fmall differences in opinion, efpe-
cially where religion is any way concerned.
3. The I'ght in which the matter now ftands,
vindic;.t:s J^^'j conduct hkewifc, and rtconciks it
to
the Book o/* Job. 445
to Itfelf. It fhews how he might acknowledge him-
Iclf a iinner, and at the fame time infift upon his
juftification, viz.xhxo' the merits of a Redeemer, in
whom he believed, and trufted for Redemption
himfelf jand thro' whom the Reftoration of mankind
in general, of which his own was an Emblem, is to
be accomphlhed. And itfliews us at the fame time
how he might maintain his innocence — his innocence
from any guilt contra<5ted in a former ftate, and of
courfe the original innocence and perfeftion of hu-
man nature, of which he is here luppofed to hive
been a rcprefentativc.
Hence, lafcly, it appears how juftly God was
incenfed' againli Eliphaz and his two friends ; and
how, in vindication of his own attributes, he was
engaged to decide the contrcvcrfy in favour of Joh^
the merits of it being on his fide, notwitliftauding
the faultipefs of his bchavour.
FINIS.
Texts of Scripture,
Occafionally atte77ipted to be explahied in the fore-
going Eflay and Diflertation.
QEnefu
^elis \. I. Page loi
ji. 9. 12
21, 22 18
iii. I, 5 29
iii. 6. 16
iii. 16. i6 and 339
56
5+
67
73
68
IV. i-l.
iv. 26.
V. 29.
vi. 9.
viii. 21, 22
ix. 20, 21. 78
Exadui xvii. 14. 162
xxiii. 25. 337
xxiv. 4. 162
xxiv. 12. 164
xxxiv. 1, 27, 28.
165
xxxix. 24. 392
Leviticus XXV. 21. /^.
Nurnhers xxiii. 21. 83
Deuteron. vii, 6, 7. 85
X. I. 165
xi. 12, 14. 393
XXX. 1,5. 246
XXX. 6. 248
xxxii. 8. 97
I Kings xiii. i — 22. 3 1
Job. Defign of the whole
Book.
Chap. i. 21. 408 Pfalms
iii. 16, 424
iv. 6. 409
iv, 17, l^fc. 421
^^- 2^3- 335
V. 24. 42:2
vi. 6. 4-30'
vii. 6y^ feqq 42 ;5
viii. 165 19. 425
ix. 3, 408
ix. 2r, 29, 30, 3T.
428
X. 18 and y^^^ 426
>i- 33- 428
xi. 6. 427
xx.il.lty feqjif2()
xii. 14. 431
xiii. 4, 7—9 429
xiv. 7, i^ feqq.
431
XV. 4. 434
XV. 14, 15, 16,
421
438
433
tbid.
401
XVI. 2.
xvi. 22.
xyii. 14, 15
xix. 4.
xix. 25—27 435
xix. 28. 437
XX. 9. 438
xxii. 5,y/f??439
XXV. 4, 5, 6.421
xxvi. 5. 440
xxxiii. 23, 24.408
xiii. 7. 403
ii. 8. 239
xiv. 3. 265
xxii. 27, 28. 239
Ixxii. 8, II. ibid
Ixxxv. 10. 268
xc. 34
Occafionally
xc. 34 348
ciii. I, z. ihid
cxxviii. 19. 339
"Prov. viii. 26, 27. 117
Cant. iv. 7. 271
//2?/i?/; i. 26. 244
ii. 2, 3. 245
iv. 2, 13. 331-2
xi. 6 — 9. 263,
27i» 333
xi. 11,12, 247
xxxiji. 15. 262
xxxiii. 24. 337
XXXV. I, 7. 331
xl. 4. 245
xI; 31- 337
xlii. 4. 254
xlii, 18, 19. 331
xliv. 3. 261
xlv. 5, 7. 412
xlix. 10. 336
Ji- 3- 331
lii. I. 253
llv. 13. 263
Ix. 3, 4, 5. 246
Ix. 7, 13. 248
Ix. 17. 336
Ix. 21. 253
Ixv. 25. 334
1XV.20— 23. 336,
340> 347-
Ixvi. 8. 288
'Jeremiah iii. i6. 248
xxxi. 12, 14 336
xxxi. 31— .33.248
xxxi. 34. 263
xxxii. 39. 257
Ezekia xviii. 25.245, 387.
xxx\'i. 27. 261
xxxvii. 27. ibid
Danid ii. 34, 35, 44. 238
vii. 8,13, 14, 20,
27. 238
explained, 44^
Daniel vii. i2, 13. 287
viii. 14, 289
xii. 4. 263
xii. II. 287
Hofca ii. 18. 333
Joel n. 23. 393
ii. 28^ 234, 261-
iii. 18. 332
Jmos iv. 7, 394
ix. 13. 332
ix. 14, 15. 247
Zephan. iii. 9. 257
Xech. x. I 394
xii. 10. 262
xiv. 20, 21. 254
Tohit xiv. 251
Wifdom IV. 10. 13, 14. 364
Matthew V. 17. 204, 267
vi. 10. 228, 240
xiii. 30. 268
xxiv. thronghout
310
Mark i. 13. 334
Luke i, 7^ — 75. 29*
xvii. 20, 21. 243
xviii. 8. 268
John V. 46. 265
vi. 49, 50. 361
Viii. 51, 52. 362
^■"i- 53- 363
ix. 2. 411
X. 10. 369
vi. 25, 26. 360
xviii. 36. 244
xxi. 22. 359
Jcfs ii. 39. 261
iii 19 — 21. 274
xviL 26, 27. 97
Roni4ii$ iv. 4. 367
V: 14- 25, 356
•viii. 4. 204, 267
viii. 19 — 23. 234,
3a 8
X. 5. 365
44^ text's of Scripture explained.
XI. 12, 15. 252
I Ccr'm. vi. II. 201
XV. 22.. 356
XV. 24— 26> 54.
. 370
XV. 45. 25
XV. 51, 52. 358
7. Cor In. iii. 18. 257
V- 2, 3, 4. 369
V- 5- 234
xi. 14. 28
Ephejians i. 14. 218
iv. 12 — 16. 255
V. 27. 268, 271
iv. 13. 232
iii. 10. . 20
iv.15,16,17.308,
358
"• 15- 339
ii. 14. 209
ii. 14, 15. 216,
361
Philip.
Colojjians
I Thef.
1 Timothy
Titus
Hebrews
I Peter
1 Peter
Revela.
vii. ig,
ix. 27.
iii. 21.
iii. 9—13
203:
356
63
301,
308
239
285
278
292
358
xn. 15
xiii. 18.
XX. I — 6.
XX. 5, 8.
XX. 14.
xxi. I, 2, 3. 261,
293> 3H> 318
xxi. 4. 358
XXI. 5. 320
xxi. 23> 316
xxi. 8, 27. 320
xxii. I, 2. 295,
321
xxii. 3, 4, 5. 323
xxii. 14. 638
I^.._ i.^.
'■"^y-
— ifftf'
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11