WORLD, CONTAINING A PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL IN EVERY NATION WHO SHALL BELIEVE IN CHRIST WHEN REVEALED TO THEM, AND A THREAT OF ETERNAL DEATH TO SUCH AS SHALL NOT BELIEVE.

THE NEW DISPENSATION. Jex. xxxi. 31-33, compared with Heb. viii. 8. 9. "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers." It is called the new testament," Matt. xxvi. 28. Mark xiv. 24. Luke xxii. 20. 1 Cor. xi. 25. 2 Cor. iii. 6. But the word διαθήκη, in the Hebrew is generally used by the inspired writers for ouvexn, covenant, and is rendered in Latin by the word pactum, 2 Cor. iii. 14. Gal. iv. 24. veteris pacti.8 The Gospel is only once called testament in a proper sense, and then for a particular reason which is subjoined. Heb. ix. 15, 16, &c. "for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance; for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator."

MORE EXCELLENT AND PERFECT THAN THE LAW. Matt. xiii. 17. "many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." 2 Cor. iii. 11, &c. "if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech; and not as Moses." Heb. vii. 18-20, 22. "the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we drew nigh unto God: and inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest; for those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath.... by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.' viii. 6, &c. "by how much more also he is the mediator of a better cove

8 Beza's Translation. Testamentum Vetus. Tremellius. Veteris testamenti. Vulgate. Notandum, quod Berith verbum Hebraicum, Aquita, ovveŋkv, id est, pactum interpretatur: LXX. semper dialŋkv id est, testamentum: et in plerisque scripturarum locis testamentum non voluntatem defunctorum sonare, sed pactum viventium.' Hieron. in Malach. cap. ii. quoted by Lardner, History of the Apostles and Evangelists.

nant, which was established upon better promises, &c. ... . I will put my laws into their mind." James i. 25. "whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." 1 Pet. i. 10, &c. "of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.. with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." The Gospel is also called "the ministry and word of reconciliation," 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. whereas on the contrary "the law.worketh wrath," Rom. iv. 15. BY MOSES AND THE PROPHETS. John v. 39. " they are they which testify of me." v. 46. "had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me;" namely Gen. iii. 15. xxii. 18. xlix. 10. Deut. xviii. 15. Luke xxiv. 27. "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself." Acts xvii. 11. " searching the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.' xxvi. 22, 23. "saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses-did say should come." Rom. iii. 21. "being witnessed by the law and the prophets." 1 Pet. i. 10. "who prophesied of the grace which should come unto you."

WRITTEN IN THE HEARTS OF BELIEVERS.

Isai. lix. 21;

as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah. My Spirit which is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouht, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's .seed, saith Jehovah, for henceforth and for ever." Jer. xxxi. 31-33. "behold the days come. but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith Jehovah, (a declaration particularly worthy of attention, as it specifies in what respect the new covenant is more excellent than the old) I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts-" compared with Heb. viii. 10, &c. "this is the covenant.... I will put my laws into their mind.... and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." Joel ii. 28. "it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh

and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit." To these may be

66

added, from the chapter of Jeremiah quoted above, v. 34. 'they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them." Joel ii. 28. "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." Compare Acts ii. 16-18. For although all real believers have not the gift of prophecy, the Holy Spirit is to them an equivalent and substitute for prophecy, dreams, and visions. 2 Cor. iii. 3. "ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." v. 6. "ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." James i. 21. "receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.'

BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, the gift of God, and peculiar to the gospel. John vii. 39. "the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." xiv. 26. "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things." See also Luke xii. 12. Acts i. 8. "ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." See also ii. 1, &c. v. 38. "repent, &c. .... and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Rom. v. 5. "by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 1 Cor. ii. 13. " in words which the Holy Ghost teacheth." 2 Cor. xiii. 14. "the communion of the Holy Ghost." Thess. iv. 8. "who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit." See also Rom. viii. 9. 1 Cor. xii. 3. 1 Pet. i. 12. 1 John iv. 13.

1

ORDAINED TO CONTINUE EVEN TO THE END OF THE WORLD. 2 Cor. iii. 11. " much more that which remaineth is glorious." Eph. iv. 13. "till we all come.... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

A PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE. Mark xvi. 15, 16. “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.... he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Rom. i. 16. "the power of God unto salvation."

TO ALL WHO SHALL BELIEVE. John iii. 15, 16. “whosoever believeth in him," &c. Rom. i. 16, 17. "to every one that believeth." 1 John ii. 25. "this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." See other passages to the same effect above, in the chapter on faith and its objects.

VOL. IV.

C C

Under the name of believers the penitent are comprehended, inasmuch as in the original annunciation of the gospel repentance and faith are jointly proposed as conditions of salvation. Matt. iii. 1, &c. iv. 17. Mark i. 15. Luke xxiv. 47. Acts ii. 39-41. x. 35. "he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him." xix. 3, 4. xx. 21. and elsewhere.

A THREAT OF ETERNAL DEATH TO SUCH AS SHALL NOT BELIEVE. Matt. x. 14, 15. "whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that city, shake off the dust of your feet: verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom-." xxi. 37. &c. "he sent unto them his son.... but when the husbandmen saw the son, they said.... let us kill him.... they say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men.' Mark xvi. 16. "he that believeth not shall be damned." John iii. 19. this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." Acts iii. 23. every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." 2 Thess. i. 8, 9. "taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel." Heb. x. 26, &c. "if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement." By unbelievers, however, those only can be meant to whom Christ has been announced in the gospel; for "how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" Rom. x. 14.

IN EVERY NATION. Matt. xxiv. 14. "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." Mark xvi. 15. "to every creature." John x. 16. "other sheep I have which are not of this fold." Acts x. 34, 35. "of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him." Rom. x. 18. "their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." This was predicted, Isai. ii. 2, &c. "it shall come to pass in the last days," &c. See also Mic. iv. 1. Isai. xix. 18, &c. "in that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan," &c. xxv. 6, &c. "unto all people." xlii. 4, &c. "the isles shall wait for his law." xlv. 22, 23. "look unto me, and be

ye saved, all the ends of the earth." lv. 4, 5. a witness to the people," &c. lvi. 3, &c. "neither let the son of the stranger

speak, saying, Jehovah hath utterly separated me from his people." lxvi. 21. "I will also take of them for priests and Levites, saith Jehovah." Jer. iii. 17. "all the nations shall be gathered unto it," xxv. 8, &c. " because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north- Hagg. ii. 7. "the desire of all nations shall come." Zech. viii. 20. "there shall come people, and

the inhabitants of many cities."

On the introduction of the gospel, or new covenant through faith in Christ, the whole of the preceding covenant, in other words, the entire Mosaic law, was abolished. Jer. xxxi. 3133. as above. Luke xvi. 16. "the law and the prophets were until John." Acts xv. 10. " now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Rom. iii. 21. 66 now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested." vi. 14. “ye are not under the law, but under grace." vii. 4. 'ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him that is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." v. 6. " now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.' In the beginning of the same chapter the apostle illustrates our emancipation from the law by the instance of a wife who is loosed from her husband who is dead. v. 7. "I had not known sin but by the law, (that is, the whole law, for the expression is unlimited) for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." It is in the decalogue that the injunction here specified is contained; we are therefore absolved from subjection to the decalogue as fully as to the rest of the law. viii. 15. "ye have not received the spirit of bondage

9 This opinion, that it was inconsistent with the liberty of the gospel to consider the decalogue as a law binding on Christians, is probably the reason why Milton forbears to mention it, where Michael describes to Adam the civil and ritual commandments delivered to the Jews. The omission is too remarkable not to have been designed, considering the noble opportunity which would have been afforded for enlarging on its moral precepts. See Paradise Lost, XII. 230-248.