Therefore as expreffive Actions, and Allegories, in Civil difcourfes, are esteemed proper and reafonable modes of information, fo muft TYPES and DOUBLE SENSES in Religious; for the end of both is the fame, namely, COMMUNICATION OF KNOWLEDGE. The confequence of this is, that Mr. Collins' propofition, that a fecondary or double fenfe is enthufiaftical and unfcholaftic, (the neceffary fupport of his grand Argument) is intirely overthrown.

This is the true and fimple origin of TYPES and DOUBLE SENSES; which our Adverfaries, thro' ignorance of the rife and progrefs of Speech, and unacquaintance with ancient Manners, have infolently treated as the iffue of diftempered brains, and the fondlings of Vifionaries and Enthufiafts.

II. Having thus fhewn their logical propriety, or that they are rational Modes of information, I come now to vindicate their Religious ufe, and to fhew that they are well fuited to that Religion in which we find them employed. An Objection which, I conceive, may be made to this ufe, will lead us naturally into our Argument. The objection is this: "It hath been fhewn, that these oblique Modes of converfe, tho' at first invented out of neceffity, for general information, were em ployed, at length, to a mysterious fecretion of know

It appears, indeed, they are of a more nice and exact confideration, even from Mr. Whifton's fo much mistaking them, as to fuppofe they are of a nature quite different from Types. But inftead of telling us honeftly that he knew not what to make of them, he plays the courtier and difmiffes them, for a more nice and exact confideration.

a

Vol. iv. p. 323, & feq.

ledge;

ledge; which tho' it might be expedient, useful, and even neceffary both in CIVIL MATTERS and in FALSE RELIGION, could never be fo in MORAL MATTERS and in THE TRUE RELIGION; for this having nothing to hide from any of its followers, Types and Double fenfes (the fame mysterious conveyance of knowledge in Sacred matters, which Allegoric words or Actions are in Civil) were altogether unfit to be employed in it."

b

To this I answer, The JEWISH RELIGION, in which these Types and Secondary fenfes are to be found, was given to one fingle People only; juft as the CHRISTIAN is offered to all Mankind: Now the Christian, as Mr. Collins himself labours to prove, profeffes to be grounded on the Jewish. If therefore Christianity was not only profeffedly, but really grounded on Judaism (and the fuppofition is strictly logical in a defence of Types and Double fenfes, whofe reality depends on the reality of that relation) then Judaism was preparatory to Chriftianity, and Christianity the ultimate end of Judaism: But it is not to be supposed that there fhould be an intire filence concerning this ultimate Religion during the preparatory, when the notice of it was not only

b" Chriftianity is founded on Judaism, and the New Tefta"ment on the Old; and JESUS is the perfon faid in the New "Teftament to be promifed in the Old, under the character of

the MESSIAH of the Jews, who, as fuch only claims the "obedience and fubmiffion of the world. Accordingly it is "the defign of the authors of the New, to prove all the parts "of Christianity from the Old Teftament, which is said to con

tain the words of eternal life, and to reprefent JESUS and his "apoftles as fulfilling by their miffion, doctrines, and works, "the predictions of the Prophets, the historical parts of the Old "Teftament, and the Jewish Law; which laft is exprefly faid "to prophesy of, or teftify Christianity." Grounds and Reafons, &c. p. 4, 5.

highly proper, but very expedient: 1. firft, to draw thofe under the preparatory Religion, by juft degrees to the ultimate; a provifion the more neceffary, as the nature and genius of the two Religions were different, the one carnal, the other spiritual. 2. fecondly, to afford convincing evidence to future Ages of the truth of that Ultimate Religion; which evidence, a circumftantial prediction of its advent and nature fo long before hand, effectually does afford. The Ultimate Religion therefore must have had fome notice given of it, in the Preparatory; and nothing was better fitted for this purpose than the hyperbolical genius of the eastern Speech. Thus, when Ifaiah fays, Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government Shall be upon his Shoulder: And his name shall be called, Wonderful, Councellor, The mighty God, the everlafting Father, the Prince of Peace, Mr. Collins obferves, it is the eastern hyperbole which prevents our feeing that a Jewish Monarch is literally and directly fpoken of. Should we allow this, yet we ftill fee, that fuch a language was admirably fitted

66

The Bishop of London, in his Difcourfes on the Ufe and Intent of Prophefy, feemed to have but a slender idea of this use when he wrote as follows "There was no occafion (fays he) to "lay in fo long before hand the evidence of prophecy, to con"vince men of things that were to happen in their own times: " and it gives us a low idea of the administration of Providence "in fending Prophets one after another in every age from Adam to Chrift, to imagine that all this apparatus was for their fakes "who lived IN OR AFTER the times of Chrift." p. 37. But fuch is the way of thefe Writers who have a favourite doctrine to inforce. The truth of that doctrine (if it happen to be a truth) is fupported at the expence of all others. Thus his Lordship, fetting himself to prove that Prophecy was given principally to fupport the Faith and Religion of the World, thought he could not fufficiently fecure his point without weakening and difcrediting another of, at leaft, equal importance,That it was given to afford teftimony to the miffion of Jesus.

9

to

to connect together the first and fecond Senfes : the hyperbole becoming a fimple fpeech, when transferred from a Jewifli Monarch to the Monarch of the world.

Our next inquiry will be, in what manner this notice must needs be given. Now the nature of the thing fhews us it could not be directly and openly; fo as to be understood by the People, at the time of giving: because this would have defeated GOD's intermediate purpofe; which was to train them, by a long difcipline, under his preparatory Difpenfation. For, this being a Religion founded only on temporal Sanctions, and burdened with a minute and tiresome Ritual, had the People known it to be only preparatory to another, founded on better Promifes and easier Obfervances, they would never have born the yoke of the Law, but would have fhaken off their fubjection to Mofes before the fulness of Time had brought their spiritual Deliverer amongst them; as, without this knowledge, they were but too apt to do, on every imaginary profpect of advantage. But St. CHRYSOSTOM Will inforce this obfervation with more advantage. "Had the Jews (fays he) been taught from the

beginning that their Law was temporary and to "have an end, they would have certainly defpifed "it. On this account, it seemed good to the di"vine Wisdom to throw a veil of obfcurity over the "Prophecies which related to the Christian Dif"penfation." This information, therefore, was to be delivered with caution; and conveyed under the covert language of their prefent Economy. Hence arose the fit and neceffary ufe of TYPES and SECONDARY SENSES. For the only fafe and last

Homilia prima, De prophetarum obfcuritate.

ing means of conveyance were their PUBLIC RITUAL, and the WRITINGS OF THE PROPHETS. And a Speaking action, and an Allegoric fpeech, when thus employed, had all the fecrecy that the occafion required. We have obferved, that in the fimpler use of speaking by Action, the Action itself hath no moral import: and fo, the information having but one moral meaning, that which it conveys is clear and intelligible. But where a Rite of Religion is used for this Speaking action, there the action hath a moral import; and fo the information having two moral meanings, that which it conveys is more obfcure and myfterious. Hence it appears that this mode of Speaking by action, called a TYPE, is exactly fitted for the information in question. Just fo it is again with the SECONDARY SENSE: In the mere allegory, the representing image has no moral import: in the fecondary fenfe, for a contrary reason, (which the very term imports) the reprefenting image hath a moral import; and fo, acquires the fame fitting obfcurity with information by Types. For the typical Ritual, and the double Prophecy, had each its obvious fenfe in the prefent nature and future fortune of the Jewish Religion and Republic. And here we are eafily led into the effential difference (fo much to the honour of Revelation) between the Pagan Oracles or Prophecies, and the Jewish.

The

obfcurity of the Pagan arose from the ambiguity, equivocation or jargon OF EXPRESSION; the obfcurity of the Jewish from the figurative reprefentation OF THINGS. The First (independent of any other Religion) proceeded from ignorance of futurity; the Latter, dependent on the Chriftian, proceeded from the neceffity that thofe to whom the Prophecies were delivered should not have too full a knowledge of them.

VOL. V.

U

Dr.