His Lordship obferves" that the true Religion instituted by God has been one and "the fame from the Fall of Adam, sub

fifting ever upon the fame principles of "Faith". (a) We must suppose then that the Patriarchal Religion was built on Faith in the Redeemer of the World. If therefore the Law was added to adminifter and to dispense the hopes and promises of the Patriarchal System, it must have been added to administer and to dispense the promise of Salvation by Faith in the Redeemer of mankind, or in other words, the promulgation of this doctrine must have been the great and primary end of the Jewish Inftitution.

And would not a Syftem, whofe promises were attached to Works, have been admirably calculated to promote and cultivate the doctrine of Salvation by Faith? - Wild and romantic as this account of the Law may appear, it is the neceffary confequence of fuppofing, that the Patriarchal Religion taught the promise of falvation by Faith in the Redeemer of the world, and that the Law was added to dispense the doctrines which had been previously revealed to the Patriarchs.

The great points afferted by his Lordship are, that the Law was given to adminifter the hopes revealed to the Patriarchs; and that thefe were the hopes of eternal life by the Redeemer of mankind. I muft now obferve 2dly. That the Old Teftament affords no countenance to this hypothefis, as it never declares that the Law was given to perpetuate and preserve thefe particular doctrines which his Lordship has affigned to the Patriarchal Religion.

We may oppofe to his hypothefis not only the bare filence of the Old Teftament, but likewife its Typical and Figurative Reprefentations of the Gospel-doctrine. His Lordship obferves, "That the Jewish Re«ligion did virtually contain the hopes of "the Gofpel; and that the Jewish «Church was founded to preferve, and to "adminifter thefe hopes (a)." I fhall readily allow, that the Jewish Religion did virtually contain thefe Hopes, f. e. did contain them in Types and Figures. But to fuppofe that a Virtual, i. e. a Typical or Myftical Reprefentation of thefe hopes was given in order to ADMINISTER, and to DISPENSE them to the Jewish Church, seems just as natural (a) P. 145, 6.

and

and reasonable as it would be to fuppofe that clouds and mifts were formed for the more quick and fpeedy propagation of Light.

The two Sentences therefore, which his Lord hip has tacked together, are fo far from ferving to illuftrate and explain, that they evidently contradict and fubvert each other: If the Law contained thefe hopes virtually, i. e. Typically and Myftically, we may be certain it was not given to adminifter, and to dispense them to the Jewish people. On the other fide, had it been given for this purpofe, we may be as certain that they would have been plainly and explicitly, and not Myftically or Typically, revealed by it.

I can see no reason why the Deifts should fo eagerly oppofe the notion of typical and fecondary Prophecies; for if my Lord Bishop can get it believed, that they were made use of to convey fuch doctrines as the inspired writers were directed to publish and promulge, nothing will more contribute to expofe facred Scripture, and the authors of it to ridicule, than such a wanton and fantastic, fuch a capricious and perverse Abuse of these sort of Figures.

His Lordship has obferved, that Mofes was sent to revive the knowledge of the fupreme

Being among the Ifraelites, who remembered nothing of his real nature and attributes (a). Accordingly we find, that the Supremacy of the one true God is plainly and clearly inculcated in every page of the Law. of the Law. And if his promife of Redemption, and a future ftate, was to be revived at the same time, Why was it not inculcated in the fame plain, open, and explicite manner ?

3dly. His Lordfhip fays, that the Jewish Religion contains virtually, i. e. in Types and Figures, the hopes of that life and immortality which had been revealed to the Patriarchs ; and that the Jewish Church was founded to preserve, and to administer these hopes. But fuch a fuppofition feems to be contrary to the declaration of St. Paul, who fpeaks of Mofes and the Prophets as being made Ministers of the Letter, and not of the Spirit (b). For their Commiffion must have extended beyond the Letter, if they preached the doctrine of Redemption and eternal life, which was the very Spirit of the Law, or the thing virtually contained in it.

According to the fame Apostle, Mofes was fo far from adminiftering this doctrine, or fpe

(a) Sermons, Vol. 1. p. 286. (b) 2 Cor. iii. 6, 7, 8, 9.

cifying

cifying and pointing out to his people the true end of the Law, that he caft a veil over his face, in order to hide and conceal it from them (a).

In his Epiftles to the Romans and Galatians, he declares, that the promise of salvation by Faith in Chrift, was not revealed under the Law (b). How then could the Jewish Church be founded to preserve, and to administer the hopes of this bleffing?

The Apostle likewife confutes this doctrine, when he speaks of the fcheme of our Redemption, as "The Wisdom of God in

a Myftery, even the hidden Wisdom (c)”. To which we may add the numerous paffages cited in the first Chapter of this work, in which the Apostle declares that Christianity is a revealed Mystery, or contains a System of Salvation unknown and unpublished before the coming of the Saviour.

The Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews affures us, "That the way to Heaven was "not made manifeft under the Law;"and he obferves farther, that the Salvation proposed in the Gospel, "Began First to

(a) 2 Cor. iii. 13. (b) Romans vi. 14. Gal. iii. 23. (c), 1 Cor. ii. 7, 4, I.

"be