political laws, whether they received christianity or no : And therefore Jewish christians in Judea complied with them, till their polity was finished by the destruction of Jerusalem.3. As for the ceremonial laws, they were particularly designed, not only to distinguish the Jews from other nations, but also to he types and figures of the blessings of the gospel; and therefore as they are wisely appointed to foreshew these blessings of christianity, and to be a distinguishing mark of the Jews, so they were as wisely worn out and abolished when christianity was introduced, and the partition wall of distinction between Jews and gentiles was broken down. They were but shadows or figures for the time being, and must vanish when the substance appeared. St. Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, chapter ix. and x. and to the Colossians, chapter ii. evidently uses this argument for their abolition, the great design of them being fulfilled.

XV. It is plain therefore, that these ceremonial or religious laws were not lawful for the gentile converts out of Judea, to observe at all, as St. Paul writes in his epistle to the Galatians, If ye are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing; Gal. v. 2. since they were never appointed for the gentiles by the great God, nor imposed upon them by Christ; and he is zealous to maintain this their liberty against all Jewish impositions and impostors, who would persuade the gentiles to be circumcised, and to observe their ceremonies.

XVI. As for the Jewish christians, though they were not obliged to observe them as matters of religion, after the setting up of christianity, yet since all the Jewish nation were so much prejudiced in favour of these ceremonies, and since the Jewish christians, and even some of the apostles, could so hardly be brought off from them, they seemed to be indulged for a season in this practice.

And even St. Paul himself, who was a Jewish christian, at particular times engages in the practice of them; not as things which he believed necessary in order to serve God, but as mere lawful and indifferent things, and as matters of present expediency, which were wearing off, waxing old and vanishing away, as Heb. viii. 13. that is, they were vanishing as fast as Judaism hasted to its period, and as fast as human nature could bear the wearing out of its old prejudices: And therefore he became all to all at that time that he might gain some proselytes; 1 Cor. ix. 20-22. "To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. I am made all things to men, that I might by all means save some." Therefore he took Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess, and circumcised him, when he sent him out as a preacher; Acts xvi. 1-3. in order to ingratiate him with the Jews, or Jest lie should give offence to the Jewish christians: Therefore

he himself consented to go through the rites of a purification as a Nazarite, after the Jewish manner; Acts xxi. 23, 24, 26. So graciously has God, the ruler of the world, condescended to the weakness of men, by indulging these indifferent things for a season in several parts of his transactions with them, and in divers ages, because human nature can hardly be led all at once into so great a change of principles and practices.

XVII. There might also be another reason for St. Paul and other Jewish converts, to comply with some of these ceremonies for a season, because the ceremonial and political laws among the Jews, were so intermingled, that it was sometimes very difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the one from the other: And while the Jewish polity lasted, several of these ceremonial laws might be complied with by Jewish christians, under the civil government of the Jews, considered as parts of that polity or government, though they might know their own real freedom and release, which Christ had given them from all Jewish ceremonies, considered as matters of religion*.

XVIII. But after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the dissolution of the Jewish state, their political as well as ceremonial laws were utterly abolished; and by this time, not only the remaining apostles, but all the Jewish christians, were let more clearly into the knowledge of their own liberty in Christ Jesus, and their freedom from every thing written in the laws of Moses, which was not moral. Then the differences between the Jewish and gentile converts were taken away, and by degrees they came more perfectly to unite themselves together in all ordinances of christian communion, in their several churches through the world, according to the frequent directions and exhortations that St. Paul had given them in the xiv. chapter to the Romans, and several other parts of his writings. See on this subject an excellent dissertation of Mr. Benson, at the end of his late paraphrase and notes on Titus. Thus much shall suffice concerning the five dispensations of the covenant of grace.

*Yat, perhaps, it may be worth enquiring, whether those ceremonies, which were plainly and purely religious, might not be appointed, partly for the public and visible honour of God, when be resided in a bright cloud in the tabernacle and the temple, as the visible Head of a visible church on earth: And though he never did reside visibly in the second temple, yet when he rent the veil of the temple at the death of Christ, and when the Holy of Holies, which was his presence chamber, was thrown open and common, then God ceased to have any appearance of a residence there, and their church-state was in a great measure dissolved, they having, if I may so express if, driven God from among them, by slaying his Son. And from that time their religious ceremonies might be so far abolished, as to become needless; yet they were indulged for a season, as indifferent things to the Jewish christians, who had been used to practise them, till the holy city and the temple, or God's visible palace, were uttterly destroyed, and those remains of a visible church, were scattered through the earth.

CHAP. XII. Of those who have had no Revelation.

I. As for all the persons, thre families and the nations of mankind, who have lived ander these various dispensations of grace, it is evident that they have had the means of grace and salvation set before them, to recover them from the ruin of the fall of Adam. If they neglect this great salvation, they mast perish with great justice. But as for those who by the negligence and iniquity of their fathers, have lost all notices and traditions of all divine revelations, and of all the dispensations of grace, and particularly of the last of them which their fa thers enjoyed, whether it were patriarchal, Jewish or christian, and which they were entrusted to convey to their posterity, these have nothing remaining, but that knowledge of God, his law, his government and his mercy, which they could derive from the light of nature, and reason, and observation. And indeed, there were many religious observations which they could and ought to have made on the nature and mercy of the great God, and his gracious providence, his long-suffering, and his continued benefits, as well as from the working of their own consciences, in accusing or excusing their conduct, &c. from which they might infer something of grace and hope,

11. It appears by their daily experience, that they are sinners: Conscience tells them much of their duty, shews them the law of works, accuses them of sin, and condemns them thereby. The daily providence of God, shews them that they have time and space to repent of sin, and trust in his mercy: he hath given them the common comforts of life, and filled their hearts with food and gladness, and thereby he hath left himself not without witness, both of his power, government, and goodness to them: Acts xiv. 17. He hath intimated to them hereby, that they should seek after God and his mercy, if they might haply feel after him, and find him; Acts xvii. 27. supposing they should or or might know that the long-suffering and forbearance of God, should lead them to repentance; Rom. ii. 4. So that, at least, they might reasonably say with the Ninevites, to encourage their repentance and their faith, who can tell but God may be gracious? Jonah iii. 9.

III. All this, with many other things, seem to give us some notice, that the sinful race of the heathens and savages, even those who never heard of the gospel, in any revealed dispensation of it, are not left merely in the condition of fallen angels to perish unavoidably without any hope, or any grace, to trust in, or without any encouragement or motive to repentance.

IV. It is true, their light is but dim, and their means of grace run very low; yet if there shall be found among these

persons or nations, any who fear God and work righteousness, who repent of sin, and hope in a merciful God, we believe they shall be accepted of him, through an unknown Mediator as Cornelius was: For this fear of God, repentance and hope is God's own work in their hearts, and he will not condemn the penitent soul; Acts x. 35. Prov. xxviii. 13. Nor will he destroy his own good work in the heart of man, nor shall any penitent and pious creature perish for not knowing and believing those revelations of grace, which he never heard of, and which he could never know or believe.

CHAP. XIII.—The Last Judgment.

I. When all the dispensations of grace are finished-then comes the great day of judgment. Then all mankind, who have acted their parts on the stage of the world, in the sever ral successive ages, shall appear together; those who are gone down to death, shall arise from the dead at the call or sum, mons of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is appointed Judge of the quick and dead: That is, of those who shall then be found living at his appearance, as well as of those who shall be raised from the grave.

II. In that great and solemn day, every man shall be judged according to that dispensation of grace, under which he lived, whether it were that of Adam or Noah, Abraham, Moses or Christ: And sentence shall be passed upon every man according to his works, that is, according to his compliance or non-compliance with the rules of that dispensation,

III. Those who have refused to repent of sin, and to trust in divine mercy, so far as it was revealed in the dispensation, under which they lived, they stand already condemned by the original moral law of God, or the law of innocence, which they have broken; and they shall have that condemnation, as it were doubly sealed upon them, for refusing to accept of offered grace. John fii. 18, 36. He that believeth not, is condemned already: And the wrath of God abideth on him, because he hath not be.. lieved on the Son of God. But those who have repented of sin and trusted in grace, and lived according to the dispensation under which they were placed, they may hope the condemning sentence of the broken law is reversed, and that they shall be publicly acquitted and absolved from their guilt, they shall have all their imperfections publicly forgiven for the sake of what Christ has done and suffered, they shall be accepted and their good works approved, they shall be acknowledged as the coildren of God, and be adjudged to eternal life, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the found ation of the world; Mat. xxv. 34.

IV. Here let it be observed, that in the sense of the gos

pel, good men while they are here upon earth, stand justified in the sight of God, as we have seen before, not by any righteousness of their own works, for they have no such righteousness; but by faith in his mercy, through a Mediator. This is for the honour of divine grace, which justifies them freely through the redemption that is in Christ; Rom. iii. 24, 28. and iv. 5. yet in the day of judgment, men shall be justified or condemned according to their works and their words in the sight of the world; Rom. ii. 13-16. Mat. xii. 37. because this public judgment is appointed for the honour of divine equity or justice, to make it appear to all the world, that God distributes rewards and punishments to persons who are fitly qualified for the one or the other; Is. iii. 10. "Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked? it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him." And our Lord Jesus Christ, the appointed judge of all men, hath the same orders to execute, for "he shall render to every man according as his work shall be; Rev. xxii. 12, 14, 15. "Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. But the dogs, sorcerers, idolaters, liars, &c. are all without," they are excluded from heavenly blessings, by the Judge of all the earth, for they are utterly unfit as well as unworthy to enjoy it.

V. To make this matter yet plainer, and to reconcile the different representations which are given of our justification by faith in this life, and our justification by our words and works at the day of judgment, it must be considered, that every christian, who is admitted into heaven, may be said to have a two-fold right to it, viz. there is a right of inheritance which is by faith, whereby we are justified, and become the children of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; Gal. iii. 26. Rom. viii. 17. being interested by the free gift of God in the benefit of his Son's purchase, that is, the inheritance of heaven: And there is also a right of congruity or fitness, which arises from actual holiness of heart and life, whereby we are prepared for the actual possession of this inheritance. So an infant may have a right of inheritance to his father" estate, by his birth or adoption; but he has not a right of congruity or fitness, till he grow up to twentyone years, or to the age of discretion and capacity to enjoy it, and then he is put into the possession. I think this distinction will sufficiently reconcile the appearing difficulties.

VI. As for those persons, those nations and ages, that have so far lost all the revelations and dispensations of grace, that they know nothing of their own duty, or of the grace of God, but what the light of nature teaches them, they shall be judged according to those teachings of the light of nature, or that know