Firft Commandment. 57 Tbcfe are the three forts of Laws which commonly go under the name of the Law of Mojis, all of which had refpel.l either to thofe things which prefigured the Mcffias to come, or to thofe which concerned their Political and Civil Government, ;sa diftinet Nation from others; or to thofe natural Vertues a.n~ Duties o( .PieJy towards God, and Righteoufnefs towards Men, as were common to them wtth all the reil: of Mankind. . , . Now a Law may be faid to be null and void two ways : Privatively, or · J:'!egative!y. . . . . , , . . , .., , Either that 1t was repealed after 1t was firil: pven, or that )tS .Obhgauon qtcndeth not, nor ever did extend to fame People and Nations in the World.. . . , Now I defire you heedfully to ~ttend to thefe Propofitions, for they will be . of great ufe to cl.~ar Up hoW far, arid in what manner, we are fi;eed frorrt die Obligation of the Law~ Firjl then, As for the Ceremonial Law we affirm, that to the 'jms it is properly I . ~brogated, and the O])ligation and ~bthority of it utterly taken away and repealed. And cotJ.cerning this, it is, that the Apoftle is tO be rinclerftood, When in ,his Epifi:les he fo often fpeaks of the Abrogation and Difannulling of the Law; he fpeaks it, I fay, of the Geremonial Law, and Aa-ronical Obfervations, which indeed ;vcrcfo fulfilled by Chri!l: as to be abolifh'd : For this Law was given to be only an Adumbra• cion, and fl(.l«yeHf~, or faint Reprefenciti9n of Chrifl:: as in t.he Ni~ht, wbile the Sun is in the other Hernifphere, yet we fe.e its light in the Stars, wh1ch .fhinc with a. borrowed and derived Brightnefs; butwhc.n the Sun is rifen,anddifplays it~ Beam~ abrood, it drowns and extinguifheth all thof:_pe tty Light~ : fo while Chrill:, ~he Sun ofR1ghteoufnefs, was yet ,m the other Hem1f:phere of Ttmc, before he was nf~n with Healing under his Wings, ~he 1ew.s [aw fome glimmering of his Light in their Ceremonies and Obfervances; but now that the Day of the Gofpel is fully fprung, and that Light which before was but bl_ooming, .is fully .fpread, thofe dimmer Lights arc quite drowned and extinguifhcd in his clear R;~.ys _ ; ;uid an u!:t~r ~nd is put to all thofe Rites and .Ceremonies which both intimated, and in a kind li1pplied the abfence of the Subftance. So that to maintain now a Neceffity of Legal Sacrifices, and Purifyings, and Sprinklings., is no lefs than to evacuate the Death ofChrift, and. to_ deny the !bedding of that Blood, that alone can purifie us from all Pollutions; which i-: hut to catch at the frl3.dow, and lofe the fi1bftance. Secmdly, In rcfpea of us, who are the Pofterity and Deicendants of the . Gentiles, II. It is more proper to affirm, That the Ceremoniai Law was never in for~e, than that, it was trn!y abrogated; for the Ceremonial Law was National to the Jews, and in a iOn pecul1ar to them only. Neither did God intend that the Obfcrvation of it lhould be. impofed upon any .ot(lcr PCQple, although they lhould be profelyted, as a tlung ncceffary for their future Happinefs. And this appears by il:rong and cogent Reafons. Firfl, Becaufc God expreOy commands all thofc who were to be !ilbjel.l to ihe. Cc· 1. remomal Law, that they fhould appear at 'Jerufalem thrice in the Year Pcfore the r:.x~d. H• Lord. ~ow th!s C?mmand would have been impoffible .to.be obeyed, were it in ten~ 23; '-4~ ded that ItS ObltgatlOn fuould reach to thofe Countries wh1ch were far remote and diftant from ']~rufalrm. · , &con4ty, Becaufe all.their Sacrifices and Oblations, in yih ich confifte4 the chi,efeft 2~· part o~ th.e Ceremon!al yYorflup, were to .be _offcr'd up_only at ']crufalfm, which were ahke 1mpoffible, 1f th!S Command of Sacnficmg had b.een intended by God to be obligatory to all the World.. No Sacrifices were accepted by God, but what were offu(d up in the Temple; and therefore ihe 'J_qos to this day, although they are very bhndly zealous of the Law, yet offer no Sacrifices unto God, looking upori themfelves as difp<;nfed from that Duty; becaufe of iheir Difperfion; and the impoff•bility of aOcmbling themfelves at 'jerufalem io do it: And therefOre doubtlefs that f=ommand, even wh.il!t it was i~ fore~, obli~Sed none b~t the c.f~wijh Nation, who livmg not far from the1r Metropohs, m1ght w1th convemency enough a!l'emblc themfelves together to that Il:oly Service. R And
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