Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

Tefiament, atfunchy times. 43 were reveaed, Ezra. q.. Thus they purged and reformed themfelves from thefe corrupting mixtures in the matter of the Church. 5. And la.ftly, the Old Teftament was concluded by the Prophet Malachy, who was the 'aft of all the Prophets. TheLord would have no Prophet beyond the firft timesof the fecond Temple; nor any Writings of men in the age immediately after the Apoftles, immediately follow- ing the Gofpel's Promulgation. That it might manifeft it felf more clearly by its own Light to be fupernatural. This Period, viz, that of the fecond Temple, continued four hundred and ninetyyears, Dan. 9. 24. feventy Prophetical Weeks is four hundred and ninety Solar Years. Now fuch aPeople thus delivered and reftored ; twice delivered out of Bondage; firft out of Egypt, and then a fecond timeout of Babylon : one would think they would have abiden with the Lord for ever after. And one thing they didlearn, viz. to farfakegrofs Idolatry, and this was all. But they grew more rigidly formal, and exquifitely hypocritical than ever : And Religion ran out into Seas and Parties and Faaions amongft them. There were Pharifees and Sadduces and GaliJBans and Herodians amongft them, Names which the Scripture mentions ; and Hiftories fpeakof another Sea, called the Effenes. And thus it was with them, when our Lord Jefus came in the Flefh The inward and fpiritual part of Godlinefs, and the Praaice of that which is truly fo, was in a very great meafure loft amongft them being eaten out partly by their Sects and Divifions, partly by their rigid Formality and Hypocrifie: And thence at lait the Lord fending his Son their McJJiab, fo long promifed to, and longed for by them, they re- jea and crucifie him. So the Lord having, by all thefe various Difpenfa- tions and turnings of his hand, mended the old Houle, as it were, fevers times over; he refoives now at laft to pull it down : For all thefe legal Difpenfations were but the mending,as it were, and repairingof the old Houle : But the Gofpel pulls it quite down, and builds a new one. Thus I have led you through the feveral times andRafons, wherein the Lord fpakeunto them ofold : You have feen the gradual progrefs of the Light and Workof God among them, in thefe (even pies of the Old Teftament Difpenfation, which have beenbriefly rûn through. That which follows next to be fpoken to, is the = .I ith 1.447 Reafons' of the Point, why the Lordfpai'e and revealedbis Mind ßóß' infilchdivers waysandmanners, and in theft leveral pieces and-parcels ; nei- ther inone way only, nor at one time Queft. -What may be the Reafons. of the Point ? The Lord could have (poke his whole Mind at ode, in one way, and.at`oñe time therefore G z why

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