The Gofpel of the perfonal Types. 61 Labour ; tho' they be difficult, yet they are nfeful to be, known. I have been defired by my Brethren of the Zwiniftry to fpeak unto these, and I hope to receive AfTftance from God through your Prayers : And I do much defire the help of your Prayers, that you would remember me to the Lord, that he would carry nie through this Work, that he would enlighten and enable me by his Spirit, to (peak onto them mitt) clear Light ; and not only fo ass may be clear and convincing to my own Confcience and judgment ; but with filch Evidence of Light, as may be fatisfying and illuminating to yours alfo, even in the Evidence and Demonflration of his Spirit. Some have not unfitly called the Ceremonial Law one of the richeft Cabinets of Divinity, full of ineftimable Jewels. But many things in their Religion will feem ftrange, and uncouth, and ufelefs, ifwe con- fider them without their Scope and Meaning. All the Ceremonial Law, if a Man knows not the Meaning of it, looks like an heap of unprofitable Burthens. The Temple appears but like a Shambles, or Butchers Slaughter-houfe ; And the Priefthood a vain and ufelefs Oc- cupation: But confider them in their Senfe and Meaning, and every thing is full of Light and Glory. A great part of the Scriptures, efpecially the Old Teftament, Exodus and Leviticus, and other places will be like a Sealed Book unto you, if you have not fame Infight into the Types. But if the Lord give you a little Infight into them, you will read the Old Teftament with more Profit and Spiri- tual Underftanding. For the Prophets do comment upon them ; yea fo do the Apoftles alfo : And indeed thewhole New Teftament is a large and full Expofition of the Types. If you ask, how may we fo fearch and look into them, as to un- derftand them, and profit by them? Take but three Rules for this and I conclude. Rule i . Search the Scriptures, Job. 5. 39. for they are they which tefli- fie of me (faith Chri[t) the Scripture is the heft Interpreter of it felf. We cannot judge of thefe legal Shadows, but by Scripture- Light. If either exprefs Words, or change of Names, . or a clear Analo- gy and proportion do appear ; . thefe are Intimations of the Mind of God, that fuch Things are Types. Go no further thanwe fee the Scripture going before us. Rule 2. Study the Covenant of Grace. Perdu;gratre claws totius Scrip: tura';. Look diligently into the Gofpel, get a clear and fpiritual In- fight and Underftanding into that ; this is the belt help to the Under- ftanding of the Types. For he that well underftands the Antitype, will more eafily and readily difcera the Analogy, and fee the Refemblance it hash with the Type.
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