Senn. L. but perfect the Law of Mofes.. but they fell, for want of a fubje& to exercife their power upon, and becaufe the People that were to be governed by themweredeftroyed or diffipated; and tho' they neither are, nor ever were obligatory to other Nations, as given by Mofes, and as they were the peculiar Laws ofa particular Nation; yet the Natural Reafon and Equity of them, fo far as it concerned Mankind, is duly conidered and regarded by us, and many ofthefe Laws are adopted into the Laws of molt Chriflian Nati- ons. It is plain then, that this part of the Jewilh Law received no prejudice by Chriftianity, but continued in full force, fo long as that Nation and Common- wealth lafted, whichwas to be governed by it. Secondly, As to the Ritual and Ceremonial part of the Jesvifh Law, which conflft- ed in Circumcifìon, and Purifications, and Sacrifices, in diftinction of Meats, and Times, and innumerable other Rites and Obfervances ; this was not properly abro- gated and made void by the coming of Chrift, but fulll'd and made good by him. TheRites and Ceremoniesof the Law, were the Types and Shadows of thofefu- ture good things which were promifed under theGofpel, a kind of rude draught ofa better and more perfe& Inílitution, which was defigned, and at la(tfiniflit and perfeaed by the Chriftian Religion. This account the Apollle gives of the legal Rites and Obfervances, Col. 2. 16, 17. Let no Manjudgeyou in meat or in drink, or refpelí of a holy day, or of the New Moon, or ofthe Sabbath days, which are a fha- dewof things to come, but the body isof Chrifi ; that is, he is the tub,fiance and reali- ty of all thofe things, which were fhadoeeed and, figured by thofe legal obfervances. And fo the Apoftle to the Heb. calls the Priefts and Sacrifices of the Law, theEx- amples and fhadows of Heavenly things, Chap. 8. 5. and fo Chap. ro. T. the Law ha- ving a Shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, that is, being but an abfcure Type, and not aperfell Reprefentation of theBleffings and Bene- fits ofthe Gofpel, whichwe now have in truth and reality. Now reafon will tell us, that the Laws concerning thefe Types and Shadows, were only to continue 'till the Subfiance of the things fignifìed by them thould come, and that they would be of no longer ufe, when that more perfed Infiliution, which was figured by them, fhould take place, and then they would expire, and become void of themfelves, becaufe the reafon and ufe of them ceafing, they mutt neceffarily fall. But they did not expire immediately upon the coming of Chrift, and therefore e himfelf fubmitted to thefe Laws, fo long as they continued in force ; he was '.;ircumcifed, and prefented in the Temple, and performed all other Rites required by the Law, thatfirfl Covenant to which thefe Laws and Ordinances belonged, con- tinuing in force 'till the ratification of the fecond Covenant by the death of Chrift, and then there Laws expired, or rather were fulfill'd, and had their accomplifhment in theSacrifice of Chrift, whichmade all the Sacrifices and other Ritesof theJew- MI Religion needlefs, and of no ufe for the future ; Chrift having by this one Sa- crifice of himfelf, perfelled for ever them that arefanélifed, as the fame Apofile fpealts, Heb. so, r4. So that Chrift did not properly abrogate and repeal thofe Ritual and Ceremonial Laws ; but they having continued as long as they were defigned to do, and there was any ufe ofthem, they abated and ceafed of themfelves. And that the Death of Chrift was the timeof their expiration, becaufe then the new Covenant took place, St. Paul exprefly tells us, Eph. 2. 15. having abolifht or voi- ded in hisfiells the LawofCommandments contained in Ordinances ;and this v. t 6. he is faid to have done byhis Croft; +and more plainly, Col. 2.14. blotting out the hand-wri- ting ofOrdinances, which was againfi us, and took it ant of the way, nailing it to his Croft. So that ye fee that even the Ceremonial Law was not fo properly abrogated by theSacrifice and Death of Chrift, but rather had its accomplifbment, and attained itsend in the Sacrifice of Chrift, whichby the Eternal efficacy of it to the expia- tion of Sin, and the purifying of our Confciences, hath made all the Sacrifices and Wafbings, and other Rites of the Ceremonial Law, for ever needlefs and lu- perfluous. Thirdly, But efpecially as to the Moral Law, and thofe Precepts which are of Natural and Perpetual obligation, our Saviour did not come either to diffalve, or to leffen and oaken the obligation of them. And of this I told you ourSaviour cloth principally, ifnot folely fpeak here in the Text, as will appearto any one that (ball attentively confider the (copeof his Z z 2 Dil- 355
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