Serm. CXXIII. as drfcover'ddy Nature and 0 Revelation. 3 carnal Commandment ; not only becaufe the Precepts of it refpe&edthe Body, but be caufe thePromifes ofit were of temporal good things which belong to this Lifei and at the igtb vet, the Gofpel, inoppofition to the Mafaical Difpenfation, is eall'd the bringing in ofa better hope. TheLaw madenothingperfa but Mebringing isofa letter hopedid ; isGam-yayi+, the foperindutlion ofa better hope ; by which the Apoffleplain- ly lignifies, that this was the Impertectionof the Mofaical Difpenfation, that it did not give men firmhopes and affuranceof Eternal Life ; but the Gofpel hath feperin- duced this hope, and thereby fupplyed the great defect of the former Admini(tration. To the famepurpofe he tells us, Chap. 8. 6. that Chriftbath now obtained a more ex- cellent Miniflry, for as much ai he is theMediator ofa better Covenant, e, flablifb'dupon bet- ter Promifes. How better Prowife.r? Why infteadof the Promifes ofa temporal Canaan, and earthly Blefüngs, Chrift bath given us Promifes of eternal life and happinefs. Therefore in the nextChap. he is call'd an High Priefl ofpood things tocome : and v. 5, For this atufe he is faid to be the Mediator of the New Teflament, that they which are call'dmight receive thepromife of theeternal inheritance. Once more the Apoftle, Ch. to. v. I. makesthis the greatlmperfe&ion of theLaw, inoppolition to theGofpel, that it hadonly a fhadowofgood things to come, but not the very Image of the things ; that is, it did but darkly typifie and fhadow forth the things of another Life, not give us fo exprefs an Image, and lively Reprefentationofthe Rewards ofanother World, as the Gofpel does. ThereforeSt. yobn makes eternal Life tobe the great Promifeof the Go- fpel, the great B(efiing which Chrift hath revealed tothe World, I John 2. 25. This is thepromife which he bath promifed, even eternal life. So that you fee, that the full and cleardifcovety of Eternal Life, is everywhere inthe New Teftamentattributed to Chrift, and to the Revelation which by him was made to the World. It remains now, that I thew more particularly, wherein the Gofpel hathgiven the World greater Evidenceand affurance ofa Future [late, than they had before. I . The RewardsofanotherLife, are moft clearly reveal'd in the Gofpel. ThatGod bathmade a Revelationof thisby Chrift,isan Advantage which the Heathenwanted, who weredeftitute of Divine Revelation. Thereare manyTruths which menmay be well inclinedto believe, and for theproof of which, the wirer andmoreknowing fort of men may be able tooffer very fair and plaufrble Arguments; andyet for all this they mayhave no confidentaffurance ofthem, or at leaft may be very far from a well- grounded Certainty, fuchas will give reft and fatisfa&ion to the Mindofa conliderate and inquifitive Man. All men are not capable ofthe forceofaReafon; nay, there are very fewwho can truly judgeof the weaknefs or ftrength of an Argument. Thereare many things which admit of very plaufrble Arguments on both fides ; and the gene- ralityof men arevery apt tobe impofed upon by very flight Arguments, to bemoved anyway with Come little(hew and appearance ofReafon. So that whenthis Princi- ple of the Soul's Immorality came to be difputed in the World, and the Sees of the Philofophers, the cd menof thofe times, came tobe divided in opinion about it, fame difputing d` stiy againft it, others doubting very muchof it, and fcarce any pretending to any great affuranceof ir, it was nowonder, if by thismeans many came to be in fufpenfe about it; but now Divine Revelation, when that comes, it takes a- way all doubting, andgives men affurance of that, concerning which they were un- certain before. For everyMan that believesa God, does firmly believe this Principle, that whatever is revealed by him is true: But efpecially if the Revelationbeclear and exprefs, then it gives full fatisfaaion tò the Mind of Man, and removes all Jealoufie andSufpicions of the contrary. And this is a great Advantage which the Gofpel gives us w this Matter, above what theyews had. Theyhad fome kind of Revelation and Difcovery ofthis under the Difpenfation of the Law ; but very darkly, in types and fhadows : but the Gofpel gives us amo(f exprefs Revelation of it, is full of fpecial Promifes to this purpofe, made in clear words, free from all ambiguity, orliablenefs to be interpreted to another fenfe. So that if we compare the Law and the Gofpel to- gether, we shall fee a vaft difference as to this Matter. Under the Law, the Promife of Eternal Life was only comprehended in fome general words, from which a Man that had true Notions of God and Religion, might be able to infer, that God inten- ded fume Reward for good men, and Puni(hment for wicked men, beyond this life: But the Pronifes oftemporal good things were fpecial and exprefs, and their Law was full of them. Contrariwife in theNew Teftament, the molt fpecial and exprefs Pro- mife is that ofEternal Life, and this the Books of theNew Teftament are full of: as for temporal $lef&ngs, they are but fparingly and obfcurely promifed, in comparifon of the other. T a. The 57
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