8sO HARMONY OF ALL RLLICIONS. and then in the way of a law of works, they were absolved front the penalties threatened, that is, they were pardoned and freed from outward punishments, by the performance of these works. III. But this Sinai covenant considered alone, was never designed to be that covenant of grace, whereby they should ob- tain salvation, or heaven and eternal life from Gad, as the Lord of souls and consciences. St. Paul expressly says, that these sacrifices, or rites óf purification, could not make them perfect, Os pertaining to the conscience, nor could theytake away sin, or reach any further than the purifying of the flesh; Heb. ix. 9, 13', and this evidently appears to reach only to the present life, from this consideration among others, that in the law of Moses, there were no sacrifices, atonements or purifications, ever appointed for capital crimes, such as adultery, murder, blasphemy, idolatry, &c. nor for spiritual sins, Suchas pride, malice, envy, atheism of heart, and suchlike; nor indeed for any offence whatsoever of a moral kind, which was not visible and,injurious to the public welfare. or did any of their sacrifices, do any more than set them right, as to the state or visible church. St. Paul gives a hint of this, when in Acts xiii. 39. he says, ye who believe, are justified fromall'those things, by Jesus Christ, fromwhich ye could not be justified by the- law of Moses. This Sinai covenant, therefore, was made only between God, as the political Head or King of that people, and the Jews; as 'his national subjects, or at most, but is sitting on the mercy seat, on a cloud of glory, as the visi- ble Head of a national visible church: And ii was not designed to reach to the concerns of another world. It was as I have said, by the works of obedience to this political or outward cove- nant, that the Jews, whether considered as a nation, or a visible church, or as single persons, were entitled to long life and peace, in the land of Canaan, and temporal blessings therein ; and then, by notorious violations of it, either as a nation, or as single per- sons, they forfeited these blessings`. It is not improper, to make this observation by the way, viz. that God's dealing with whole comthunities, with societies, cities, or nations, through all ages of the world, in the visible dispensations of his common providence and government, has been 'very 'much, according to the tener of this covenant of works, which he made with the Jests at Sinai, that is, according as their public outward behaviour should be, whether virtuous or vicious, so his visible blessings, orvisible punishments should attend them as proper recompenees. And if they . should by their iniquities, provoke God to punish them, yet upon their visible repentance and reformation, there should be a release from their bonds of punish- ment, and a restoration of their blessings; always provided, that they had not sinned in no very provoking'a manner, as to be given up by God" the Governor of the world, to utter ruin and desolation. Plain evidences of this may be derived . from the Canaanites, Sodom, Nineveh, Babylon, and some others. . And there is thisplain reason, for this part of divine conduct, viz.-whatso- ever single persons or individuals, have practised either virtue or vice, if they are not rewarded or punished in this world, there is another world, or a future
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