Rewards and Punishments. Thefe Principles of Religion, he obferves, arise from the common Notions of Confcience, Philofophy, Laws, and Religion; and therefore may be accounted the Articles of the true Catholick Church, which never fails, nor ever can; and speaking of these Truths, under the Name of common Principles, he profeffes fo high Ef teem for them, that he shall account that the beft Book, and the beft Religion, and him the best Prophet, which shall direct the best Obfervance of them *.

This Obfervation of our noble Author points out an excellent Rule, which, when applied to the Mofaical Laws, will shew their real Virtue and Worth; and which we shall confider in its more proper Place, after we have seen the Plan of the Ritual, and shall be instructed from itself, how it is to be applied. We fhall then clearly perceive what Sentiments it teaches concerning God, most honourable to him, and most useful to perfect his Worshippers in all Virtue and Goodness, Righteoufnefs and Holiness, the great Ends of Religion; in which it will appear it greatly excelled every other Institution of Religion, except the Chriftian, which was to perfect it.

*Notitiæ communes, quas adeo magni facimus ut qui proxime ad earum obfervantiam accefferit, optimum librum, religionem, prophetam dixerim. Baro Herbert de Cherbury de Verit. 267.

But

Particular View

But tho' this Care of promoting the chief to fuit the Principles of all Religion was a chief End in Hebrew this, as it ought to be in every Inftitution of Laws of Religion, yet the particular Circumstances Worship to of this People, and of the State of the World cular Cir- with refpect to them, very much diverfified cumftances this View. It was wife and fit to take this brahamic into Confideration, as this was defigned to be Covenant. a Conftitution in aid of the Patriarchal, and

the parti

of the A

31.

Abrahamic States of Religion. The Hebrews were not to be confidered as the World in general; but as the Seed and Family of Abraham, with whom God had many Years before made a Covenant. They had received Circumcifion, a Seal of God's Promise to them, as an holy Nation, and a peculiar People, to whom, as fuch, he had promised peculiar Protection, Favour, and Bleffings. Rom. iv. According to St. Paul, a Seal of the Righteousness by Faith. This Covenant with Abraham was to this Effect: Jehovah appeared to Abraham, and faid unto him, I am Gen. xvii. the Almighty God, walk thou before me, and be thou perfect, and I will make my Covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly. The Nature of this Covenant is further described; And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make Nations of thee, and Kings shall come out of thee, and I will eftablish my Covenant between me and 6, 7, 8, 9. thee, and thy Seed after thee, for an everlasting Covenant, to be a God unto thee, and unto thy Seed after thee, and I will give unto thee,

1, 2.

and

and unto thy Seed after thee, the Land wherein thou art a Stranger, all the Land of Canaan, for an everlasting Poffeffion, and I will be their God.

Before this, God had made a Covenant with Abraham in Terms fomewhat different; Now the Lord had faid unto Abraham, get thee out of this thy Country, and from thy Kindred, and from thy Father's House, into a Land that I will fhew thee, and I will make of thee a great Nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy Name great, and thou shalt be a Bleffing, and I will bless them that bless thee, and curfe him that curfeth thee, and in thee fhall all Families of the Earth be bleffed.

In these Promises, there are fome Bleffings peculiar to Abraham's own Family, and fome common to all the Families of the Earth. The Bleffing common to all the Families of the Earth, is often repeated to mark it for particular Obfervation. And the Lord faid, fball I hide from Abraham the Thing which I do, feeing that Abraham fhall become a great and mighty Nation, and all the Nations of the Earth fhall be blessed in him. Again, on Abraham's Readiness to obey the Command of God, to facrifice his Son, An Angel from Heaven faid (in the Name of God) by myself bave I fworn, faith the Lord, because thou haft done this thing, and haft not withheld thy Son, thine only Son, that in bleffing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy Seed, as the Stars of Heaven, and as the

Gen. xi. 3.

1, 2, 3

Gen xvii

17, 18.

Gen. xxii 16,17,18.

Sand

Bp. Sherlock of Prophely, P. 159.

Sand which is upon the Sea-shore, and thy Seed fhall poffefs the Gate of his Enemies, and in thy Seed fhall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed.

The Promises before you seem plainly to confift of two diftinct Parts, or rather, to use the Words of a very learned and judicious Author," including two diftinct Covenants; "the one relating to the temporal State, and Profperity of his (Abraham's) Seed, in "the Land of Canaan; the other to the Bleffing, which thro' him, and his Seed, "was to be conveyed to all Nations of the "Earth."

Laws of religious Worship given to a People in fuch Circumftances, would, in all likelihood, have fome proper Regard to them, and to the Promises of their particular Covenant, as well as the more general Service of true Religion. They were under peculiar Obligations, had Hopes of peculiar Bleffings, in the faithful Performance of all the Promises of the Covenant, made with Abraham their Father. It is hardly to be fuppofed, that a Ritual of Worship should bc given to a Nation in such Circumstances, which should not preferve the Memory of the Bleffings promised, the Nature of the Grant, the Condition on which the Grant was made, and what religious Ufe was defigned should be made of it; especially as fuch a Memory of the Bleffings promised by the Covenant, was fo powerful a Motive to

Gratitude and Hope, to Reverence and Obedience.

"Now this being the Cafe, (to use the "Words of the fore-mentioned Author) 'tis " evident, that the Promife of a Bleffing to "all Nations, fubfifted in its full Force and

Vigour, during the Continuance of the "Law of Mofes; for as that Promise was "not compleated by the giving of the Law, " in which all Nations were not concerned, "fo neither could fo general a Promise be "annull'd or fet afide, by a private Law,

given to one People only. Hence, another "Queftion proper to be confidered, with refpect to the State of Religion under the Jewish Difpenfation (as our Author very juftly obferves) is this, how far the Religion of the Jews was preparatory to that

new Difpenfation, which was in due time "to be revealed, in accomplishment of the "Promises made to all Nations. Now, if "Abraham and his Pofterity were chofen, "not merely for their own fakes, or out of any partial Views or Regards towards

them, but to be Inftruments in the Hand "of God for bringing about his great De

figns in the World; if the temporal Cove"nant was given for the fake of the ever

lafting Covenant, and to be subservient to "the Introduction of it, 'tis highly probable, "that all Parts of the Jewish Difpenfation "were adapted to ferve the fame End; and "that the Law, founded on the temporal

"Covenant

Id.ib.162.