inward devotion. And, which ought to be remembered, they equally prove, that God prescribed to them a perfect obedience, free from the very leaft finful defect. Indeed the law of nature, being of eternal and unchangeable obligation, muft neceffarily have demanded fuch an obedience from the Jews, as it ftill demands it from all mankind. But, to fuppofe perfect obedience required, as the condition of a covenant, in which provifion was made for the imperfection of obedience, would be contradictory.

66

We must not imagine that every thing in Mofes's writings relates to the Sinai covenant. Some things in them were intended as a re-publication of the law of nature. And they contain many paffages, which evidently relate to the duties and privileges of thofe interested in the gospel covenant. This is clearly the cafe with a great part of the 29th and 30th chapters of Deuteronomy. It is exprefly faid, Deut. xxix. 1. “ These are "the words of the covenant which the Lord "commanded Mofes to make with the children "of Ifrael in the land of Moab, befides the co66 venant which he made with them in Horeb." Renewing an old covenant, is not making another befide it, which yet is here faid to be done. A covenant was therefore at that time fet before them, and they urged to enter into it (g), diftinct from the Sinai covenant, even that covenant which God had confirmed by oath to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob (b), which we know was no other than the gofpel obfcurely revealed (i). In confirmation of this I might observe, that the

(g) Deut. xxix. 12. iii. 16, 17.

2

(b) Deut. xxix. 13.

(i) Gal.

circum

circumcifion of the heart to love God, or, in other words, fpecial faving grace, though no promife of the Sinai covenant, is clearly promifed in the covenant, which was revealed to Ifrael in the land of Moab (j); and part of the words of that covenant (k), are cited by Paul (1), as relating to the righteoufnefs offered us in the gofpel (m). I would not however infer from these chapters, that God meant to unfold to the Jews the nature of gospel bleffings. He only gave them a general intimation of better things to come, binding them to believe and long for that season, when the event fhould unfold the fenfe of thefe predictions.

As poffibly what I have faid may not fully remove the difficulty, I would further obferve, that the laws of Mofes in general had a fpiritual and a literal meaning. The righteousness upon which the temporal profperity of Ifrael depended, was the righteousness of the letter of the law. The righteousness through which believers are entitled to eternal life, is the righteousness of the spirit of the law. And as the earthly Canaan was a type of heaven, fo that external obedience which gave a right to it, prefigured that perfect obedience of the Redeemer, whereby alone we are entitled to the heavenly blifs. The law therefore, in its fpiritual fenfe, required inward, nay, even perfect obedience. And poffibly the prohibition of coveting, and the precept of loving God with all the heart, were left in the letter of the law, to lead good men to the fpirit of it: the very letter

(j) Deut. xxx. 6. (k) Deut. xxx. 11,-14. (1) Rom. x. 5,-10. (m) Bull's Harm. Apoft. p. 77, and 78. operum edit. Grabii.

of these precepts, when taken in their full emphefis, reaching to the inmoft thoughts and intents of the heart, and forbidding the leaft finful defire.

This explains in what fenfe Paul afferts (n), that fin taking occafion by the commandment, wrought in him all manner of concupifcence, yea, deceived him and flew him. Perceiving as an ingenious congregational minifter well remarks (0), that the precept thou shalt not covet, commanded not only his outward conversation, but had a spiritual fenfe in which it reached the very thoughts and affections of the heart: while he was yet in the flesh, he fet himself with all his might to obey this precept, bound himfelf with vows and refolutions against the breach of it, and earnestly implored the divine affiftance to render his endeavours effectual, that fo he might be blameless in the righteousness of the law. But the more he fet his heart on this righteoufness, he would be the more ftrongly affected to the earthly happinefs annexed to it as its reward: and thus all his attempts to be righteous by not coveting, only ferved to quicken and inflame his covetoufnefs. So that finding himself utterly incapable to keep this command, he faw his fin exceeding finful, and found himself condemned to death, by the fpiritual fenfe of that very law, by which he once thought to live.

Yet ftill the breach of thefe precepts, in this their full emphafis and fpiritual meaning, was no breach of the Sinai covenant: fince, as has been already urged, heart-fins were neither punifhed

(n) Rom. vii. 8,-11. ture texts, No. 3. p. 28, 29.

(0) Glafs's Notes on Scrip

by

and

by death, nor expiated by facrifice (p) fince provifion was made in the Sinai covenant even for defects in outward obedience, facrifices being appointed for all offences, that were not committed prefumptuoufly and with a high hand (9). The precept therefore, "Thou shalt love the "Lord thy God with all thy heart," confidered as a condition of the Sinai covenant, only requires fuch a regard to the deity, as that we obey the letter of his law. It does not in this view demand finless perfection, but fuch an obedience, as fallen creatures have actually yielded: David for inftance, who is faid to have kept God's commandments, followed him with all his heart, and did that only which was right in his eyes (r); and Jofiah who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his foul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Mofes (s). Not to repeat what was obferved § 4. of thofe being defcribed as perfect, who, if at all fincere in religion, were far from being eminent for inward holiness. The precept, "Thou fhalt love "thy neighbour as thyfelf," confidered as a condition of the Sinai covenant, only implies that we fhould not do these injuries to our neighbour, which we would not wifh him to do to us. And the precept, "Thou shalt not covet," confidered in the fame light, only prohibits fuch an inordinate ungovernable defire of what is our neighbour's, as difcovers itself by our employing force or fraud to poffefs ourselves of his property. And hence it was promised, that at the three an

. (p) See § 3. of this section. (r) 1 Kings xiv. 8.

-31. 25.

D 3

(9) Numb. xv. 22, (s) 2 Kings xxiii.

nual

nual feftivals, when all the males of Ifrael appeared before the Lord," their enemies fhould "not defire their land (t)," because God, by an extraordinary providence, was to restrain them at thefe times from attempting to invade it.

These remarks will ferve to illuftrate, what is meant by the flesh and by the spirit in Paul's epiftles to the Romans and Galatians. Mr. Glafs has observed (u), that the letter of the law, or the law in that carnal view without the fpirit of it in which it is set before us, Rom. vii. 1, 5, 6. the state of the nation under it, and the suitable difpofition of that people to perform the national righteousness, and to enjoy the national happinefs annexed to it as its reward, is called the flefh. In fome Scriptures the flesh means bondage under the Sinai covenant (v); and the condition of that covenant is defcribed as the law of a carnal commandment (w), and as confifting in carnal ordinances (x). The rewards alfo of that covenant were carnal, and fo was the difpofition of the Jewish people. Meat and drink were in their efteem chief bleffings of the kingdom of God (y). Their god was their belly (z). And hence of old they gathered themselves for corn and wine (a), and afterwards fought the Saviour, not becaufe they faw his miracles, but because they did eat of the loaves and were filled (b). These then are not after the flesh, but after the fpirit, whofe prevailing defire it is, not to efta