LECT. and had departed from the fenfe of their

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own law for thus did Mofes inftruct the Jews, that there is a foreskin of the heart which was to be circumcifed in a moral or fpiritual way, before they could be accepted as the fervants of God; and again, that the Lord would circumcife their heart, to love him with all their heart, and with all their foul; which was the fame as to say, that he would give them what circumcifion fignified, making them Jews inwardly, and giving them the inward grace with the outward fign; without which, the letter of baptifm avails no more now than the letter of circumcifion did then: and we may fay of the one as it is faid of the other, "He is not a Chriftian which is one outwardly, and baptifm is not the putting away the filth of the flesh by washing with water, but the answer of a good confcience towards God."

Nearly allied to this was the precept which forbad them to touch any dead carcafe; and, in cafe of any fuch accident, en

* Deut. x. 16. and xxx. 6. † 1 Pet. iii. 21.

joined

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joined a religious purification by water. LECT. Here apply the general rule, he is not a Few, which is one outwardly, and then you will understand, that outward defilement was not the thing to be feared, but the defilement of the mind, left evil communications fhould corrupt good manners. This precept in its moral acceptation teaches that there is a certain relation between death, and fin, and pollution. For why do men die but for their fin? and alfo, that he who converfes with fuch as are under the death of fin, that is, dead in fpirit, dead to faith and holiness, will be defiled by their company, and will want washing; till which he will be unfit for the fervice of God. Thus the apoftle himself explains the cafe; that as thofe who were unclean by touching a dead body, were purified with a lye made of the ashes of a sacrifice, so are our confciences to be purged from dead works to serve the living God*.

Another prohibition of the fame nature is referred to for a like purpose, and the *Compare Heb. ix. 13, 14, with Numb. xix. 11, &c. apoftle

K 3

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LECT. apoftle thereby warns the Christians to avoid the fociety of the heathens; fpeaking in fuch terms as nothing but the law of Mofes can truly explain: be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; borrowing his expreffion from that law which forbad the Jews to plough with an ox and an afs together, that this, with a clean and an unclean beaft, between whom as there is no alliance of nature, they were not to be mismatched under the fame yoke. This the apoftle has applied to its true fenfe, in those words, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Yet this law, on a proper occafion, was to be fuperfeded, when the Jew and Gentile were both to join in the work of the gospel: which confideration explains that difficult paffage in the prophet Isaiah-Blessed are ye that fow befide all waters, that fend forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

On another occafion the fame apostle fhews us, that a law which feems to make provision for beasts, was intended for the † 2 Cor. vi, 14

benefit

Here,

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benefit of God's minifters, and is to be fo LECT. applied. The law faith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. to prevent misunderstandings, the apostle asks a question, Doth God take care for oxen? Was his divine and holy law made for beafts? certainly not: but, for men; for our fakes no doubt this was written‡. Although the words were fpoken of beafts, the sense relates only to men; the precept being wholly intended to teach under a figure (as the law taught every thing else) that the minifters of God's word fhould be maintained out of the profits and offerings of the Church in which they serve, as the ox at the thrashing-floor is juftly permitted to take advantage of his labour, and to partake of the corn while he is treading it out for the use of man. Every lubourer, whether he be an ox or a man, is worthy of his hire; and if it is unjust and unmerciful to defraud a beaft of his dues, it must be something much worse to invade the rights of the minifters of God's church. The precept therefore is stronger

1 Cor. ix, 9. &c.

LECT. in its reafon than if it had been delivered

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in plain words: yet it is to be questioned whether the reafon of the thing, in any form, will prevail with all minds. Some there are in all countries, who though they would not defraud their oxen, would be glad to muzzle every Chriftian minister ; and that in more fenfes than one; they would not only be glad to see him deprived of the rights of his ministry, but be better pleafed if they could put a muzzle upon the ministry itself, and ftop the offence of Christian preaching But this they will never be able to do, till God shall be provoked to forfake the ministry who have firft forfaken him; and then the weakeft hand that is lifted up may prevail against them.

There are two very remarkable prophecies, the one relating to the infidelity of the Jewish church, the other to the perfon of the Meffiah, which are the laft I fhall take notice of, both delivered in the figurative language of the municipal laws of the Jews.