(and perhaps doing fomething with it) Fire, burning the Body of the Sacrifice, &c. fome Object to which they offered it, fome View or End in offering it, fome form of Actions or Speeches by those who brought it, or by the Prieft, or by both? If they could have proved that Adam never facrificed, as later Priests did, for themselves, or for his Wife and Family, till his Sons were at Age; and that that of Cain was to the falfe Aleim, because it was not accepted by the true ones; and fo, that Sacrifice to the falfe Aleim had been firft; and only Abel's, which was the fecond in order of Time, was to the true Aleim, they might have afferted that those to the true ones were taken, by Example, from those to the false ones: But whatever Cain did amifs then, or whatever he did after, 'tis evident he offered those to the true Aleim; for they could not have had the Choice of accepting, or rejecting, if they had been offered to other Aleim, and not to them. And, by the by, it looks very unlikely, that Cain would be the firft who fhould introduce an Action in divine Worship, without either Precept, or Precedent. Befides, if you trace the accidental Instances where thofe Services were mentioned, be

fore

fore the Renewal, by the written Law, there is scarce one Circumftance whether preparatory, as Purification by Washings, &c. or even of the Species, or of the Defign of the Sacrifices, &c. but they are expreffed, though in fhort, before the Renewal. And though there might be fome Additions in the Renewal of the Law, to rectify and prevent further Abuses, which had no Reference to the Original, they alter not the grand Defign; yet these poor Creatures have muddled themselves with their cursed Scheme, with their idle Stories, with Evafions to the Claims and Affertions of Christians, with their false Constructions, Readings, Pointings, &c. that most of them have afferted as above. And though fome of our Divines, as I fhall fhew under the proper Heads below, have feen through all this, and have boldly afferted the Covenant, and the End of thofe Types; yet a vaft Number have been deluded by them, diverted from producing the Evidence of, and for Chrift in the Covenant, and Types; refted upon the Renewal of the Covenant in the Promises, and followed the blind Affertions of these blind Guides. Pfanneri Syftem. Theolog. Gentilis Purioris, cap. 15. De Sacrificiis. p. 349. "But the Question is, Whence Adam and

Tob.

his

his Children could know that God would be pleased with Sacrifices and Oblations? Surely Nature or Reafon did not fuggeft it, for then by the fame Rule we must think fo too: Nor can we think they fell into the Custom blindly and by Chance. And we have the lefs Reason to doubt of their having Infpiration or the Divine Command for it, because they were not difpleafing to God; the Favour fhewn to Abel and Noah for this Service is the fulleft Proof of it; but I think it is beyond difpute, that no Method of worshipping God can be pleafing to him, but what either he himself commanded, or Nature or Reafon dictated; and fome of the Hebrews confirm this by their Interpretation, who commenting upon the Hiftory of Abel, fay, (V. C. B. Bertram. de Rep. Jud. cap. 2. p. 12. feq.) that the Sacrifices to be offered to God were first brought to Adam, as High Prieft, to the Place, which Adam, by divine Direction, had appointed for that Purpose. Whence, when Cain had been convicted of Fratricide, and faid to be driven from the Prefence of the Lord, we are to understand, that he went forth from that Place where God in fome particular Manner had manifefted his Prefence. And certainly, if

all

all thofe Sacrifices, which no Chriftian denies, were fignificant of that great Sacrifice, afterwards offered by Chrift for us, (Auguftin, Tom. 6. contra Fauft. lib. 22. c. 17.) there can scarce be any doubt but they were inftituted by God himself, to fignify that to be future which God only could inform them was future."

Wagenfel. p. 545.. "But to profecute this Matter more at large, and confider the Ceremonies of the Law a little more attentively, it is certain they depend not on any natural Right, but as Matters of pofitive Command, on the meer Will of the Inftitutor. Hence God was worshipped without these Ceremonies from the Beginning of the World, for near two thoufand Years, and Abel, Enoch, Noah, Melchifedeck, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, all of them pious Men, and remarkably in the Divine Favour, were either wholly or nearly fo, ignorant of this Part of the Law; and yet gave and received the fame Proof of their Trust in God, and of the Love of God to them. Nay, the Jews now profefs the Worship of God, though they have loft the greatest Part of that Form of Worship: But the Ceremonies were Figures and Shadows by which the tender and weak State of the Church, in its

Infancy,,

Infancy, was led on, as by Copies, to the Knowledge and Understanding of fpiritual and heavenly Things. To this Purpose Hugo Grotius has in his Notes on his Book de ver. Chriftiana Rel. alledged on the Behalf of Mofes, a Teftimony of St. Chryfoftom's, and another out of the Anfwers to the Orthodox, which are extant in the Works of St. Justin. The Words of the first, speaking of Abel, are, " for he was not inftructed by any one, not having received the Law about the First Fruits, but brought that Sacrifice being induced to it by his own Conscience alone." The other has it, "None of those who offered Cattle to God before the Law, did it by divine Command, though it appears that God accepted them, and shewed by that Acceptance, that he who offered them was acceptable to him." Mofeh fil. Maimon, and others have given us variety of Evafions. Pug. Fidei, 632. et feq. We have an Abstract in Urfini Mifcellan. 284. "Therefore, fays Maimonides, God by Mofes appointed Sacrifices in the ceremonial Law, because the Custom of Sacrificing to the Gods was fo general and universal among the Heathen, that no Prohibitions to the contrary could have put an end to it:

For