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Thus ought the three doctrines, of eternal life, of prayer, and of sanctification; to be viewed in the same light, as so many striking marks of distinction between the old and new covenants. The benefits which these doctrines hold forth to mankind were enjoyed; and the doctrines themselves were, in a limited and qualified manner, entertained; under the Law. But these benefits are no where explicitly promised in that institute; because such promises belong exclusively, in their own nature, to the evangelical covenant, and stand upon no other foundation than the sacrifice of Christ. The principle thus laid down will derive both strength and illustration from an attentive regard to the following passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews; where, speaking of the benefits derived from the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, the apostle thus expresses himself.

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"But now hath he obtained a more excellent

ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of

a BETTER COVENANT, which was established upon "BETTER PROMISES. For if that first covenant had "been faultless, then should no place have been "sought for the second. For finding fault with

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them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the "Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the "house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their 'fathers in the day when I took them by the hand "to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because

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they continued not in my covenant, and I re"garded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the "covenant that I will make with the house of Israel "after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my

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"laws into their mind, and write them in their "hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they "shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his bro"ther, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know "me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be " merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins " and their iniquities will I remember no more e."

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We will conclude our view of this subject with the following remark. It will not be denied, that, agreeably to the concurrent descriptions of both prophets and evangelists, the coming of the Messiah was to be accompanied by an abundant and illustrious manifestation of the glory of God. "The

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glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh "shall see it together." This is the language of Isaiah, when predicting that event. "I will fill this "house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The

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glory of this latter house shall be greater than of "the former." These are the words of a later prophet, with regard to the second temple: which, though in the visible splendor and magnificence of its structure inferior to the former, was to be honoured by the personal presence of God manifested in the flesh. Glory to God in the highest," was a part of the song of the heavenly choir who proclaimed the advent of the Redeemer. We would ask, then, in what was this glory to consist? It was not to be seen in the display of worldly greatness

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e Heb. viii. 6-12. Jer. xxxi. 31-34.

f Is. xl. 5.

8 Haggai ii, 7. 9.

and majesty, in the trophies of earthly warfare or the ensigns of temporal dominion. Doubtless we can understand by it nothing else, than the glory of God reconciling the world to himself by the death of his Son, and dispensing his mercies to a fallen race through the means of that precious expiation. Of these mercies, eternal life is the end and the completion: the promise annexed to prayer, and that of the sanctifying Spirit, are instrumentally necessary, in order to the attainment of that blessed consummation. All these blessings belong strictly and exclusively to the evangelical covenant. Here they are covenanted mercies. But they could not, consistently with the truth of the Christian scheme, belong to any other covenant. Had they been attached to any foregoing dispensation, how could the glory of God have been eminently manifested in the Gospel? How could the prophetic declarations on this subject have been verified? Standing as they do, connected with the person and the dignity of the Lamb of God, they shew forth the holy attributes of the Deity in a blaze of glory almost too bright for the mental eye to endure. Suppose the contrary had been the case: would not the carnal mind then exult with insolence, if, when called upon to shew the manifestation of God's glory in the person of Christ, we had nothing further to allege, than the outward circumstances of abject humiliation which were attendant upon the man of sorrows, together with the bloody and ignominious cross, which was a stumblingblock to the Jews, and to the Greeks foolishness? How is the case altered, when we are able to point to that cross as a fountain

opened to a polluted world for sin and uncleanness; and to the blood which pours down it, as the means provided by God of conveying his most inestimable mercies to mankind, in the acceptance of their prayers, the sanctification of their souls, and the free gift of eternal life? Surely, in this view, Christ crucified may justly be regarded as the power of God, and the wisdom of God, to them that believe: but this could never have been so manifest, if the promises of which we are speaking had existed in connexion with any former covenant or dispensation.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE HARMONY OF DIVINE REVELATION INSISTED ON AS AN EVIDENCE OF ITS TRUTH.

Οραν εστι πως φιλα και σύμφωνα ελαλησαν παντες οἱ προφηται, ΕΝΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΙ ΕΚΦΩΝΗΣΑΝΤΕΣ. Theoph. ad Autolycum, II. 35.

WE have now terminated our inquiry into the subject originally proposed. But we should be culpably wanting in our endeavours, however humble, to do justice to that subject, if we failed to notice some important consequences resulting from the past examination. These consequences are adapted, partly to corroborate the general evidence of revealed religion; and partly to break the force of objections which are advanced against it.

If we take a general view of all those several communications of the Divine will which are recorded in the sacred volume, we cannot fail to recognise a character of harmonious consistency pervading the various dispensations and successive epochs of revealed religion. In that unity of design and concurrent tendency which characterise these several dispensations; we discover the strongest evidence to prove the Unity of their Author. At the same time, the wonderful display which shines throughout them, of transcendent wisdom, holiness, foreknowledge, providential arrangement, benevolence, justice, and mercy; together with the stupendous union of attributes, apparently irreconcileable, but which are here exhibited as acting in

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