this spiritual application of circumcision, as a sacrament, was invented after the preaching of the gospel, when the veil was taken from the law; but this doctrine was only inforced to those who had it before, and had departed from the sense of their own law for thus did Moses instruct the Jews, that there is a foreskin of the heart which was to be circumcised in a moral or spiritual way, before they could be accepted as the servants of God; and again, that the Lord would circumcise their heart, to love him with all their heart, and with all their soul* ; which was the same as to say, that he would give them what circumcision signified, making them Jews inwardly, and giving them the inward grace with the outward sign; without which, the letter of baptism avails no more now than the letter of circumcision did then and we may say of the one as it is said of the other, "He is not a Christian which is one outwardly, "and baptism is not the putting away the filth

1

of the flesh by washing with water, but the "answer of a good conscience towards God+:"

Nearly allied to this was the precept which forbad them to touch any dead carcase; and, in case of any such accident, enjoined a religious purification by water. Here apply the general rule,

* Deut. x. 16. and xxx. 6.

† 1 Pet. iii. 21.

rule, he is not a Jew 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, lest evil communications

should corrupt good manners. This precept in its moral acceptation teaches that there is a certain relation between death, and sin, and pollution. For why do men die but for their sin ? and also, that he who converses with such as are under the death of sin, that is, dead in spirit, dead to faith and holiness, will be defiled by their company, company, and will want washing; till which he will be unfit for the service of God. Thus the apostle himself explains the case; that as those who were unclean by touching a dead body, were purified with a lye made of the ashes of a sacrifice, so are our consciences to be purged from dead works to serve the living God*.

Another prohibition of the same nature is referred to for a like purpose, and the apostle thereby warns the Christians to avoid the society of the heathens; speaking in such terms as nothing but the law of Moses can truly explain:

be ye not unequally yoked together with unbe- lievers; borrowing his expression from that law which forbad the Jews to plough with an ox and

*

Compare Heb. ix. 13, 14, with Numb. xix. 11, &c.

an

an ass together, that is, with a clean and an unclean beast, between whom as there is no alliance of nature, they were not to be mismatched under the same yoke. This the apostle has applied to its true sense, in those words, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers*. Yet this law, on a proper occasion, was to be superseded, when the Jew and Gentile were both to join in the work of the gospel: which consideration explains that difficult passage in the prophet Isaiah—Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

On another occasion the same apostle shews us, that a law which seems to make provision for beasts, was intended for the benefit of God's ministers, and is to be so applied. The law saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. Here, to prevent misunderstandings, the apostle asks a question, Doth God take care for oxen? Was his divine and holy law made for beasts? certainly not; but, for men; for our sakes no doubt this was written†. Although the words were spoken of beasts, 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 ministers of

* 2 Cor. vi. 14.

+ 1 Cor. ix. 9, &c.

of God's word should be maintained out of the profits and offerings of the Church in which they serve, as the ox at the threshing-floor is justly 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 labourer, whether he be an ox or a man, is worthy of his hire; and if it is unjust and unmerciful to defraud a beast of his dues, it must be something much worse to invade the rights of the ministers of God's church. The precept therefore is stronger in its reason than if it had been delivered in plain words: yet it is to be questioned whether the reason of the thing, in any form, will prevail with all minds. Some there are in all countries who, though they would not defraud their would be glad to muzzle every Christian minister; and that in more senses than one; they would not only be glad to see him deprived of the rights of his ministry, but be better pleased if they could put a muzzle upon the ministry itself, and stop the offence of Christian preaching. But this they will never be able to do, till God shall be provoked to forsake the ministry who have first forsaken him; and then the weakest 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,

I 2

oxen,

church, the other to the person of the Messiah, which are the last I shall take notice of, both delivered in the figurative language of the municipal laws of the Jews.

If a woman was suspected to be an adultress by a husband who was jealous of her, and there was no proof, she was to present herself before. the priest and stand the trial of a water ordeal: a bitter water which caused the curse was to be offered to her; and when the curses were pronounced conditionally upon her supposed guilt, she was to venture the consequences, and say, Amen. The priest was to write down the form of the curses against her in a book, and to blot them out with the bitter water if she proved to be innocent; if not, they were then to remain there upon record against her. If she was actually defiled, this water was to go into her bowels and take effect upon her body in a fearful manner, and she was to be a curse among the people*.

This institution explains some very difficult passages in the 109th Psalm, that prophecy of God's judgment against the apostate Jewish church on whom, as upon a guilty adultress against a jealous God, denying her sin, and defying the divine vengeance, the curse was to take

*See Numb. v. 12, &c.