learned, that every one in particular, whom they make fubject to the fear of death, or that the generality of believers without diftinction, expected perhaps, in their time the coming of Christ, and hence arose their horror of death. Peter speaks the contrary, ver. 12. " that it was revealed unto them, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minifter thofe things." Can the brethren then mention fo much as a single inftance of any, who, on that account, is faid to have been afraid of death?

LXV. Thefe hypotheses are groundlefsly built on the faying of Paul, Heb. ii. 15. where the fruit of Christ's death is faid to be the "delivering them, who through fear of death were all their life-time fubject to bondage." For, 1ft, What reafon can perfuade, nay admit, that the fruit of that death, for undergoing which it was neceffary Christ should become man, fhould be restrained to the Jews alone, the inhabitants of Canaan ? For the benefits of Chrift's death belongs to all the elect from the beginning to the end of the world, and the apostle is here treating of all those, that are fanctified by Christ, whom Christ calls his brethren, and the children given him by the Father.

LXVI. 2dly, It is without proof inferred, that those here defcribed are confidered as believers already; fince it is more fuitable to imagine, that the most miserable state of the elect is here delineated while they were themselves out of Christ. For, during all that time they muft needs be tormented in a fearful manner with the dread of death, whenever they think of God as a judge and unless the death of Chrift had intervened, that dread would continue upon them all their life long.

LXVII. 3dly, We are here by bondage under no neceffity to understand bondage to the elements of the world; for as the apostle a little before had faid, that the devil is destroyed by the death of Christ, what is more natural than to explain, what he now fpeaks of bondage, concerning that wretched condition of men, when under the tyranny of the devil? And furely it is a much greater bleffing to be delivered from the bondage of the devil, than from that to the elements of the world; and as both is a fruit of Chrift's death, why fhall we restrict the apoftle's meaning to the least, and exclude the greatest? Besides there is no fuch difference between the fear of death, and the bondage of the devil, as to make it improbable for them to be joined together in the fame difcourfe: for the one is cherished by the other: the bondage of the devil begets the fear of death: and the fear of death in an unfanctified confcience, heightens the hatred of God, and confequently the bondage of fin and the devil.

LXVIII. 4thly, The term death is most unreasonably re

ftricted

ftricted to temporal death. The apostle argues in this manner: It was neceffary for Chrift to become man, because he was to die. He was to die. (1.) That, by his death, he might deftroy the devil, who had the power of death. (2.) That he might deliver his people from death itself, and from the fear of it. What can be more plain, than that the whole of that death is here meant, over which the devil has power, both temporal and eternal, especially the laft. The fear of temporal death, as the brethren defcribe it, was good and holy in itself, only fomewhat troublesome and uneafy and can it be thought probable, that the apostles, when speaking of the effect of Chrift's death, fhould explain in very magnificent terms the freedom from a thing, good and holy in itself, because it produced fome uneafinefs, and omit the deliverance from that which comprehends all evils and miferies? And yet fo form his difcourfe, as if he seemed to have spoke rather of that which is the greatest, than of that which is the least evil, and what he alone intended?

LXIX. 5thly, and laftly, I could also wish it was explained, what is that univerfality of faints, denoted by the term, o, which Chrift delivered from the fear of lofing the pledge by death. Were the faints, who died before Chrift, of this number? That does not appear; for they are fuppofed to be troubled by the fear of death all their life time. And yet, if I mistake not, they were delivered from this, when once they died. What then did the death of Chrift profit them in this refpect? Are we then to understand those faints, who lived at the time of Christ's death? The brethren seem to intend this, when they say: " as many as bore bondage with that difpofition, were delivered by Chrift when he died;" Ad. Heb. 2. §. 89. But who are thofe? Not believers of the Gentiles, who had no country given them for a pledge. It must then be the Jews. But it could not be all of them. For, many of them lived out of the land, in a voluntary exile, without enjoying that pledge. How greatly then is this fruit of Christ's death limited? Let us fuppofe it was they, who, after the death of Chrift, received Chrift by faith in the land of Canaan, that conftituted this univerfality. But how were thefe delivered from the fear of lof ing the pledge? Was it because, after Christ's death, the land ceafed to be a pledge, and was fhortly to be given up to the Gentiles to a total destruction? Is this the meaning of the brethren? How flat and mean! Well fays the celebrated interpreter on Zech. ix. §. 23. "They voluntarily renounced the inheritance of the land of Canaan, and exchanged it in order to partake of the heavenly Jerufalem, and the inheritance of the

Book IV. world." But neither will this remove all the difficulty: for, Paul speaks of those who, all their life-time were subject to the fear of death, which the brethren themselves, at other times, urge; but they, whom we fuppofe to be delivered by Chrift, ceafe not to live, when delivered from the fear of death. I beg of these learned perfons, again and again to confider, in what intricate perplexity they entangle themselves, while, without any juft ground, they quit the trodden, plain road.

In

LXX. Ninthly, It is most of all grievous, and tends to ftir up the refentment of the meekeft person, that believers under the Old Teftament are often, and that at great length, faid "to have been under wrath and the curfe." And indeed, this affertion is fhocking to tender ears, and unusual in the reformed churches. The brethren took occafion to speak thus from Gal. iii. 10. as many as are of the works of the law are under the curfe." Which paffage they think is to be explained, as if it was there faid; whoever are fubject to the ceremonial law, bear teftimony, that the curfe is not yet removed by Chrift, nor the bleffing yet actually obtained. For, though they are free from the curfe belonging to the wicked, and partakers of the bleffing of the fons of God, yet, by the ufe of the ceremonies, they openly avow, that the meritorious caufe of the bleffing was not yet come. But let us hear their own words. Comm: ad Gal. 3. §. 104. "The ancient interpreters have here departed a little from the meaning of the apostle, not adverting, how believers and the faints of the Old Teftament could be faid to be under the curfe, for they think, it neceffarily follows, that it is not poffible for him who is under the curse, to be faved-In this they are mistaken. For, according to the apostle, to be under the curfe, fignifies here not to be without the covenant of grace, but to undergo fomething on account of the curse, which was not yet blotted out by the payment of the price either for the fake of the hand-writing against themfelves on account of fin, and of the curfe annexed thereto, and fo far the fake of God, who neither did, nor was to punish their fins, as if he was to pardon them; and who had promised life to believers; that he might be fanctified by declaring his righteoufnefs, which he was to manifeft in Chrift.

LXXI. But though this explication fufficiently provides for the falvation of the fathers; yet I think it harfh, and very far from the fcope of the apostle, and the language of fcripture. The fcope of the apostle is to refute the opinion of the falfe apostles, by which they disturbed the quiet of the churches of Galatia, as if faith in Chrift alone was not fufficient to juftification, but that the Gentiles were bound to obferve the Mofaic ceremonies,

as

as a part of that righteousness and holinefs commanded by the law. For, certainly, the Jews were, and still are, at this day, tainted with the herefy, that the ceremonies contribute to justification. The apoftie briefly fets the truth in oppofition to that false notion, Gal. ii. 16. which he confirms by feveral arguments. After many others he makes ufe of this. For as that fanction, by which the curfe is threatened against trans greffors, is annexed to all God's laws; and as there is none, who ought not to confefs, that they have one time or other tranfgreffed fome one law of God; fo far then can any hope for life from any obfervance of any law, that, on the contrary, "as many as are of the works of the law," that is, who take part with thofe, who would be juftified by works, are under the curfe, Gal. iii. 1o. This inference is folid and clear, and in Paul's ufual manner. See him arguing the fame way, Rom. iii. 19, 20.

LXXII. But many things prove, that nothing is meant by the curfe, but the curfe of the covenant of works, which excludes man from communion with God, and is opposed to the bleffing of the covenant of grace. Ift, He does not speak of that curfe, which hangs over the godly, because and in fo far, as by obfervation of the ceremonial law, they fubfcribe a handwriting against themfelves, but that, which hangs over the proud tranfgreffors of the law. For the apoftle does not fay, that the godly of old confeffed, that they were under the curfe, because they obferved the ceremonial law; but those who are of works; jufticiary or felf-righteous workers, who endeavour to establish their own righteoufnefs; thefe are they who are under the curfe, because they have not observed the law as prescribed.

LXXIII. 2dly, Paul means here the fame curfe that Mofes did; from whom he quotes a paffage for eftablishing his doctrine, Deut. xxvii. 26. But fince that Mofaic formula, which undoubtedly contained the fanction of the covenant of works, speaks of that curfe, which all finners naturally are under, because they continue not in all things commanded by the law, and which is opposed to the favour and faving grace of God. Had the apostle meant another curfe, he would have trifled, and not argued, but this is far from his character.

LXXIV. 3dly, He speaks here of that curfe, from which Christ has delivered his people. But he delivered them, not only from the hand-writing, declaring the ranfom not yet paid, but from all guilt and condemnation, from all that curfe, which we deferved on account of fin. It is a bad practice which the celebrated Cocceius every where justly condemns in the Socin

ians,

ians, fo to wreft the divine words of fcripture, as to put a low and mean fenfe upon them. And is not this done, when that divine fentence, "Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law," is brought fo low: he freed us from the yoke of the ceremonies. This, certainly, is among the very leaft of the bleffings, which acrue to believers from the redemption of Chrift.

LXXV. 4thly, Moreover the curfe, we are delivered from, is of the fame kind with that, which Chrift underwent for us: he therefore underwent it for us, as an expiatory facrifice in our ftead, because it lay upon us on account of fin. But Chrift was made a curfe for us, not as he observed the ceremonial law, but as he bore the wrath, the fury the indignation of God against our fins. He complained, that he was forfaken of his Father, grappled hand to hand with dreadful horrors and anguifh of foul, and with the infernal powers themselves. In a word, he endured all the curfe, that the law threatened against finners, he was not only accurfed but even a curfe; which was fhewn by crucifixion, as the fymbol.

LXXVI. In the laft place, I do not imagine, that either of thefe can be proved from any paffage of fcripture: either, that those who can be called true and fpiritual fons of Abraham, who are of the works of the law: or, that thofe, who, in faith and a good confcience, obferve the precepts of the ceremonial law, can, on that very account be faid to be under the curfe. I find Rom. iv. 16. is quoted as a proof of the former: " to the end the promise might be fure to all the feed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that alfo which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." But the cafe is very different: for, 1ft, That expreffion to be of the law, and that, to be of the works of the law: are not in all refpects the fame; for, those may fimply be faid to be of the law, to whom pertained the giving of the law, Rom. ix. 4. that is, the Jewish nation, to whom the law of God was delivered, and who, in confequence of that giving of the law, and of the covenant founded thereon, became what they are, a people peculiar to God. But feeing works, in the bufinefs of juftification, which was the dispute among the Galatians, are always fet in direct oppofition to faith, thofe who are of the works of the law, cannot be of justifying faith. If you object, that the law is in like manner opposed to faith; I answer, the law has a twofold relation: a legal, strictly so called, as it contains the condition of juftification, by a perfonal and proper obedience; and an evangelical, as, by its types and fhadows, it leads to Chrift. Whoever, according to the former relation, are of the law, are not heirs, Rom. iv. 14. but

whoever