Apoftles quote the antient Prophecies as fulfill'd in the times of the New Teftament, they always quote them as the real and only Meaning of the Holy Spi rit: Or in other Words, That this double Senfe of the antient Prophecies has not the leaft Footsteps in the Writings of the Apofiles and Evangelifts. The contrary of which I take to be fully afferted by that Expreffion of the Evangelists fo frequently occurring in their Writings, That it might be fulfill'd; that is, that the Words us'd by the Prophets on fuch and fuch an Occafion, and partially verify'd in thofe Perfons of whom they. fpeak in thofe places, were accomplish'd in the more comprehenfive Senfe of which they are fairly capable, and which was intended by the Holy Spirit, who directed the Pens of the Prophets: For inftance, If the Words quoted by our Saviour from Ifaiah will admit but of one Sense, then are they not to be understood of our Saviour at all; becaufe, as they ftand in the Book of Ifaiah, they muft of neceffity be understood of the Prophet himself, who was anointed by God to Preach good Tydings to the opprefs'd Captives, to bind up the Broken-hearted, to proclaim Liberty to the Captives, to proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord, and the Day * of Vengeance, which God would pour out on the Babylonians their Oppreffors; but the Word which we render Meek in the New Testament, really fignifies Afflicted in general; the Word which we render Captives, fignifies Captives in general, and may be referr'd to thofe who are Captives to Sin, as well as the Babylonian Captives: Therefore, fays our Saviour, thefe Words have their full Accomplishment in me; the full

Defign and Purport of them intended by the Holy Spirit, is verify'd in me; I am the Person who am to do every thing which the Holy Spirit meant in the largest and most comprehenfive Senfe of thofe Words. It was not the Business of our Saviour to fhew how Words which were true of another Perfon, were fulfill'd in himself, he affur'd them that it was fo, and that was enough: For who could tell better than himfelf, what was the Meaning of the Prophetic Writings? He, who had that Spirit by which they were indited, communicated to him in full measure? But this double Senfe of the Writings of the Old Teftament is fo far from being a Stranger to the Writings of the Apoftles, that St. Paul in feveral places plainly intimates it, and in two pofitively afferts it: Who alfo hath 2 Cor. 3.6. made us able Minifters of the New Testament, not of the Letter, but of the Spirit; which may be understood, fays a late Learned Commentator, to intimate that the New Teftament or Covenant was also, tho' obfcurely, held forth in the Law; for he fays he was conftituted a Minifter TVEÚμATOS of the Spirit, or fpiritual Meaning of the Law, which was Chrift: But both Letter and Spirit must be understood of the fame Thing, the Letter of the Law, and the Spirit of the Law. And in Fact we find St. Paul truly a Minifter of the Spirit of the Law, efpecially in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where he fhews what a fpiritual Senfe ran thro' the Mofaical Inftitution and Writings; fo in his Epiftle to the Romans, But now we are deliver'd from the Law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we bould ferve in Newness of Spirit, and not in the Oldness

Mr. Lock, in loc.

C.6.7.

of

of the Letter. The Jews (fays the fame Excellent Reafoner) were held before Chrift in an Obedience to the whole Letter of the Law, without minding the Spiritual Meaning which pointed at Chrift. Hence we may fairly conclude, that St. Paul was no Stranger to the Diftinction of literal and Spiritual Senfe; but there are two Paffages in his Epiftles which put it beyond all doubt, that befides the literal Meaning of the Words as they ftand in the Old Teftament, in fome Places the was fomething farther defign'd by the Holy Spirit. As when fpeaking of the Story of Agar and Sarah by which he proves to the Galatians, That they who are Sons of Agar (i. e.) under the Law given at Gal. 4. 24. Mount Sinai, are in bondage, and intended to be vid. Mr. caft out, the Inheritance being defign'd for those only Lock's Notes. who are the free-born fons of God under the spiritual Covenant of the Gospel.. Which things, fays the Apoftle, are an Allegory, that is, fomething was farther defign'd than feems to be exprefs'd at first view in the Words of the Hiftory. There we find related a plain Matter of Fact, in recording of which we have the Word of St. Paul for it, that the Holy Ghoft befide the literal Meaning of the Words, defign'd to fet forth the Bondage of the Law, and the Liberty of the Gofpel; that the Jews, who ftuck to the Law of Mofes fhould be rejected, and those who receiv'd the Gospel be made Heirs of the Promife. Mr. Le Clerk I think denies that any fuch thing was originally intended by the Holy Ghoff, that it is only a Turn which the Apoftle gives to the Words of his own Head. But was not the Apostle infpir'd? And does he not in the pre

ceding

ceding Words directly affirm, that if they would confult the Hiftorian, they would find the fame Senfe in them, Te that defire to be under the Law, do ye not hear the Law? Plainly intimating, that if they heard or read that Part of it he referr'd to, they would readily acknowledge the Inference he was about to draw from them: And does not Quintilian, who must be allow'd a proper Judge in this Cafe, give this Definition of an Allegory, Que aliud verbis, aliud fenfu oftendit? How could the be, may one fay, when the Words a hundred times read will only acquaint you with the Circumstances of the two Parents, and the different Fates of the Children born to Abraham of thofe two Women? To which, if I fhould anfwer, I can give no account of it; I think I fhould not weaken my Argument, which ftands firm on Apoftolic Credit: But to give my Opinion in the Matter, I fuppofe that these, and the like Places of the Old Teftament, which were defign'd by the Spirit of God to fignify and obfcurely fhadow out any thing which was to happen in the time of the Gofpel, were explain'd to them by the Writers themselves, and the Tradition thereof handed down to them from Age to Age; or elfe that the Prophets after their return from the Captivity, for fear leaft the People thould forget the Defign of their facred Records, made it their Bufinefs to interpret to them all thofe Places which were defign'd to point out the Miah, or any thing belonging to his fpiritual Kingdom; which the Generality of them had fo far forgot before his Appearance in the World, that when he came they did not know him. How is it pof

4

poffible they could have been fo far mistaken as not to know the Meffiah, if the Prophecies relating to him could not be understood of any other Perfon? But being capable of being underflood of others, they look'd no farther than the first fenfe of the Words, and therefore thought him not concern'd in fuch Places. Not only when Mofes, but when any other part of their facred Writings were read in their Synagogues, there was a Veil upon their Heart, which was no other than their obftinate Adhefion to the literal Meaning of the Writings of their Prophets, without taking any notice of the Spiritual fenfe of the Words; as Mr. Lock rightly paraphrafes the Words of 2 Cor. 3.14, St. Paul, Chrift now he is come, so exactly anfwers all the Types, Prefigurations and Predictions of him in the Old Teftament, that prefently upon turning our Eyes upon him, he visibly appears to be the Perfon defign'd; and all the Obfcurity of thofe Paffages concerning him, which before were not understood, is taken away and ceafes. Nevertheless, even until now, when the Writings of Mofes are read, the Veil remains upon their Hearts, they fee not the Spiritual and -Evangelical Truths contain'd in them.

15.

The other Paffage of St. Paul, from whence I defign'd to prove that he was no Stranger to this fecond or farther Senfe, befides the literal Meaning of the Words in fome places of Scripture, is this; It is written in the Law Cor. 3.9. of Mofes, thou shalt not muzzle the Mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn. Doth God take care for Oxen? Or faith he it altogether for our fakes? For our fakes no doubt this is