before its fhearer and flayer, in order to be an hieroglyphic of that unfpeakable. patience, which was illuftrious in Chrift. 5thly, That the firftlings were moft acceptable to God; which therefore Abel offered, and God afterwards required under the law, Exod. xiii. 12. By this emblem we may difcern that preeminence of Chrift, whereby he is the firft-born among many brethren, both as to inheritance and dignity. For, none comes to the inheritance but by Chrift, nor to any other inheritance, but what was his before.

X. Thefe following particulars belong to the rite of offering, Ift, The priest laid upon the propitiatory facrifices the fins of thefe, for whom they were to be offered, which is plain from the names, fin and guilt, by which the facrifices themfelves are ufually called, and the thing itself fhews it. For, as in reality none but the guilty are punished; fo in the type alfo, that, which is appointed to die for fin, is typically under the guilt of fin. And thus far the priests reprefented God, as laying fin upon Chrift; and the facrifices were a figure of Chrift, as fuffering for fin. 2dly, The blood of the facrifices was fhed, when they were flain, to be a symbol of Chrift fhedding his blood, when he was put to death. 3dly, The flain facrifices were burnt on the altar. This represented that Chrift was to be confumed by the flames of his love for his Father and his elect, and, at the fame time by the flames of the divine wrath against fin, which he had undertaken to bear. 4thly, Together with the flames and smoke, there was a fweet-fmelling favour, that afcended up to heaven; on which account, facrifices are faid to be acceptable to God; nay, alfo the food of God. This fhadowed forth that most grateful fragrancy of Christ's facrifice, by the efficacy of which all the severity of the divine vengeance is changed into the moft tender love for the elect.

XI. The accenfion, or miraculoùs confuming the facrifices by fire, feems to be cotemporary with facrifices themselves and the opinion of fome excellent divines is very probable, that God had fuch a regard to Abel's gift, as in this manner to fet it on fire, while Cain's was neglected. For, at the time, when facrifices were in ufe, God generally teftified, by fire from heaven, that they were acceptable to him, when offered in faith. "A burning lamp paffed between the pieces," Gen. i. 5, 17. See alfo Lev. ix. 24. Judges vi. 21. 2 Chron. vii. 1. And this burning of the facrifices by fire from heaven, being the most certain token of the divine acceptance, was prayed for, Pfal. xx. 3. remember all thy offerings, and accept (reduce to afhes) thy burnt-facrifice. This fire from heaven fignified the Holy Spirit, by whofe flames whatever is not fet on fire, cannot be an ac

ceptable

ceptable facrifice to God; and by which Chrift also offered himself to God without fpot; by which, in fine, he baptizes his people, that both they, and their actions may be pleafing to God. We may fee what John the Baptist fays; "he fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghoft and with fire," Mat. iii. 11. For, this burning of the facrifices, we are now fpeaking of, was, in all refpects, a typical baptifm of fire, that came fuddenly from heaven, after the other typical baptifm of water, wherein the hands and feet of thofe, who approached the altar, were wafhed, Exod. xl. 30-32. as Cloppenburg has ingeniously obferved, Schol. Sacrific. p. 65.

XII. When the facrifice was duly performed, the expiation followed; which confifted in this, that God was satisfied with the facrifice, which he graciously accepted, and that, when the guilt of the fin, laid on the facrifice, was, together with the facrifice, typically abolifhed, the wrath of God was appeased, the raging plague ftayed, and God gave tokens of his favour to the finner. For this reafon, the atonement for the foul is afcribed to the facrifices, Lev. xvii. 11. namely, a typical and facramental. See what we advanced, fect. 8. Sacramental, I fay, because that typical expiation was a facrament or fign of the true expiation, which all believers obtain in Chrift. And thofe types prefigured, that God, from the very first notification of the gofpel, acquiefced in Chrift's undertaking to make fatisfaction for fins, in the fulness of time, by which they might be truly expiated. And in this fenfe, Paul declares, that the blood of Chrift purges the confcience from dead works; as the blood of bulls and of goats fanctified formerly to the purifying of the flesh, Heb. ix. 12, 13. For this laft prefigured and fealed the former on fuppofition of the faith of the offerers.

XIII. There was, laft of all, a facred feaft kept before Jehovah, upon the offered gifts and facrifices, which were not entirely confumed by fire this under the Mofaic law, was the cafe especially with thofe facrifices, which were called by, peace-offerings, Lev. vii. 15. Which word the Greeks have rendered envix, the Latins, pacifica: others prefer Evxagisia. But confeffion or thanksgiving, is one of the kinds of this fort of facrifices, Lev. vii. 12. and thefe were alfo propitiatory; as appears from the impofition of hands, which denotes the impofition of fins, Lev. iii. 2, 8, 13. And therefore, it has not been improperly obferved by a learned perfon, that the reason and notation of the name feems to be; that, in this facrifice, there was in fome measure a perfection, a confummation. For, burntofferings were entirely confumed, and no body eat of them: of the others the priest ate; of the laft, even any private perfon,

whofe

whofe facrifice it was, Deut. xii. 6, 7. To which the apostle, has an eye, 1 Cor. x. 18. " are not they, which eat of the fa crifices, partakers of the altar?" This was a facrament of communion, which they who approach to God, have with the altar and the true Prieft: and a fymbol of that communion, which all believers have among themselves in Chrift; whereby Chrift and all his benefits, and all the gifts of every believer in particular, are the gifts of all, as belonging to the fame body. Paul intimates, that to this feast, the holy fupper anfwers, as an antitype, 1 Cor. x. 16-18. In this manner the grace of God and the benefits of Chrift were fignified and fealed to be lievers in the facrifices.

XIV. But there was in them no lefs a reminding of the duty, which believers owe to God, and to which they bound themfelves by the use of the facrifices. First, There was in facrifices a confeffion of fin and guilt. For, there were no facrifices before the fall. And the animals, which the offerers fubftituted for themselves, as oxen, fheep, goats, &c. fignified fome fault. For, the ox is an emblem of ignorance, Ifa. i. 3. the sheep, of wandering, Ifa. liii. 6. the goat of petulence and mischievousnefs, Mat. xxv. 33. And the flaying and burning the facrifices extorted from man a confeffion, that he deferved eternal death, and to be fcorched in the flames of divine juftice.

XV. Secondly, There was likewife in facrifices an excitement to the practice of holiness and real goodnefs. ft, It was not lawful to offer any thing to God, but from among clean animals, which were given to man for food. Thus, " pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to keep himfelf unfpotted from the world," James i. 27. 2dly, Nothing was to be offered, but what was found, without blemish, or defect in any part, not the blind, the deaf, the maimed, the lame, the languid and the fick, Mal. i. 13. Thus, which will also be a thing acceptable to God, we ought to ferve him with all our faculties, with all attention and intention, with a right judg ment, a found heart, a cheerful will, and to confecrate all our members to him: becaufe God requires perfection, Mat. v. 48. 3dly, The animals, appointed for facrifice, had fomething peculiarly adapted to represent thofe virtues, which ought to be in thofe, that approach to God. Oxen are both patient in labour, and obftinately refift what is hurtful to them: fheep and goats, know their fhepherd, and hear his voice, without liftening to that of a stranger, John x. 4, 6. Polybius, lib. 12. not far from the beginning, relates a remarkable story concerning goats, with respect to this particular. And then they are led to the flaughter, without a murmur or noife, Ifa. liii. 7. All thefe

things.

things should in a spiritual sense be in those, who are devoted to God.

XVI. Thirdly, by the offering of the facrifice is fignified, Ift,

That our old man with all his lufts fhould be flain to the ho nour of God. 2dly, That it is equal and just, that the whole man, who endeavours to please God, fhould prefent himself before him in the exercise of faith and love, and with his heart inflamed, or a defire to have it inflamed with zeal, as "a living facrifice; holy and acceptable unto God, Rom. xii. 1. 3dly, As facrifices confumed with ftrange fire, were difpleafing to God: fo is every act of worship, that has not the Spirit of God for its author, or does not proceed from heavenly love. They who "kindle a fire, and compass themselves about with sparks; hall go into the fire, and the sparks they have kindled,” Ifa. 1.

Though one fhould give his body to be burned, and has not charity, it profiteth nothing," 1 Cor. xiii. 3. 4thly, That we ought to confecrate to God not only ourselves, but also our all: for, as we hinted above, riches formerly confifted chiefly in herds and flocks, and Paul tells us, that the "doing good and communicating are facrifices, with which God is well pleafed,' Heb. xiii. 16. 5thly, That our very lives ought not to be dear to us: but when God calls us to it, we are willingly to lay them down for his glory, Phil. ii. 17. yea; and if I be offered upon the facrifice and fervice of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all."

XVII. We are next to speak of the RAINBOW, which was given for a sign of the covenant made with Noah, Gen. ix. 12

16. And here we are, first to confider, what covenant it was: and then, how the rainbow was a fign of the covenant. XVIII. Concerning the covenant, we obferve the following things. Ift, That it was not formally and precifely the cove nant of grace. For here, there is no mention of a fpiritual and faving benefit; and then the promises of this covenant are not only made to Noah and his elect feed, but to all men, to every living creature without exception, fowl, cattle and every beaft of the earth; an univerfality this, not to be found in the covenant of grace. God indeed fays, when he fpeaks of the cove nant of grace made with the church, Ifa. liv. 9. for this is as the waters of Noah unto me, &c. nevertheless by thefe words, God does not declare, that the covenant made with the church was, in every respect, of the fame nature with that universal covenant, which secured the world from being deftroyed by a deluge. He only runs the parallel between both, with refpect to permanency and ftability: juft in the fame manner, that he compares his covenant made with Ifrael, with the covenant concerning day and night, Jer. xxxiii. 25.

XIX.

XIX. 2dly, However, it would not be confiftent with the divine perfections, to make fuch a covenant with every living creature, but on fuppofition of a covenant of grace, and with a refpect to it. For all the patience of God, in the preservation of the world, which was ftained with fo many crimes, and of men, who more than deserved an avenging deluge, was ordained for the elect, whofe falvation God intended, and for whofe fake all other things are preferved, to be fubfervient to the promoting their falvation, 2 Pet. iii. 9. "It is a queftion," fays Pareus, "whether it is a different covenant from the former, in Gen. vi. 18. and from the covenant of grace? Answer, Certainly it is another with respect to the earthly promise which is common to men, beafts, and the earth, and as to its peculiar fign. Yet the fame as to origin and grace; for God would not have adopted the fons of Noah into that covenant, unless he had first received them into the covenant of grace. It is therefore an appendage of the covenant of grace with regard to an earthly promife.".

XX. 3dly, Nay, in this covenant there is a confirmation and a typical reprefentation of the covenant of grace. I shall here ufe the words of Peter Martyr, "This we are carefully to remark; though in this covenant, God promised to deliver men, as to their bodily life, that they fhould not perish in the waters; yet in this there was a fhadow or type of the deliverance from eternal death; namely, they should not be overwhelmed with eternal damnation. And befides, as this is held forth by a shadow, believers may alfo form an argument to this purpose: if God thus provides for thofe that trust in him, as to give them affurance, without doubting of their deliverance from the waters; how much more will he deliver their fouls, their better part, not from a momentary, but from an eternal death. If he is fo careful in these things of lefs moment, how much more, about what concerns the fum of our happiness ?" See Owen's Theologumena, lib. 3. c. 1. And fince we fhould obferve, that previous to this, there was a fymbol of the covenant of grace, whofe antitype was baptifm, i Pet. iii. 21. in the deluge and the ark of Noah, which contained as it were, the univerfal feeds of the whole world: why fhould we not take notice of a confirmation of the covenant of grace in the promise, that no deluge fhould any more come upon the earth?

XXI. Concerning the rainbow, we remark thefe following things: ft, As that covenant, of which the rainbow was given to be a fign, was not precifely and formally the covenant of grace, fo the rainbow fhould not be accounted a facrament, ftrictly and properly fo called; and it is also very impertinent,

to