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one: and every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour. Where it is clearly enough declared, that the proportion of the reward will be adjusted to that of the labour. Nor unlike to this is the difcourfe concerning the refurrection of the dead, 1 Cor. 15. 40, 41, there are alfo celestial bodies, and bodies terreftrial, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ftars; for one fier differeth from another star in glory. Where first, the bodies laid aside at death are compared with thofe affumed at the refurrection: and then, the celestial bodies are faid to differ very much in glory from each other. As the fun, moon, and ftars are all truly celeftial bodies, but greatly unlike in glory. And to what purpose is that diftinct mention of fun, moon and stars, and of the unequal glory of each, if the Apoftle only intended to teach us the difference of the terreftrial from the celestial bodies, while all the celeftial were notwithstanding to have the fame degree of glory?

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XL. It cannot, it feems, on any pretence, At least denied, that, at least the principal leaders, Patriarchs the leadProphets, Apoftles, Martyrs and diligent teachers of ing perthe Old and New Teftament church fhall have fome O. and N. greater degree of glory affigned them. What was Teftafaid to the Apoftles, was not faid to all, Mat. 19. menth ve 28, when the Son of man fball fit in the throne of his a greater glory, ye also fhall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the degree of twelve tribes of Ifrael. The meaning of thefe words, if I can form any judgment, the illuftrious Grotius has best of all explained. It is, as if our Lord had faid, you fhall occupy the next place of honour to me your king. To judge here denotes, to be fet over, or to prefide by a metalepfis, because generally prefidents. are employed in paffing fentence. Whence a prefidentship or province is called by the Hebrews Gen. 49. 16. Zach. 3. 7. The metaphor is taken from the ancient ftate of the kingdom of Ifrael, in which the 17 VOL. II. Phylarcha

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Phylarcha, or heads of the tribes, ftood in the next degree to the royal majefty, and are supposed to have fat by the king's throne, in chairs of ftate, in the publick affemblies. But to confine this glory of the Apostles within the limits of the church militant in fuch a manner, that, in the triumphant, where they have the full reward of their labours, they fhall quit their thrones, feems repugnant to reafon: nor does it agree with John's vifion, who faw in heaven four and twenty thrones, and twenty four elders fitting on them, that is, the Patriarchs of the Old and New Teftament church, clothed in white raiment, and having on their heads crowns of gold, Rev. 4. 4. And these things are fo evident, that thofe very perfons, who, in other refpects, contradict the difparity of celestial glory, own, that we are to diftinguish between that happiness, which shall be the portion of believers, as believers, and the commendation, which, in the last day, fhall be given to every one, in proportion to the diligence and fuccefs he shall have laboured in promoting the kingdom of Chrift, and which it seems, is to be inequally diftributed. But because it is a glorious thing, to obtain fuch a commendation from the mouth of Chrift, and the memory of that teftimony shall for ever abide in the minds of believers; they cannot deny, but in the kingdom of heaven a difparity of degrees in that kind of glory may be admitted to take place among the bleffed. For certainly, it is not to be thought, that then there will be many fervants of Chrift, who may, in that respect, be compared with the Apostle Paul. See Thefes Amyraldi de vita æterna §. 34.

XLI. The Apostle John feems to have given a things not check to other things, which are too curiously made curiously the matter of enquiry, concerning the condition or to be en- ftate of the future world, when he faid, 1 John 3. 2, quired inbeloved, now are we the Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear, what we shall be. It is then more prudent and pious to endeavour to become hereafter partakers

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of that glorious life, than to gratify an itch of curiofity with infipid and vain fpeculations. This, however, we may look upon as a certain truth, that eye hath not seen, nor ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things, which God hath prepared for them that love him, I Cor. 2

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BOOK IV.

THE

OECONOMY

OF THE

Divine Covenants.

BOOK IV.

CHA P. I.

Of the Doctrine of Salvation in the first age of

A fumma- I. ry of the

things to

ed.

W

the World.

E have thus far confidered thofe benefits, that are effential to the covenant of grace: let be explain us now more particularly take a view of the two CECONOMIES, or the different difpenfations, under which that covenant was adminiftred. And here, according to the plan, laid down Chap. III. of the preceeding book, we are more accurately to explain, firft, the nature of the OLD TESTAMENT, and then, that of the NEW. In the OLD, we will diftinctly confider four principal points. I. The doctrine concerning the common falvation, as there laid down. II. The benefits or priveleges of that teftament.

III. Its defects, or according to Paul, Heb. 7. 18, the weakness and unprofitableness thereof, on account of which that covenant was not faultless, Heb. 8. 7. IV. Its abrogation. The DOCTRINE, again, may be confidered, as expreffed by WORDS, figured by TYPES, and ratified by SACRAMENTS.

The firft

II. Divine compaffion published to wretched man, immediately upon his fall, the first doctrine of Gofpel grace; in fuch a manner, indeed, as in few words, promife. and thofe almoft enigmatical, fummarily to contain the whole gospel: we have that first promife Gen. 3. 14, 15: and the Lord faid unto the ferpent, becaufe thou haft done this, thou art curfed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field: upon thy belly shalt thou go, and duft fhalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed; it shall bruife thy head, and thou shalt bruife bis beel. Luther long ago complained, that none of the ancient fathers and bishops, who were men eminent for knowledge and piety, had explained this paffage as it deserved: their fucceffors ought to use the greater diligence to do it with the more care: which feveral learned interpreters have indeed happily effected. Treading in their foot steps, we shall make it appear, that the principal articles of the gofpel-doctrine are fummarily contaned in this text.

condemn

III. We fuppofe, that the devil is condemned, by In the ferthis fentence, to whom, the Lord addreffes himself, pent, the under the appellation of the ferpent, because he had devil was abused that animal, in order to deceive man For, ed. it is dull and triffling to reftrict that magnificent fpeech of the deity, as if it had its full accomplishment in that animal alone; for befides, that it might feem unbecoming the fupreme being, to addrefs a brute beast, void of all reafon, in fuch pomp of language, many things faid here to the ferpent, if interpreted literally, are natural to that beast: as to go upon his belly and eat duft. For, we are not to affirm without fcripture,

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