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CHAP.

IV.

5, 6, 7.

came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil; and as he came into the world for judgment, so the substance was in a measure fulfilled, in the work of his first appearing; but according to the testimony of Christ in that day, the law and the prophets were to be more especially fulfilled in his second appearing, which, on that account, was spoken of as the judgment of the great day.

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9. That the order of God was established under the law, for the confession of every particular sin, is evident from the whole law a few passages of which Num. may suffice for example. "And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or a woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompensé his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed."

See Ezra
Lev. iii.

x. 9 to 17.

3-9.

chap.xvi 4-9.

10. For the time then present, 'there were always certain persons appointed, according to the order of God, to hear and judge, and to direct the transgressor how to make restitution; which served as a shadow of future things under the gospel. And the confession of every particular sin was accompanied with an offering and a sacrifice, to be offered at the door of the tabernacle.

11. And if any one offered an offering, or a sacrifice, in any other place than at the tabernacle, where God had expressly placed his name, it was counted sacrificing unto devils, and that soul was to be cut off from among his people. Which had a particular allusion to the work of Christ in his first and second appearing, showing that it would not be lo here! and lo there! that God would be found to acceptance; Lukevä but as Christ expresses it, Wheresoever the body is: that is, where he should pitch his true tabernacle in his people, where he should expressly place his name, for salvation.

37.

Heb. ix. 7,8,28.

12. The high priest went into the holiest of all, once a year, and that not without blood, to make an atonement for the whole congregation of Israel;

which typified Christ in his first appearing, when by his own blood, having made an atonement for the sins of the world, he entered into heaven itself; from whence he was to appear the second time, to complete the work of redemption.

13. But it may here be particularly observed, that the sins of the people were not taken away until after the high priest returned out of the holiest of all, having made atonement for the sins of the whole congregation, by the blood of the first goat which was slain. So Christ, in his first appearing, by offering up his own life, made atonement for the sins of the world; yet sin was not wholly taken away; but the promise remained: Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation. Which was to make a final end of sin.

CHAP.

IV.

14. Again, it was commanded, saying, "Aaron Lev. xvi. (after returning from within the vail) shall lay both 20,21,34 his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send them away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." This was to be an everlasting statute unto the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.

15. This order of a full confession of sins over the head of the scape goat, had a particular allusion to the second appearing of Christ, to make an end of sin, by a full atonement and forgiveness, in the order of a full and final confession, and a final forsaking.

19-26.

16. A particular example of confessing sins to God, is given in the case of Achan. "And Joshua Josh. vi said unto Achan, give, I pray thee, glory unto the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me what thou hast done, hide it not from me." And Achan answered Joshua, saying, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done."

17. In this case Joshua stood, figuratively, in the order of a mediator, to hear the confession; for Achan could make no confession to the Lord God of Israel, or to his acceptance, but where he was then manifested, which was in his servant Joshua.

CHAP.

IV.

18. Therefore, when he had related to Joshua, thing by thing, what he had done, Joshua said, "Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones: (for in the case of wilful and knowing disobedience the law shewed no mercy.) And they raised over him a great heap of stones-wherefore the name of that place was called The valley of Achor [i. e. the valley of trouble] unto this day."

19. Hence the Lord speaking, by the prophet Hosea, of the work of Christ in the latter day, refers to this circumstance, as particularly to be fulfilled, in its full design and signification, upon the very cause Hosea and principle of sin, when he says, "Behold I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope."

14,15,&c.

Inke vii. 29, 30.

Matt v.

20. Without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better and therefore such as receive the power of salvation and real acceptance with God, must receive it through that medium appointed in the order of God, before them; and by finding their union and relation to the order of God's appointment, they find their relation to God, which was ever his manner of working, in every dispensation of his grace.

21. Hence those who came to John, and were bap tized of him, confessing their sins, justified God; while the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. For as John was sent of God; so whatever was done unto John, was accepted as done unto God, according

to the extent of his mission.

22. The power and authority of Christ, both in the person of Jesus, and in the order of the Primitive, Church, has been already sufficiently stated to show that there was no other medium, through which mankind could find access to God, than that in which he was manifested, which was in his faithful and true witnesses.

23. Hence said Jesus to his chosen followers, "Ye 13, 14. x. are the salt of the earth-Ye are the light of the 40. xv. world. He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and

28.

CHAP.

IV.

he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.-Whose soever sins ye remit, John xxthey are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins 23. ye retain, they are retained.”

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24. The glory which thou gavest me I have given unto them.-As my father hath sent me into the world, even so send I you. The Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. -If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

ch. xvii. 2xx. 21

v. 22. xi.

47,48.

14.

xii. 11.

25. It was the Word, dwelling in the saints, which was to judge the world at the last day; accordingly Jesus said, "I have given unto them thy Word.-It xvii is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost." Hence Mark it is written, "He that abideth in the doctrine of 2 John 9. Christ, hath both the Father and the Son-Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

26. And therefore, Christ, dwelling and abiding in the saints, did, in and by them, hear and judge of - all things pertaining to salvation. And as there was no other name given under heaven among men, whereby any could be saved, but by Christ, and Christ dwelt in his saints and they in him; so there was no other medium under heaven, where God could be found to salvation, or where true remission of sins could be obtained.

1 Cor. ii.

16. and

vi. 19.

18.

27. As God is All-seeing, and knows the most secret thoughts, words and actions of all men; so in this respect, nothing can be covered from him, nor uncovered before him; therefore when many that be- Acts xix. lieved came and confessed and shewed their deeds, they Mat. xxiv did not go into the desert, or some secret place to 26. confess their sins, as many do now-a-days; but they came to the apostles, who were the light of the world, and brought their deeds to the light, and shewed them.

28. In this was substantially fulfilled, according to

IV.

CHAP. the measure of that dispensation, what was so abundantly spoken of, in the law and the prophets, about John . confessing sins to God. Hence said Christ, "Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

20, 21.

29. The greatest power that Christ had, was that which pertained to salvation, and the remission of sins. And as the Son of man had power on earth to forgive sins; so he gave the same power unto his followers, 2 Cor. iv. whom he had chosen to give the knowledge of salvation to the world, which treasure was committed to earthen vessels. Whose soever sins they remitted, they were remitted unto them; and whose soever sins they retained, they were retained.

7.

Dan. vii.

22, 16, 27, Oba. 21.

Jer, xhx.

10, 22.

30. This was the true order and power in which the Primitive Church stood. And although the power of the holy people was scattered, and the true order in the confession and forgiveness of sins was perverted and lost, during the reign of Antichrist; yet, according to the most pointed testimony of both prophets and apostles, the same power, and greater, was to be restored and given unto the saints in the latter day.

31. Agreeable to the vision of Daniel, Judgment was given to the saints of the most High. And according to Obadiah, Saviours shall come upon mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

32. The judgment of Esau, which is Edom or old Adam, is thus described by the prophet Jeremiah : "I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself. And at that day shall the heart of the men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs." That is, pained to be delivered of those abominations which they know must come to the light.

33. The same thing was testified by all the prophets who spake of the work of the latter day, from Enoch the seventh from Adam, to John the last of the Jude 14, inspired apostles; as it is written, Behold the Lord cometh in ten thousand of his saints, to execute judg

15.

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