Page images
PDF
EPUB

ferve the living God. But this application SER M. of the legal Types is so often urged in the IV. new teftament, and fo largely explained in the epiftle to the Hebrews, that I truft there is neither any room for doubt, nor need of farther illuftration.

Again, the creation of this visible world, and the whole frame and order of things, do conftitute another kind of natural types, to represent the new myftical creation of the faithful in Chrift Jefus, the constitution of his church, and its transcendent Privileges. Thus Chrift is fignificantly term'd the fecond Adam, and his faithful members are faid to be new creatures, the workmanship of God, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works. In like manner when the Apostle observes that God who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God; he intimates that the darkness with which the face of the earth was cover'd at the beginning, was a type of that grofs ignorance and spiritual darkness, with which the minds of men are naturally clouded before their regeneration by the spirit of Chrift; and that the original light created by God, and which fhone at his commandment out of the darkness on the first day, was withal a type of the illumination and inftruction of our * 2 Cor. iv. 6.

SERM. minds, by that Divine Spirit, in the knowIV. ledge of Chrift and the truths revealed by his gofpel. So again the natural birth is mention'd as a figure of our fpiritual regeneration; the fpringing of fruits out of the earth from feeds that were corrupted and decay'd, is a type and emblem of the Refurrection, and revival of our dead bodies; the holy eftate of Matrimony is reprefented as a figure of the mutual endearments between Chrift and his church; and it is an argument of the great wisdom of Almighty God, that he has fo fuited and methodized the natural and the fpiritual œconomy, that the one may fitly ferve to figure out the other.

Laftly, the biftorical Types are those matters of fact related in the old teftament, and more especially in the Books of Mofes, which were literally tranfacted in fuch manner as the facred hiftory informs us, but had moreover a refpect to gofpel times, to figure out fomething which thould happen afterwards with a fit proportion of refemblance.

There are many inftances of this kind, of application in the new testament. St. Paul fpeaking of the behaviour of the people in the wilderness, and of the difpenfations of God towards them, fays exprefly, they were our TYPES * or enfamples, and * τύποι ἡμῶν. 1

that

that these things were written for our admo- SER M. nition, upon whom the ends of the world are IV. come *. Accordingly their exclufion from that reft which was promised in the land of Canaan, in punishment of their difobedience, is elsewhere mention'd to denote the exclufion of all fuch from the kingdom of heaven, as do reject or disobey the gospel of Christ. And in the fame method, the Apostle has explained the hiftory of Abraham's offspring by the bondwoman and by the free, befides its primary and literal sense, to be really an Allegory, figuring out the state of the church under the bondage of the Law and the freedom of the Gospel +†. So again, the example of Efau who fold his birthright to gratify the prefent cravings of his appetite, is alledg'd to reprefent their fin and folly, who for the fake of present and tranfitory fatisfactions, do forfeit and give up their title to the heavenly inheritance. And in like manner, the flood which destroyed the ungodly, but faved the family of Noah by bearing up the ark upon it, is explain'd by St. Peter to have its ANTITYPE in Baptifm, which is appointed to fave us in the church of Chrift, provided the outward washing of water, be join'd with the anfwer of a good confci

[blocks in formation]

SERM. Nay, even Christ himself, as well as his IV. Apoftles, has countenanced this Allegorical method of interpreting, by mentioning the Manna that was given for the temporal fupport of the people in the wilderness as inferior to, and only figurative of that bread of God, which fhould fuftain our fouls unto eternal life as alfo the text where he proposes that brazen ferpent which Mofes erected on a pole for the healing of those who fhould look up to it, after the biting of the fiery ferpents, as a type of his own facred body extended on the cross, for the falvation of all those who look up to him by faith, and expect thro' him the forgivenefs of their fins.

Nor is it only in the old teftament that one matter of fact is fet down as the type or figure of another. In the new teftament itself, we read of the deftruction of Jerufalem foretold and pointed out in fuch terms, as argue it to be prefigurative of the general judgment and future vengeance prepared for the ungodly. From whence the characters of both are often intermix'd, and the tranfition is fometimes very quick and immediate, from the type or figure to its proper antitype. Nay, and let me add, that our bleffed Saviour very clearly leads us to affix a figurative or spiritual meaning to his own miracles, when upon occafion of his giving fight to those who were naturally

blind, he directs his Auditors to apply it to SER M. the power and efficacy of his doctrine, in IV. opening the eyes of the understanding, and diffufing fpiritual light and energy. For judgment (fays he) I am come into this world, that they which fee not might fee, (i. e. that they who are ignorant might be inftructed) and that they which fee (i. e. will not be convicted of their ignorance, but swell with an opinion of their own knowledge) might be made blind, or feal'd up by utter obduration. So likewife his method of inftructing by Parables, does eafily point out how historical Facts are capable of being applied to typical and figurative purposes and the facraments themselves are fo framed and contrived as to direct our thoughts from the literal, to a myftical and fpiritual meaning; whilft the outward washing of water is made in the One to figure out the cleanfing of the Inner man from the filthiness of fin, and the refreshment of our bodies by bread and wine incorporated into their very fubftance, is underftood in the Other to exprefs" the ftrengthening and refreshing of our fouls by the body and blood of Christ," uniting us to him as our head, and diffufing spiritual fuftenance to all lively members of his body.

[ocr errors]

* John ix. 39.

« PreviousContinue »