ture,' the truth of these words as a Divine doctrine and exposition of the law of nature is still the same.

5. The covenant of grace made with Adam and Noah for all mankind, is still in force as to the great benefits and main condition, that is, as to pardon given by it to true penitent believers, with a right to everlasting life, and as to the obligation to sincere obedience for salvation: though not as to the yet future coming of Christ in the flesh. And this law of grace was never yet repealed any further than Christ's coming did fulfil it and perfect it: therefore to the rest of the world who never can have the Gospel or more perfect testament as Christians have, the former law of grace is yet in force. And that is the law, conjoined with the law of nature, which now the world without the church is under: under, I say, as to the force of the law, and a former promulgation made to Adam and Noah, and some common intimations of it in merciful forbearances, pardons, and benefits; though how many are under it as to the knowledge, reception, and belief, and obedience of it, and consequently are saved by it, is more than I or any man knoweth.

6. There are many prophecies of Christ and the Christian church in the Old Testament yet to be fulfilled, and therefore are still God's Word for us.

7. There are many precepts of God to the Jews and to particular persons, given them on reasons common to them with us; where parity of reason will help thence to gather our own duty now.

8. There are many holy expressions (as in the Psalms), which are fitted to persons in our condition, and came from the Spirit of God; and therefore as such are fit for us

now.

9. Even the fulfilled promises, types, and prophecies, are still God's words, that is, his Word given to their several proper uses: and though much of their use be changed or ceased, so is not all: they are yet useful to us, to confirm our faith, while we see their accomplishment, and see how much God still led his church to happiness in one and the

same way.

10. On all these accounts therefore we may still read

the Old Testament, and preach upon it in the public churches".

Quest. CLVI. Must we believe that Moses's law did ever bind other nations; or that any other parts of the Scripture bound them, or belong to them? or that the Jews were all God's visible church on earth?

Answ. I conjoin these three questions for dispatch.

I. 1. Some of the matter of Moses's law did bind all nations; that is, the law of nature as such.

2. Those that had the knowledge of the Jewish law, were bound collaterally to believe and obey all the expositions of the law of nature in it, and all the laws which were given upon reasons common to all the world; (as about degrees of marriage, particular rules of justice, &c.) As if I heard God from heaven tell another that standeth by me, Thou shalt not marry thy father's widow; for it is abominable,' I ought to apply that to me, being his subject which is spoken to another on a common reason*.

3. All those Gentiles that would be proselytes, and join with the Jews in their policy, and dwell among them, were bound to be observers of their laws. But, 1. The law of nature as Mosaical, did not formally and directly bind other nations. 2. Nor were they bound to the laws of their peculiar policy, civil or ecclesiastical, which were positives. The reason is, (1.) Because they were all one body of political laws, given peculiarly to one political body. Even the decalogue itself was to them a political law. (2.) Because Moses was not authorized or sent to be the mediator or deliverer of that law to any nation but the Jews. And being never in the enacting or promulgation sent or directed to the rest of the world, it could not bind them.

II. As to the second question, Though the Scripture as a writing bound not all the world, yet, 1. The law of nature as such which is recorded in Scripture did bind all. 2. The

u 2 Tim. iii. 15. Rom. xv. 4. xvi. 6. Matt. xxii. 29. Luke xxiv. 27. 32. 45. John v. 39. Acts xvii. 2. 11. xviii. 24, 25. John xx. 9. vii. 38. 42. x. 24. 28. Luke iv. 18. 21. 2 Tim. iii. 16. 2 Pet. i. 19, 20. Rom. i. 2.

35. xiii. 18. xix.
Aets viii. 32, 33. 35.
* Rom. i. 20, 21.
xviii. 26. xxiv. 16. 22.

ii.

Exod. xii. 19.43. 48, 49.
Numb. ix. 14-16. 29, 30.

xx. 10. Lev. xvii. 12. 15. xix. 10. Deut: i. 16.

covenant of grace was made with all mankind in Adam and Noah: and they were bound to promulgate it by tradition to all their offspring. And no doubt so they did; whether by word, (as all did,) or by writing also, (as it is likely some did, as Enoch's prophecies were it is likely delivered, or else they had not in terms been preserved till Jude's time). 3. And God himself as aforesaid by actual providences, pardoning, and benefits given to them that deserved hell, did in part promulgate it himself. 4. The neighbour nations might learn much by God's doctrine and dealing with the Jews".

III. To the third question, I answer, 1. The Jews were a people chosen by God out of all the nations of the earth, to be a holy nation, and his peculiar treasure, having a peculiar Divine law and covenant, and many great privileges, to which the rest of the world were strangers; so that they were advanced above all other kingdoms of the world, though not in wealth, nor worldly power, nor largeness of dominion, yet in a special dearness unto God".

2. But they were not the only people to whom God made a covenant of grace in Adam and Noah, as distinct from the law or covenant of innocency.

3. Nor were they the only people that professed to worship the true God; neither was holiness and salvation confined to them; but were found in other nations. Therefore though we have but little notice of the state of other kingdoms in their times, and scarcely know what national churches, (that is, whole nations professing saving faith,) there were, yet we may well conclude that there were other visible churches besides the Jews. For, 1. No Scripture denieth it; and charity then must hope the best. 2. The Scriptures of the Old Testament give us small account of other countries, but of the Jews alone, with some of their neighbours. 3. Shem was alive in Abraham's days, (yea, about 34 years after Abraham's death, and within 12 years of Ishmael's death, viz. till about An. Mundi 2158). And so great and blessed a man as Shem, cannot be thought to be

y Psal. cxlv. 9. ciii. 19. c. 1. Rom. xiv. 11. Acts xxxiv. 35. Jude xiv. 15.

z Deut. xiv. 2, 3. vii. 2. 6, 7. Exod. xix. 5. vi, 7, 8. Lev. xx. 24. 26. Deut. iv. 20. 33. xxix. 13. xxxiii. 29. Rom. iii. 1-3.

less than a king, and to have a kingdom governed according to his holiness; and so that there was with him not only a church, but a national church, or holy kingdom. 4. And Melchizedec was a holy king and priest; and therefore had a kingdom holily governed; and therefore not only a visible but also a national church; (supposing that he was not Shem, as the Jews and Broughton, &c. think; for the situation of his country doth make many desert that opinion). 5. And Job and his friends shew that there were churches then besides the Jews. 6. And it is not to be thought that all Ishmael's posterity suddenly apostatized. 7. Nor that Esau's posterity had no church state: (for both retained circumcision). 8. Nor is it like that Abraham's offspring by Keturah were all apostates, being once inchurched. For though the special promise was made to Isaac's seed, as the peculiar holy nation, &c. yet not as the only children of God, or persons in a state of salvation. 9. And the passain Jonah about Nineveh give us some such intimations also. 10. And Japhet and his seed being under a special blessing, it is not like that they all proved apostates. And what was in all other kingdoms of the world is little known to us.

ges

We must therefore take heed of concluding (as the proud Jews were at last apt to do of themselves,) that because they were a chosen nation privileged above all others, that therefore the Redeemer under the law of grace made to Adam, had no other churches in the world, and that there were none saved but the Jews and proselytes 2.

Quest. CLVII. Must we think accordingly of the Christian churches now, that they are only advanced above the rest of the world as the Jews were, but not the only people that are saved?

Answ. This question being fitter for another place, what hope there is of the salvation of the people that are not Christians, I have purposely handled in another treatise (in my "Method. Theologiæ"), and shall only say now, 1. That those that receive not Christ and the Gospel revealed and

a It is this Jewish pride of their own prerogatives which Paul so much laboureth in all his epistles to pull down..

offered to them cannot be saved. 2. That all those shall be saved (if such there be) who never had sufficient means to know Christ incarnate, and yet do faithfully perform the common conditions of the covenant of grace as it. was made with Adam and Noah; and particularly all that are truly sanctified, who truly hate all known sin, and love God as God above all, as their merciful, reconciled, pardoning Father, and lay up all their hopes in heaven, in the everlasting fruition of him in glory, and set their hearts there, and for those hopes deny the interest of the flesh, and all things of this world c.

3. But how many or who doth this abroad in all the kingdoms of the world, who have not the distinct knowledge of the articles of the Christian faith, it is not possible for us to know.

4. But (as Aquinas and the schoolmen ordinarily conclude this question) we are sure that the church hath this prerogative above all others, that salvation is incomparably more common to Christians, than to any others, as their light, and helps, and means are more. The opinions of Justin, and Clem. Alexandr., Origen, and many other ancients, of the heathens' salvation I suppose is known. In short:

1. It seems plain to me, that all the world that are no Christians, and have not the Gospel, are not by Christ's incarnation put into a worse condition than they were in before; but may be saved on the same terms that they might have been saved on before".

2. That Christ's apostles were in a state of salvation before they believed the articles of Christ's dying for sin, his resurrection, ascension, the giving of the Holy Ghost, and Christ's coming to judgment, as they are now to be believed.

3. That all the faithful before Christ's coming were saved by a more general faith than the apostles had, as not being terminated in this person, Jesus, as the Messiah, but only expected the Messiah to come f.

b Mark xvi. 16. John. iii. 16-20. i. 11, 12.

c Psal. xix. 1-5.
d 1 Tim. ii. 4. iv.
e John i. 5. &c.
f Mal. iii. 1, 2.

Acts x. 2, 3. 35.
10. Tit. ii. 11.
ix. 12. &c.
John iv. 25.

Rom. ii.

John i. 29. iii. 17. iv. 42.
Matt. xvi. 22. John xii. 16.

Rom. i. 21. Luke xviii. 34.