flee before him, and he shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory and judge all nations! Yea then, Lord, especially help us and have mercy upon us, for thy name's sake. In that day, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.

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DISCOURSE XIX.

THE SHADOWS OF CHRIST.

COL. ii. 17.

Which things are a shadow, but the body is of Christ, IN most of St. Paul's epistles he labours to prove

that all the scriptures testify of Christ. That be is the Lord and God so often spoken of therein; and that the whole law, the sacrifices, the sprinkling of blood, the priest, the vestments, the festivals, the new moons, the Sabbaths, the ark, the temple, and whatever was contained in the first covenant, were not the substance, but only figures of the true, namely, Jesus Christ, in whom is found all fulness.

In like manner, before the law, God spake to the fathers in similitudes, and under types and shadows manifested his redemption to them, and but to a very few was the salvation shewn plainly, and without a veil.

In former ages, therefore, compared with these days of the Son of man, Christ was preached but darkly, and the good people of those times were shut up under the law to the faith which was afterwards revealed, and taught plainly in our Saviour, and by all his apostles and disciples.

I suppose much of God's dealings with Adam, Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is therefore handed down, through so many ages, as sha

dows

dows of his gracious dealings to us in Christ; and especially the offerings (which were most early of all others, and used two thousand years before Moses) kept up in the minds of the people, the idea of being saved by the death of another, and made clean by blood. This the ordinances and dispensation of the law only explained a little more, and pointed out clearer the Antitype Jesus. This is plain from the Scripture; for when Moses was in the mount with God, he saw how the serpent's head should be bruised, and sin and death abolished; and therefore, when he was ordered to make the worldly tabernacle, and regulate the sacrifices, priesthood, and divine service, he was charged to do it after the pattern which was shewn him; and thence it is, that to force a strict observance of the rites and ceremonies then in use, Moses delivers the ordinances and statutes, saying, Thus and thus shall it be done; and adds, "All these words the Lord commanded Moses." This served to enlighten a little such as walked under that cloudy dispensa tion, and those who searched diligently among the prophets, and who ventured behind the veil, found out that God would provide a lamb, and make his soul an offering for sin, and by his stripes heal the heart of his people, and in his blood, like a fountain, wash away the sins and uncleanness of the world, and therefore boldly testified of him, and taught the people of the coming of a priest who should abide for ever, and who was mighty to save. They mentioned the bringing in of a law and new covenant, that could give life and salvation, and which should be everlasting; and the shedding of blood, which could make an atonement for the soul. By this means many died in faith, having only seen the Saviour afar off, having wished to see the days that we

see, but did not see them; and to hear the words that we hear, but did not hear them.

However many, professing christianity now, are ashamed of it, yet it is most sure and certain, that the Lord, so often named and mentioned in the Bible, the Jehovah, the God of the prophets and fathers, the Maker of heaven and earth, the One God, the Holy one of Israel, is no other than the same Person, who having often appeared to the patriarchs, and to the church in the wilderness, as a great King, as an Angel, as a cherub, in fire, in a cloud, &c. in these last days appeared in the form of a servant, and was called Jesus Christ; and though men will venture to think low and meanly of him, and suppose some being or name greater or higher than he, they must one day bow the knee to him with shame, and know, that there is no name above his name in heaven and earth, or under the earth, nor in this world, nor in that which is to come. He is truly low, in respect of his humanity, for in that he humbled himself, but is nevertheless truly and everlastingly "God over all blessed for ever. Amen."

Some of the first shadows of Christ appear even directly after the fall; for as soon as Adam and Eve had sinned, and were sensible of it, they endeavoured to hide themselves behind the trees, and made aprons of fig-leaves to cover their nakedness. It was indeed a poor robe, and what the least wind could have blown away, and the least finger have torn, but such is all the righteousness of our making; it may serve to please ourselves, and such short-sighted people as are in the same state with us, but the smallest blast of the Lord's mouth would make it all flee away like a cobweb, or chaff, or smoke out of the chimney, and we should be left naked and bare. Therefore when God forgave

Adam,

Adam, and comforted him with the promise of healing the breach by the Seed of the woman, he no doubt taught him to offer sacrifices, and so preached to his family and children, that by means of death and shedding of blood the sinner should be saved; and then the Lord made them coats of the skins of the beasts, and cloathed them. It is not said, he taught them how to make their coats, but made them himself; signifying that no covering we can make ourselves will hide our shame from him, or be right in his sight: He must do it himself; he must cloath us with his righteousness as with a raiment, and woe be to them that cover not themselves with the covering of his Spirit. We are so far from being capable of covering our sin, or making ourselves righteous, that we even cannot help to do it. As it was said of the altar, "Thou shalt make it of whole stones, thou shalt not lift up a tool upon it, if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it;" so may it be said in this respect, thou must have it wholly of him, a perfect righteousness, long and down to the foot, quite complete, and fit to hide all iniquity, and having no room to add any of our own to it. To think of obtaining part of this to make ours entire, would be to take the new cloth to mend the old garment, which may not be. As the fleece of the victim offered in sacrifice was Adam's coat, so Christ being stripped naked, and offered up on the altar of the Cross, takes his true fleece, his righteousness, of which he seemed divested when he was made sin for us, and numbered with transgressors, and this he gives and imputes to cover their nakedness for whom he was made a sacrifice. "Buy of me," he saith, "raiment, and ye shall be cloathed, and the shame of your nakedness shall not appear.'

Thus Noah's ark was a shadow of Christ; for when the fountains of the great deep were broken

up,