unto the promised seed proceeding from him, who was to be the heir of all things.

That which they intend by his coming into the world, is what himself constantly calleth his leaving of the world, and going out of it. See John xvii. 11, 12. 18. chap. xiii. 1. I leave the world, I am no more in the world; they are in the world.' This, therefore, cannot be his coming into the world. And this imagination is contrary, as unto the express words, so to the open design of the apostle; for as he declares his coming into the world, to be the season wherein a body was fitted for him, so that which he had to do herein, was what he had to do in this world, before his departure out of it, ver. 12. Wherefore, this figment is contrary to common sense, the meaning of the words, the design of the place, and other express testimonies of Scripture, and is of no use, but to be an instance how men of corrupt minds can wrest the Scripture for their ends unto their own destruction.

The general sense of the best expositors, ancient and modern, is, that by the coming of Christ into the world, his incarnation is intended. See John i. 10. iii. 16, 17. 19. vi. 14. ix. 5. 39. xi. 27. xii. 46. xvi. 28. The same with his coming in the flesh, his being made flesh, his being manifest in the flesh; for therein and thereby he came into the world. Neither is there any weight in the objection of the Socinians, unto this exposition of the words, namely, that the Lord Christ at his first coming in the flesh, and in his infancy, could not do the will of God; nor could these words be used of him. For, 1. His coming into the world in the act of the assumption of our nature, was in obedience unto, and for the fulfilling of the word of God. For God sent him into the world,' John iii. 17. And he came, not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him.' 2. His doing the will of God, is not confined unto any one single act or duty, but extends itself unto all the degrees, and whole progress of what he did and suffered in compliance with the will of God, the foundation of the whole being laid in his incarnation.

But as these words were not verbally and literally spoken by him, being only a real declaration of his design and intention; so this expression, of his coming into the world, is not to be confined unto any one single act or duty, so as to exclude all others from being concerned therein. It hath respect unto all the solemn acts of the susception and discharge of his mediatory office for the salvation of the church. But if any shall rather judge, that in this expression, some single season and act of Christ is intended, it can be no other but his incarnation, and his coming into the world thereby. For this was the foundation of all that he did afterwards, and that whereby he was fitted for his whole work of mediation, as is immediately declared. And we may observe,

Obs. II. The Lord Christ had an infinite prospect of all that he was to do and suffer in the world, in the discharge of his office and undertaking.-He declared from the beginning, his willingness unto the whole of it. And an eternal evidence it is of his love, as also of the justice of God, in laying all our sins on him, seeing it was done by his own will and consent.

4. The fourth thing in the words is, what he said. The substance of it is laid down, ver. 5. Unto which the farther explication is added, ver. 6, 7. And the application of it unto the intention of the apostle, in those that follow. The words are recorded, Psal. xl. 6-8. being indited by the Holy Ghost in the name of Christ, as declarative of his will.

Of the first thing proposed, there are two parts. First, What concerned the sacrifices of the law. Secondly, What concerneth himself.

First, As to what concerneth the sacrifices, there is,

1. The expression of the subject spoken of, that is,

, which the apostle renders by Suria na gorpoge, ' sacrifice and offering.' In the next verse, the one of them, namely, Ivo, is distributed into by, which the apostle renders by ὁλοκαυτώματα και περι άμαρτίας, 6 burnt-offerings, or whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin.' It is evident that the Holy Ghost, in this variety of expressions, compriseth all the sacrifices of the law, that had respect to the expiation of sin. And as to all of them, their order, especial nature and use, I have treated at large in my Exercitations, (Exercit. 24.) whither the reader is referred.

2. Of these sacrifices, it is affirmed,

as, that God

thou

'would them not,' ver. 5. and that he had no pleasure in them,' ver. 6. The first in the original is no 5, which the apostle renders by sendiλnons, thou wouldst not.' We render it in the psalm, thou didst not desire.' is to will," but always with desire, complacency and delight. Psal. li. 6. 'Behold, non, thou desirest,' 'thou wilt,' or 'art delighted with truth in the hidden part, ver. 16. on xh, wouldst not,'' thou desiredst not," sacrifice.' Gen. xxxiv. 19. 'he had delight in Jacob's daughter.' Psal. cxlvii. 10. So p the noun, is delight,' Psal. i. 2. The LXX. render it generally by, and 9, to will,' as also the noun by die. And they are of the same signification, to will freely, voluntarily,' and with delight.' But this sense the apostle doth transfer to the other word, which he renders by svdoxnous, ver. 6. In the psalm it is new, thou hast not required.' Evdoxin, is to rest in,'' to approve,' to delight in,' to be pleased with.' So is it always used in the New Testament, whether spoken of God or men. See Mat. iii. 17. xii. 18. xvii. 5. Luke iii. 22. xii. 32. Rom. xv. 26, 27. 1 Cor. i. 21. x. 5. 2 Cor. v. 8. Col. i. 19., &c. Wherefore, though we grant, that the words used by the apostle are not exact versions of those used by the psalmist,

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as they are applied the one to the other, yet it is evident that in both of them, the full and exact meaning of both these used by the psalmist is declared, which is sufficient to his purpose.

All the difficulty in the words may be reduced to these two inquiries. 1. In what sense it is affirmed that God would not have these sacrifices, that he had no pleasure' in them, that • he rested not' in them. 2. How was this made known, so as that it might be declared, as it is in this place.

First, As to the first of these we may observe,

1. That this is not spoken of the will of God, as to the institution and appointment of these sacrifices, for the apostle affirms, ver. 8. that they were offered according to the law,' namely, which God gave to the people. God says indeed by the prophet to the people, that he spake not to their fathers, nor commanded them in the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices,' Jer. vii. 22. But he spake not absolutely as to the things themselves, but to their manner of the observance of them.

2. It is not with respect to the obedience of the people in their attendance to them, during the economy of the law. For God both required it strictly of them, and approved of it in them, when duly performed. The whole law and prophets bare testimony hereunto. And it was the great injunction which he left with the people, when he ceased to grant any more immediate revelations of his will to the church, Mal. iv. 4. And the Lord Christ himself under the Judaical church did observe them.

3. God doth frequently reject or disallow them in the people as they were attended to and performed by them. But this he did only in the case of their gross hypocrisy, and the two great evils wherewith it was accompanied. The first was, that they did not only prefer the outward observance of them before internal moral obedience, but trusted to them, to the total neglect of that obedience. See Isa. i. 12-17. And the other was, that they put their trust in them for righteousness and acceptance with God, about which he deals, Jer. vii. Yet neither was this the case under consideration in the psalm. For there is no respect had to any miscarriages of the people about these sacrifices, but to the sacrifices themselves.

Wherefore, some say, that the words are prophetical, and declare what the will of God would be after the coming of Christ in the flesh, and the offering of his sacrifice once for all. Then God would no more require them nor accept them. But yet neither is this suited to the mind of the Holy Ghost. For, 1. The apostle doth not prove by this testimony that they were to cease, but that they could not take away sin whilst they were in force. 2. The reason given by the Lord Christ of his undertaking, is their insufficiency during their continuance accord

ing to the law. 3. This revelation of the will of God, made to the church, was actually true when it was made and given, or it was suited to lead them into a great mistake.

The mind of the Holy Ghost is plain enough, both in the testimony itself, and in the use made of it by the apostle. For the legal sacrifices are spoken of only with respect to that end which the Lord Christ undertook to accomplish by his mediation. And this was the perfect real expiation of sin, with the justification, sanctification and eternal salvation of the church, with that perfect state of spiritual worship which was ordained for it in this world. All these things, these sacrifices were appointed to prefigure and represent. But the nature and design of this prefiguration being dark and obscure, and the things signified being utterly hid from them, as to their especial nature and the manner of their efficacy, many in all ages of the church expected them from these sacrifices, and they had a great appearance of being divinely ordained to that end and purpose. Wherefore this is that, and that alone, with respect whereunto they are here rejected. God never appointed them to this end; he never took pleasure in them with reference thereunto; they were insufficient in the wisdom, holiness and righteousness of God to any such purpose. Wherefore the sense of God concerning them as to this end, is, that they were not appointed, not approved, not accepted for it.

Secondly, It may be inquired, how this mind and will of God, concerning the refusal of these sacrifices to this end, might be known, so as that it should be here spoken of, as of a truth unquestionable in the church. For the words, thou wouldest not,' 'thou tookest no pleasure,' do not express a mere internal act of the divine will, but a declaration also of what is, and what is not well pleasing to God. How then was this declaration made? how came it to be known? I answer,

1. The words are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, considered as to be incarnate, for the redemption of the church. As such, he was always in the bosom of the Father, participant of his counsels, especially of those which concerned the church, the children of men,' Prov. viii. 22-24., &c. He was therefore always acquainted with all the thoughts and counsels of God, concerning the ways and means of the expiation of sin, and so declared what he knew.

2. As to the penman of the psalm, the words were dictated to him by immediate revelation, which, if nothing had been spoken of it, or intimated before, had been sufficient for the declaration of the will of God therein; for all revelations of that nature, have a beginning when they were first made. But,

3. In, by and together with the institution of all these legal VOL. VI. G g

sacrifices, God had from the beginning intimated to the church, that they were not the absolute, ultimate way for the expiation of sin. that he designed or would approve of. And this he did, partly in the nature of the sacrifices themselves, which were no way competent or suited in themselves to this end, it being impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin; partly, in first giving various intimations, and then express declaration of his will, that they were only prescribed for a season, and that a time would come when their observance should utterly cease, which the apostle proves, chap. vii. and viii.; and partly by evidencing, that they were all but types and figures of good things to come, as we have at large declared. By these, and sundry other ways of the like kind, God had, in the institution and command of these sacrifices themselves, sufficiently manifested, that he did neither design them, nor require them, nor approve of them, as to this end of the expiation of sin. Wherefore there is in the words no new revelation absolutely, but only a mere express declaration of that will and counsel of God, which he had by various ways given intimation of before. And we may observe,

Obs. III. No sacrifices of the law, not all of them together, were a means for the expiation of sin, suited to the glory of God, or necessities of the souls of men.-From the first appointment of sacrifices, immediately after the entrance of sin, and the giving of the promise, the observance of them in one kind or another, spread itself over the whole earth. The Gentiles retained them by tradition, helped on by some conviction on a guilty conscience, that by some way or other atonement must be made for sin. On the Jews they were imposed by law. There are no footsteps of light or testimony, that the Gentiles did ever retain any sense of the true reason and end of their original institution, and of the practice of mankind thereon, which was only the confirmation of the first promise, by a prefiguration of the means and way of its accomplishment. The church of Israel being carnal also, had very much lost the understanding and knowledge hereof. Hence both sorts looked for the real expiation of sin, the pardon of it, and the tak ing away of its punishment, by the offering of those sacrifices. As for the Gentiles, God suffered them to walk in their own ways, and winked at the time of their ignorance. But as to the Jews, he had before variously intimated his mind concerning them, and at length by the mouth of David in the person of Christ, absolutely declares their insufficiency, with his disapprobation of them as to the end which they in their minds applied them to.

Obs. IV. Our utmost diligence, with the most sedulous improvement of the light and wisdom of faith, is necessary in our search into, and inquiry after the mind and will of God in the