But it being of the highest importance to revelation in general, and not a little conducive to the support of our arguments for the divine legation of Moses in particular, to show the logical truth and propriety of types in action, and secondary senses in speech, I shall take the present opportunity to sift this matter to the bottom. For having occasionally shown, in several parts of the preceding discourse, that the references in the LAW to the GOSPEL are in typical representations, and secondary senses; and the truth of Christianity depending on the real relation (which is to be discovered by such references) between the two dispensations, it will be incumbent on me to prove the logical truth and propriety of TYPES in action, and SECONDARY SENSES in speech.

And I enter on this subject with the greater pleasure, as one of the most plausible books ever written, or likely to be written, against Christianity, is entirely levelled at them. In this inquiry I shall pursue the same method I have hitherto taken with unbelieving writers; examine only the grounds and principles on which they go; and having removed and overthrown these, in as few words as I am able, leave the superstructure to support itself, as it may.

SECT. VI.

THE book I speak of is entitled, "A Discourse of the Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion," written, as is generally supposed, by Mr Collins; a writer, whose dexterity in the arts of controversy was so remarkably contrasted by his abilities in reasoning and literature, as to be ever putting one in mind of what travellers tell us of the genius of the proper Indians, who, although the veriest bunglers in all the fine arts of manual operation, yet excel every body in sleight of hand and the delusive feats of activity,

The purpose of his book is to prove that JESUS was an impostor: and his grand argument stands thus,-"JESUS (as he shows) claims under the promised Messiah of the Jews; and proposes himself as the deliverer prophesied of in their sacred books; yet (as he attempts to show) none of these prophecies can be understood of JESUS but in a secondary sense only; now a secondary sense (as he pretends) is fanatical, chimerical, and contrary to all scholastic rules of interpretation: consequently, JESUS not being prophesied of in the Jewish writings, his pretensions are false and groundless."-His conclusion, the reader sees, stands on the joint support of these two propositions, That there is no Jewish prophecy which relates to JESUS in a primary sense; and that a secondary sense is enthusiastical and unscholastic. If either of these fail, his phantom of a conclusion sinks again into nothing.

Though I shall not omit occasionally to confute the first, yet it is the falsehood of the second I am principally concerned to expose-That there are Jewish prophecies which relate to JESUS in their direct and

primary sense, hath been proved with much force of reason and learning; but, that secondary prophecies are not enthusiastical and unscholastic, hath not been shown and insisted on, by the writers on this question, with the same advantage. The truth is, the nature of a DOUBLE SENSE in prophecies hath been so little seen or inquired into, that some divines, who agree in nothing else, have yet agreed to second this assertion of Mr Collins, and with the same frankness and confidence to pronounce that a double sense is indeed enthusiastical and unscholastic. To put a stop therefore to this growing evil, sown first by SOCINUS, and since become so pestilent to revelation, is not amongst the last purposes of the following discourse.

I. It hath been shown, that one of the most ancient and simple modes of human converse was communicating the conceptions by an expressive ACTION. As this was of familiar use in civil matters, it was natural to carry it into religious. Hence, we see God giving his instructions to the prophet, and the prophet delivering God's commands to the people, in this very manner. Thus far the nature of the action, both in civil and religious matters, is exactly the same.

But in religion it sometimes happens that a STANDING information is necessary, and there the action must be continually repeated: this is done by holding out the particular truth (thus to be preserved) in a religious rite. Here then the action begins to change its nature; and, from a mere significative mark, of only arbitrary import like words or letters, becomes an action of moral import, and acquires the new name of TYPE. Thus GOD, intending to record the future sacrifice of CHRIST in action, did it by the periodic sacrifice of a lamb without blemish. This was not merely and so DIRECTLY significative of CHRIST (like the command to Abraham); but being a religious rite, and so having a moral import, it was typical, though NOT DIRECTLY significative, of him. The very same may be said of the temporal rewards of the law; they were properly typical of the spiritual rewards of the gospel, and had a moral import of their own, as being the real sanction of the law.

*

Again, it hath been shown, how, in the gradual cultivation of speech, the expression by action was improved and refined into an ALLEGORY or parable; in which the words carry a double meaning; having, besides their obvious sense which serves only for the envelop, one more material, and hidden. With this figure of speech all the moral writings of antiquity abound. But when this figure is transferred from civil use to religious, and employed in the writings of inspired men, to convey information of particular circumstances in two distinct dispensations, to a people who had an equal concern in both, it is then what we call a DOUBLE SENSE; and undergoes the very same change of its nature that an expressive action underwent when converted into a type; that is, both the meanings, in the DOUBLE SENSE, are of moral import; whereas *In the preceding volume.

in the allegory, one only of the meanings is so: and this (which arises out of the very nature of their conversion, from civil to religious matters) is the only difference between expressive actions and TYPES; and between allegories and DOUBLE SENSES.

From hence it appears, that as TYPES are only religious expressive actions, and DOUBLE SENSES only religious allegories, and neither receive any change but what the very manner of bringing those civil figures into religion necessarily induces, they must needs have, in this their tralatitious state, the same LOGICAL FITNESS they had in their natural.* Therefore as expressive actions, and allegories, in civil discourses, are esteemed proper and reasonable modes of information, so must TYPES and DOUBLE SENSES in religious; for the end of both is the same, namely, COMMUNICATION OF KNOWLEDge. The consequence of this is, that Mr Collins's proposition, that a secondary or double sense is enthusiastical and unscholastic (the necessary support of his grand argument) is entirely overthrown.

This is the true and simple origin of TYPES and DOUBLE SENSES; which our adversaries, through ignorance of the rise and progress of speech, and unacquaintance with ancient manners, have insolently treated as the issue of distempered brains, and the fondlings of visionaries and enthusiasts.

II. Having thus shown their logical propriety, or that they are rational modes of information, I come now to vindicate their religious use, and to show that they are well suited to that religion in which we find them employed. An objection which I conceive, may be made to this use, will lead us naturally into our argument. The objection is this: "It hath been shown, † that these oblique modes of converse, though at first invented out of necessity, for general information, were employed, at length, to a mysterious secretion of knowledge; which though it might be expedient, useful, and even necessary both in CIVIL MATTERS and in FALSE RELIGION, could never be so in MORAL MATTERS, and in THE TRUE RELIGION; for this having nothing to hide from any of its followers, types and double senses (the same mysterious conveyance of knowledge in sacred matters, which allegoric words or actions are in civil) were altogether unfit to be employed in it."

To this I answer, the JEWISH RELIGION, in which these types and secondary senses are to be found, was given to one single people only; just as the CHRISTIAN is offered to all mankind: now the Christian, as Mr Collins himself labours to prove, professes to be grounded on the * See note III, at the end of this book. In the preceding volume.

"Christianity is founded on Judaism, and the New Testament on the Old; and JESUS is the person said in the New Testament to be promised in the Old, under the character of the MESSIAH of the Jews, who, as such only, claims the obedience and submission of the world. Accordingly it is the design of the authors of the New, to prove all the parts of Christianity from the Old Testament, which is said to contain the words of eternal life, and to represent JESUS and his apostles as fulfilling by their mission, doctrines, and works, the predictions of the prophets, the historical parts of the Old Testament, and the Jewish law; which last is expressly said to prophesy of, or testify Christianity."-Grounds and Reasons, &c., pp. 4, 5.

Jewish. If therefore Christianity was not only professedly, but really grounded on Judaism (and the supposition is strictly logical in a defence of types and double senses, whose reality depends on the reality of that relation) then Judaism was preparatory to Christianity, and Christianity the ultimate end of Judaism: but it is not to be supposed that there should be an entire silence concerning this ultimate religion during the preparatory, when the notice of it was not only highly proper, but very expedient: 1. First, to draw those under the preparatory religion, by just degrees to the ultimate; a provision the more necessary, as the nature and genius of the two religions were different, the one carnal, the other spiritual: 2. Secondly, to afford convincing evidence to future ages, of the truth of that ultimate religion; which evidence, a circumstantial prediction of its advent and nature so long beforehand, effectually does afford. The ultimate religion therefore must have had some notice given of it, in the preparatory: and nothing was better fitted for this purpose than the hyperbolical genius of the eastern speech. Thus, when Isaiah says, Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Mr Collins observes, it is the eastern hyperbole which prevents our seeing that a Jewish monarch is literally and directly spoken of. Should we allow this, yet we still see, that such a language was admirably fitted to connect together the first and second senses: the hyperbole becoming a simple speech, when transferred from a Jewish monarch to the monarch of the world.

Our next inquiry will be, in what manner this notice must needs be given. Now the nature of the thing shows us it could not be directly and openly; so as to be understood by the people, at the time of giving: because this would have defeated God's intermediate purpose; which was to train them, by a long discipline, under his preparatory dispensation. For, this being a religion founded only on temporal sanctions, and burdened with a minute and tiresome ritual, had the people known it to be only preparatory to another, founded on better promises and easier observances, they would never have borne the yoke of the law, but would have shaken off their subjection to Moses before the fulness of time had brought their spiritual Deliverer amongst them; as, without this knowledge, they were but too apt to do, on every imaginary prospect of advantage. But St CHRYSOSTOM will enforce this observation with more advantage. "Had the Jews," says he, "been taught from the beginning that their law was temporary and to have an end, they would have certainly despised it. On this account, it seemed good to the divine wisdom to throw a veil of obscurity over the prophecies which related to the Christian dispensation." This information, therefore, was to be delivered with caution; and conveyed under the covert lan

See note KKK, at the end of this book.
Homilia prima, de Prophetarum Obscuritate.

guage of their present economy.

Hence arose the fit and necessary use of TYPES and SECONDARY SENSES. For the only safe and lasting means of conveyance were their PUBLIC RITUAL, and the WRITINGS OF THE PROPHETS. And a speaking action, and an allegoric speech, when thus employed, had all the secrecy that the occasion required. We have observed, that in the simpler use of speaking by action, the action itself hath no moral import; and so, the information having but one moral meaning, that which it conveys is clear and intelligible. But where a rite of religion is used for this speaking action, there the action hath a moral import; and so the information having two moral meanings, that which it conveys is more obscure and mysterious. Hence it appears that this mode of speaking by action, called a TYPE, is exactly fitted for the information in question. Just so it is again with the SECONDARY SENSE: in the mere allegory, the representing image has no moral import: in the secondary sense, for a contrary reason (which the very term imports), the representing image hath a moral import; and so, acquires the same fitting obscurity with information by types. For the typical ritual, and the double prophecy, had each its obvious sense in the present nature and future fortune of the Jewish religion and republic. And here we are easily led into the essential difference (so much to the honour of revelation) between the pagan oracles or prophecies, and the Jewish. The obscurity of the pagan arose from the ambiguity, equivocation, or jargon OF EXPRESSION; the obscurity of the Jewish from the figurative representation OF THINGS. The first (independent of any other religion) proceeded from ignorance of futurity; the latter, dependent on the Christian, proceeded from the necessity that those to whom the prophecies were delivered should not have too full a knowledge of them.

Dr Middleton, indeed, would fain persuade us, that the oracles, or, as he chooses to call them, "the prophecies of the Pythian Apollo, were neither better nor worse, but exactly of the same absurd construction with the scripture prophecies." He would hardly venture to controvert what I have said of their logical fitness and propriety, as a mode of information in the abstract, because this would show him ignorant of the nature and progress of human converse. Much less, I suppose, would he say, that this mode of information was not suited to the genius of the Jewish religion; since he owns that to be only a preparatory system calculated to open and to prepare the way for one more perfect; and consequently, that it must be so contrived as to connect, and at the same time to hide from the vulgar eye, the two parts of the dispensation, and the relation they have to one another. Now there is no conceivable way of doing this but by types and secondary senses. What then occasioned this insult upon them? That which supports all our free writers in their contemptuous treatment of religion, their mistaking the ABUSE of the thing for the thing ITSELF; and giving the interpretations of men, or the doctrines of churches, for articles of faith or scripture history. What hath been here said will show the extreme weakness of this ingenious