author of Ecclesiasticus, set forth an example of repentance unto all generations and as clearly according to the full meaning of the apostle's expression, by faith, believing and doing according to what had been especially revealed to him, was translated that he should not see death.* There is no point upon which many able and very learned writers appear more fondly mistaken, than in not truly stating the doctrine of faith, according to the scriptures. It is a favourite notion with them to divide the states in which mankind have been, into that of natural religion, and that of the gospel. They call the state of creation, or natural religion, the dispensation of the Father; the state of the gospel, the dispensation of the Son of God; and they argue, that the former, natural religion, is a necessary preparation for the latter.' herein they certainly introduce a language But * Heb. xi. 5. 1 The reader may see this way of thinking fully stated by the late Dr. Samuel Clarke, serm. i. very different from the scriptures. To come unto God, to seek God, to walk with God; all these, and other like expressions, in their scripture-meaning, signify, to accede to that law which is from God's mouth, to lay up his words in our hearts; to live according to what God has revealed and commanded;" the fearing God, and working righteousness according to what is called natural light, is not what is in scripture designed by those expressions. In like manner, the dispensation of the Father, in contradistinction to the dispensation of the Son, must be the revelation of the Old Testament, as distinguished from the revelation in the New. Our blessed Saviour's exhortation to his disciples was, that, as they had believed in God, so also they would believe in him :" And the enforcing this particular duty, is the great intent of the whole Epistle to the Hebrews. m See Job v. 8. Psal. cv. 4, 5. Isa. lviii. 2. viii. 19, 20. Deut. viii. 6. 2 Kings xxiii. 3, &c. Job xxii. 22. " John xiv. 1. n God at sundry times, and in divers manners, had spoken to their fathers. Here now is the dispensation of the Father, which the scriptures recognise; from whence the apostle endeavours to lead them to the dispensation of the Son; to what, in these last days, God hath spoken to us by his Son,' that they should take the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, not to neglect the great salvation which began to be spoken by the Lord himself, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost. He observed to them, that, in obeying Moses, they had not refused one, who spake to them on earth. He exhorts them now, agreeably hereto, not to refuse him who spake to them from heaven.' In a word, the whole design of this epistle is to set forth to the Hebrews, that faith had • Heb. i. 1. Heb. ii. 1-3. ? Ver. 2. r Heb. xii. 25. always come by hearing; that the foundation of all revealed religion had in all ages been, the receiving and believing the word of God; and the intent of the eleventh chapter is to set before us a cloud of witnesses or examples of this fact. Now, to suppose that any one instance given by the apostle in this chapter was intended to hint any other faith, than the belief of some explicit revelation; is to suppose that the apostle has deviated from his argument to something entirely foreign, if not opposite to it. But it will be here asked; what proof, or shadow of proof, can we bring of Enoch's having had any express revelation from God? I answer, 1. We are informed that Enoch prophesied of the judgment to come, that the Lord would come with thousands of his saints-&c. 2. Moses informs us, that in Enoch's days men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Upon which words I See Jude 14, 15. Gen. iv. 26. h 2 would observe, 1. That the expression in this place means, that at this time began the distinction of mankind's being called, some the sons of God, others the sons of men." 2. I have indeed observed, that the words, kara beshem Jehovah, was an expression used concerning Abraham and his descendants, and signified that they invoked God, in the name of the Lord who had appeared to Abraham." But I do not think that this See Connect. vol. i. b. i. ויקראו בשם הבעל w See Connect. vol. i. b. v. I have been told that I must be thought to err in giving this particular inter pretation of the words kara beshem. It is said, that the xviiith chapter of the first book of Kings, ver. 26, shews, that the expression signifies to call on the name. The priests of Baal, we are there told, [y byan "ONS byan-owap,] called upon the name of Baal, saying, O Baal! hear us. Are we not here told plainly, that their saying, O Baal! hear us, was their calling upon the name of Baal? Why then must kareau beshem Baal be any thing more than they called upon the name of Baal? I answer; we are here easily misled by our rendering [leamor] saying; had the participle been here used [aomarim] dicentes, there would have been |