far as the Life of Chrift is a general Abbreviation and Contraction of the Law, and its Times and Seafons; Jefus fent out (1) feventy Disciples into the Cities of Samaria, and into every City and Place, whither he himfelf would come; unto whom he imparted a Measure of the Holy Spirit, both to work Miracles, and make the Devils fubject unto them. These are Figures and Pledges of the End and Fulness of the Gof pel, and stand in another Order of Time, and for the revealing another Part of the Council of God in Chrift. For under this Covenant, which is the Spirit of Love and Glad-tidings to the Figures, our Lord· felected twelve Disciples; and their superior Bleffing and Portion was given at the Feast of Passover, which was peculiar to the Firstborn and Firft-fruits unto God. But the Seventy are Preachers in Samaria and not in Judea; to the great City of the World, figured by idolatrous Samaria, and by (m) Galilee of the Gentiles: They were Pledges of that Dispensation, which in the (n) Fulnefs of Times will gather together in one all Things

(1) Luke x. 1. (m) Matt. iv. 15. (7) Eph. i. 10.

Things in Chrift; which will reach every City and Place of the Gentile World, which

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in the Spirit of (0) Samaria worship they (p) know not what. Now, as the Apostle reafons from the Law, if the (q) Firstfruits be holy, the Lump is also boly: and if the Root be holy, fo are the Branches; so, the twelve Apostles were the First-fruits and Root of all that Number who fhall be the true Ifrael, or the (r) Hundred Forty and Four Thousand fealed out of the twelve Tribes. This, however, is one Part of the Gospel, refpecting a particular Election and Privilege, which is only known to God. But the Gospel has a fuller Extent, that as in ADAM all die, fo in CHRIST shall all be made alive: But every Man in his own Order. Hence a First-fruits of seventy Disciples were chofen, as Pledges and Witneffes, as Preachers and Proclaimers of the (t) everlasting Gospel unto them that dwell on the Earth, and to every Nation, and Kindred, and Tongue, and People; for the Blood

(9) Rom. xi. 16.

(0) Ezek. xvi. 46.-xxiii. 4. Amos viii. 14. (p) John iv. 22. (r) Rev. vii. 4. (s) I. Cor. xv. 22, 23. Rom. v. 15-21. (t) Rev. xiv. 6. ·

Blood of the Lamb will defcend upon the Heads of all Men in their Time and Seafon. There is only one Feftival, which is the greatest of all, where the feventy Difciples can meet their Lord, and fay unto him, the (u) Devils are fubject to us in thy Name; this is the Feast of Tabernacles, and of bearing Palm-branches in their Hands, and of flaying seventy Bullocks in the Seven Days thereof; which is the greateft Number of Sacrifices under the Law, and will answer in the Spirit to the (x) great Sacrifice of the Lord on the Mountains of Ifrael, to eat Flesh and drink Blood, and to the (y) Sacrifice of the Lord of Hofts in the North Country. For, as they who under the Law were figured by the seven Days of Tabernacles, ftand behind the Time of the Paffover and Pentecoft, in the Order of the facred Year, and of hedding the Lamb's Blood Day by Day; fo muft they under the Gospel be the last to partake of the Spiritual Flesh and Blood of Jefus Chrift: For according to the Figure, they could not be fanctified

(u) Luke x. 23. (y) Jerem. xlvi. 10.

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(x) Ezek. xxxix. 17, 19.

fanctified in Order of Time, till the Blood of the Lamb flowed in that last Feftival of Tabernacles. This is fufficient for the Ground of a fpiritual Interpretation to the Generations of Ifrael: And for this End too, divine Wisdom affigned this Feaft (wherein (2) Seventy * Bullocks in particular,

(z) Numb. xxix. 13—38.

*The Jews admit of † feventy Princes, Heads of feventy Peoples, who will have no Place in the inner Temple, but without it: That they are the Mystery of the feventy Families of Noah, in Gen. x. 32. and that the Princes of thefe Families, and all their Dominions are contained under the Mystery of the Form of Adam: That these seventy Nations fhall be blotted out as to their former Faith, and that they fhall receive the Faith of the Ifraelites. Many great Truths are here obfcured and defaced, to conceal the Knowledge of the ancient Jews, and its Agreement with the Gospel. We meet with a beautiful Figure of the Beginning and End of the Gospel, in the twelve Wells and feventy Palm Trees. The twelve Wells are the twelve Apostles, and the feventy Palm Trees are the feventy Difciples, preaching the Gofpel to every Creature under Heaven. Hence at the Feaft of Tabernacles only, were Palms carried in their Hands, as a Sign of Victory through

+ Cab. Denud. I. Vol. 106, 401, &c. XV. 27. See Ainsworth on this Paffage.

the

+ Exod.

lar, and many other Sacrifices were flain) to the Month of the last ripe Fruit, or Grapes. The Revelation of John opens the Mystery of this Appointment, where the Angel commands to reap the Earth, faying unto another Angel, put in thy sharp Sickle, and gather the CLUSTERS of the VINE of the EARTH; that is, of the whole

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the Blood of the * Lambs, which had fubdued into itfelf, the Blood of all the feventy Bullocks: For Chrift by the Virtue of his Blood, will fubdue all Things unto himself. This referved Kind of Prophecy will never be difregarded, but by the vain Learning of worldly Minds. St. John concludes the Triumph of Chrift's -Blood in all, when he fhews the great Multitude which no Man can number, of † all Nations, and Kindreds, and Peoples, and Tongues, ftanding before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in White Robes, and with PALMS in their Hands. It may be further obferved, that the Feast of Tabernacles, though fo very extraordinary for the Multitude of the Sacrifices, feems to be only thrice introduced in the New Teftament; the first Time is, at the Entrance of our Lord into Jerufalem, when the Hofannah was fung, which was appropriated to that Festival; the second is, at the great Day of ‡ Drawing of Water; and the third is, in the $ Palms bore in their Hands, which were only used at

this

*Numb. xxix. 13—38. + Rev. vii. 9. John § Rev. vii. 10.

vii. 37.