HOW REVEALED UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT. 101
from the same almighty hand to believe tliat He should redeem and save his church by his death. And therefore he did refuse the external revelation and proposition of it, though made by Christ himself, until he received internal aid from above. And to suppose that we have faith now in Christ or his death on any other terms, is an evidence that we have no faith at all.
Wherefore, the faith of the saints under the Old Testament did principally respect the person of Christ — both what it was, and what it was to be in the fulness of time, when he was to become the seed of the woman. What his especial work was to be, and the mystery of the redemption of the church thereby, they referred unto his own wisdom and grace ; — only, they believed that by him they should be saved from the hand of all their enemies, or all the evil that befell them on the account of the first sin and apostasy from God.
God gave them, indeed, representations and prefigurations of his office and work also. He did so by the high priest of the law, the tabernacle, with all the sacrifices and services thereunto belonging. All that Moses did, as a faithful servant in the house of God, was but a " testimony of those things which were to be spoken after," Heb. iii. 5. Howbeit the apostle tells us that all those things had but a " shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things themselves," Heb. x. 1. And although they are now to us full of light and instruction, evidently expressing the principal works of Christ's mediation, yet were they not so unto them. For the veil is now taken off from them in their accomplishment, and a declaration is made of the counsels of God in them by the Gospel. The meanest believer may now find out more of the work of Christ in the types of the Old Testament, than any prophets or wise men could have done of old. Therefore they always earnestly longed for their accomplishment — that the day might break, and the shadows fly away by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings. But as unto his person, they had glorious revelations concerning it ; and their faith in him was the life of all their obedience.
The fi7^st promise, which established a new intercourse between God and man, was concerning his incarnation — that he should be the seed of the woman. Gen. iii. 15; that is, that the Son of God should be " made of a woman, made under the law," Gal. iv. 4. From the giving of that promise the faith of the whole church was fixed on him whom God would send in our nature, to redeem and save them. Other way of acceptance with him there was none pro- vided, none declared, but only by faith in this promise. The design of God in this promise — which was to reveal and propose the only way which in his wisdom and grace he had prepared for the deliverance
102 THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
of mankind from tlie state of sin and apostasy whereinto tliey were cast, with the nature of the faith and obedience of the clim'ch — will not admit of any other way of salvation, but only faith in him who was thus promised to be a saviour. To suppose that men might fall off from faith in God by the revelation of himself in this promise, and yet be saved by attending to instructions given by the works of creation and providence, is an imagination that will no longer pos- sess the minds of men than whilst they are ignorant of, or do forget, what it is to believe and to be saved.
The great promise made unto Ahraham was, that He should take his seed upon him. in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed. Gen. xii. 3, xv. 18, xxii. 18; which promise is explained by the apostle, and applied unto Christ, Gal. iii. 8. Hereon " Abraham behoved on the Lord, and it was counted unto him for righteousness," Gen. XV. 6; for he saw the day of Christ, and rejoiced, John viii. 56.
The faith that Jacob instructed his sons in was — that the Shiloh should come, and unto him should be the gathering of the nations. Gen. xlix. 10. Joh's faith was — that his Redeemer was the Living- One, and that he should stand on the earth in the latter day. Job xix. 25.
The revelations made unto David principally concerned His person, and the glory thereof See Ps. ii., xlv., Ixviii., Ixxii., ex., cxviii., espe- cially Ps. xlv. and Ixxii. compared, which give an account of their apprehensions concerning him.
The faith of Daniel was, that God would show mercy, for the Lord's sake, Dan. ix. 17; and of all the prophets, that the " Redeemer should come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob," Isa. lix. 20.
Of the same nature were all his personal appearances under the Old Testament, esj^ecially that most illustrious representation made of him unto the prophet Isaiah, chap, vi., and the glorious revelation of his name, chap. ix. 6.