A Free-Gift to the Clergy, Or, the Hireling Priests of What Denomination Soever, Challeng'd to a Disputation on This Question; Whether the Hireling Preachers of This Age, Who Are All Ministers of the Letter, Be Not Worshippers of the Apocalyptical Beast, (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1722. Excerpt: ... the Meaning of our Saviour, when he said, Moses wrote of him; accordingly z Theophylaft, and other Fathers, so explain the Words; and because that leases wrote a typical History of Christ and his Church, therefore is Christ call'd the Messiah, the Life and Truth of the Law, which is no better than a senseless, . irrational and insignificant Fable without him If you, Sirs, can question whether our Saviour meant thus much, when he faid Moses wrote of him, I will, for your Satisfaction, not only produce other ample Authorities out of the Fathers, to prove that they understood him in this Sense, but will demonstrate the Truth of it, by a prophetical Interpretation of the Law; and, if nothing less will convince you, will give you an indisputable History, according to Mofaick Types of Christ's Church, from his Crucifixion to this Day. Now I appeal to your selves, whether this be the Christ you worship, or whether you don't preach another Christ, concerning whom Moses, whose Law you literally interpret, wrote next to nothing. Again, the true Christ is the Fnlfiller of the Law and the Prophets, as he fays of -8 himself, Matth. Chap. v. vers. 17, 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil; for verily I say unto you, till Heaven and Earth pass, one 'Jot or one Tittle fiall in no unife pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. It is hard for you, Sirs, who literally expound the Law, consistently to put any tolerable Sense on these Words; but the Fathers, such as a Origen, b St. Jerome, and c TheophylaB understood by them, that Christ was the End, PerfeBion and Completion of all Things in the Law, and that there was not the least Point in it, which was not Mystical and Prophetical, and accordingly s...