An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

we have only a description of the Person of Christ, whose Glory is there set forth by being full of Grace and Truth, not a tittle in it of the Gospel: In the 17. vers. we have not the word, fullness, but we have Grace and Truth opposed to the Law of Moses, but how? not as if under the Law, taken in the whole Complex and Administration of it, there were no Evangelical Truths or Graces: this is evident; for in the Second Commandment we have mercy for thousands: Upon the renewing of the Tables we have God proclaiming himself in those stately Titles of Love, The Lord gracious, merciful, longsuffering, ⟨p. 260⟩abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin: In Deut. 30.6 we have the circumcision of the heart; in the 37. Psal. 31. we have the Law of God in the heart, as the Character of a righteous man: We have the holy Spirit in the Saints; hence David fiducially prays, Take not thy holy Spirit from me, Psal. 51.11. We have Job looking to his living Redeemer, Job 19.25. Abraham rejoicing to see Christ's day, Joh. 8.56. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob embracing the Promises, and looking to an heavenly country, Heb. 11. and, and to say no more, all the Types and Shadows in the Ceremonial Law, were a kind of veiled Gospel, and pointed at Christ, the great Centre of both Testaments: And hence it appears, that, in case the Law be never called Grace, yet Evangelical Truths and Graces were not wanting under it. But in that 17. vers. two things are pointed out to us; the one is this, That the Evangelical Truths and Graces, after the coming of Christ in the flesh, though in Substance but the same, were gradually far more excellent than before; those Truths, which under the Law were in Shadows ⟨p. 261⟩and dark Resemblances, after the coming of Christ appeared in Splendour and evidential Glory; those Graces, which under the Law were but as Drops and in lesser measures, after his coming were as Showers and in greater plenty: The other is this, That Christ is in a transcendent manner supereminent above Moses; though there were Grace under the Law, yet Moses could not communicate it; he could declare the Law or Doctrine, but being but a Man, a Minister, he could go no further: Just as John could baptize with water, but then he was at his utmost: Moses could no more communicate Grace then John could baptize with the holy Ghost and Fire;