Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/111

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returne of Israel from the Babylonish Captivity.
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Moses his shining face signifying the curse and wrath of God in the Law, as a meere draught of the Covenant of workes, which the people could not behould, his vaile signifying the covering of this curse from the eyes of Israel. 8. Consider that till the Law as a meere draught of natures Law was marked and thus vailed at Moses his proposition of the remedy unto these carnall Israelites, in the blood of the sacrifices, writ in the Ceremoniall Law, it could not quiet them, nor pacifie their consciences. 9. Observe this one thing further, that Moses in the five bookes doth so shun this rigid proposition of the Law, that the Apostle when he came to deale with the false Apostles about this acceptation of the Law as standing full against the Covenant of Grace and Justification by faith, could find but two testimonies in all Moses, which necessarily convinced this manner of propounding the Law, the one, Deut. 21. 23. the other, Deut. 27. 26. But because this end of the vailing of Moses his face, as tending to signifie the curse of the Morall Law, and the vailing of it from the eyes of carnall Israel is called into question by some of prized judgement, and that from the passage of 2 Cor. 3. they spend one proposition in clearing that place to prove that it was the vailing of the Morall Law in the Curse. For first say they, it could not be the vailing of the blood of Christ in the Ceremonials; for the Ceremonies was a sufficient vaile to hide that, and to have put an other vaile had been against Gods love, who would have the people spirituall to looke into it for Salvation: one vaile was sufficient to hide so precious a treasure. But to the Text, it is plaine in the beginning of the Chapter 2 Cor. 3. 3. that the Apostle meanes the writing of the Law in their hearts, namely the Commandements of the Morall Law by removing the Curse, that the heart may close in with it. Secondly, Vers. 6. The ministery of the Spirit is opposed not to the Cloud of Ceremonies, but to the letter of the Law Morall: for this killeth, so did not the Ceremony, but quickning his measure. Thirdly. Vers. 7. The Ministery of the Gospell is opposed to that which was graven in stone, which was the Morall Law only. Fourthly, Vers. 13. Moses his vaile was put on when Moses was read, and not the Ceremoniall Law alone, as intending the vailing of the Curse of the Morall Law. Fifthly, That which beares shew is Vers. 14. where the Text saith, that the vaile was taken away in Christ. It is true thatthe