A 458981
ARTES
BOTENTIA
LIBRARY VERITAS
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
LUILLA
TCERON
LAM-AMCZNAM.
CIRCUMSPICE
IIIIIIIIIIHI!
INT
NII!!!
THE GIET OF
Tappan Presby. Associ
BT
155
1375
1797

Hisha
A
Boudinch
V I E
I E W
OF THE
wa
COVENANT OF GRACE
FROM THE
SACRED RECORDS.
Doce
WHEREIN
THE PARTIES IN THAT COVENANT, THE MAKING OF IT,
ITS PARTS CONDITIONARY AND PROMISSORY,
AND THE ADMINISTRATION THEREOF,
ARE DISTINCTLY CONSIDERED.
TOGETHER WITH
THE TRIAL OF A SAVING PERSONAL INBEING IN IT,
AND THE WAY OF INSTATING SINNERS THEREIN,
UNTO THEIR 'ETERNAL SALVATION
To which is ſubjoined,
A
A MEMORIAL
CONCERNING PERSONAL & FAMILY FASTING & HUMILIATION,
PRESENTED TO SAINTS AND SINNERS.
000
BY THE REVEREND AND LEARNED
MR. THOMAS BOSTON,
LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT ETTRICK,
VON
GLASGOW :
Printed by R. Ehapman,
TOR J. & A. DUNCAN, J. & M. ROBERTSON, J. & W. SHAW, AND
A. BRYDON, GLASGOW; AND J. FAIRBAIRN, EDINBURGH.
1797

ADVERTISEMENT.
This TREATISE, and the MEMORIAL adjoined, be-
ing poſthumous Works of my Father's, I thought it ne-
«eſary to teſtify to the world, that they are publiſhed as
he left them, being printed from his own Manuſcript,
prepared for the Preſs, without any Addition or Alter-
ation whatſoever.
THOMAS BOSTON.

gift
Tappan Pris, Asse,
1-30-1933
V. I E
W
OF THE
COVENANT OF GRACE.
PSALM lxxxix. 3.
I have made a covenant with my Chofen.
1 Cor. xv. 45.
The laſt Adam was made a quickening Spirit.
A
S man's ruin was originally owing to the breaking
of the covenant of works, ſo his recovery, from the
firſt to the laſt fep thereof, is owing purely to the fulfilling
of the covenant of grace: which covenant, being that
wherein the whole myftery of our falvation lies, I am to
efſay the opening of, as the Lord ſhall be pleaſed to alli ft.
And there is the more need of humble dependence on the
Father of lights, through Jeſus Chrift his Son, for the ma.
nifeitation of his Spirit in this manner, that whereas the
firſt covenant is known, in part by the light of nature, the
knowledge of this ſecond is owing entirely to revelation.
It was from this covenant the Pfalmift, in the verſe im.
mediately preceding the firſt text, took a comfortable
view of a glorious building, infallibly going up in the midit
of ruins; even a buikling of mercy: For T have faid, Mer.
cy shall be built up for ever : the ground of which confident
aſſertion is, in our text, pointed out to be God's covenant
with his Chofen. From the type of the covenant of grace,
namely the covenant of royalty made unto David, he ſaw
a building up of mercy for the royal family of Judali,
when they were brought exceeding low. From the fube
ftance of it, he faw a building of mercy for fioners of man-
kind, who were laid in ruins by the breach of the first co-
This is that new building, free grace Tet on foot
venatit.
A 2

4
A View of the Covenant of Grace.
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2. The
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for us; into which they that believe are inſtantly thereup-
on received, and where once received, they ſhall dwell for
b
ever: a building of mercy, in which every ſtone, from the
bottom to the top, from the foundation ftone to the cope.
ſtone, is pure mercy, rich and free mercy to us.
Of this building of mercy I ſhall drop a few words.
And, 1. The plan of it was drawn from all eternity, in
the council of the Trinity : for it is according to the eter-
nal purpoſe purpoſed in Jeſus Chriſt, Eph. iii. 11. The
objects of mercy, the time and place, the way and means
of conferring it on them, were deſigned particularly, be.
fore man was miſerable, yea, before he was at all.
builder is God himſelf, the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft,
1 Cor. iii. 9. Ye are God's building. All hands of the
glorious Trinity are at work in this building. The Fa.
ther choſe the objects of mercy, and gave them to the Son
to be redeemed: the Son purchaſed redemption for them;
and the Holy Ghoſt applies the purchaſed redemption unto
them. But it is ſpecially attributed to the Son, on the
account of his fingular agency in the work : Zech. vi. 12.
fi
Behold the man whoſe name is the BRANCH -- He ſhall build
the temple of the Lord. Verſe 13. Even he ſhall build the
temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory.
d
foundation was laid deep in the eternal council; beyond
the reach of the eyes of men and angels. Paul conſider-
ing it, cries out, О the depth! Rom. xi. 33. For who hath
known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counſellor?
verſe 34. 4. It is more than five thouſand years ſince this
building roſe above ground. And the firft ftone of it
that appeared, was a promiſe, a promiſe of a Saviour, made
I
in Paradiſe after the fall, Gen. iii. 15. namely, That the
feed of the woman ſhould bruiſe the head of the ſerpent. Here
was mercy. And mercy was laid upon mercy. Upon
promiſing mercy was laid quickening mercy, whereby our
loſt firſt parents were enabled to believe the promiſe : and
upon quickening mercy was laid pardoning mercy to them;
and upon that again fan&tifying and eſtabliſhing mercy :
and at length glorifying mercy. 5. The cement is blood:
the blood of Jeſus Christ the Mediator, which is the blood
of God, Acts xx. 28. No ſaving mercy for finners could
confift, nor could one mercy lie firm upon another in the
ti
3. The
a
a

The Introduâion and general Scheme. 5
>
ar
e
ever,
18
2.
e
9
the top,
;
co
se
2.
building, without being cemented with that precious blood :
but by it the whole building confifts, and ſtands firm for
Heb. ix. 22, 23. and vii. 24, 25. 6. Ever ſince
the tin e it appeared above ground, it has been going on.
And many hands have been employed, to ſerve in carrying
on the work. In the firſt ages of the world, Patriarchs
were employed in it, ſuch as Adam, Enoch, and Noah :
in the middle ages, prophets, prieſts and Levites : in theſe
де
the laſt ages, the apoſtles, and other extraordinary officers,
and ordinary minifters of the goſpel. Great has been the
le
oppoſition made to the building from the beginning, by
t,
Satan and his agents, both in the way of violence and de-
ceit; yet has it all along been going on ftill. And now
it is come far above mid height; it is drawing towards
and the time when the laſt ftone ſhall be laid there-
en
on ; for it is evident, we are far advanced in the days of the
voice of the ſeventh angel, wherein the myylery of God is to be
finiſhed, Rev. x. 7. 7. The cope ftone will be laid on it
at the laſt day: at what time the promiſe will receive its
Id
full accompliſhment, in the complete falvation of all the
objects of mercy, then to be advanced unto the meaſure of
the ficture of the fulneſs of Chrifl
, Eph. iv. 13. In that
day our Lord Jeſus Chriit the great builder, fall bring
id
forth the head ſtone thereof with shoutings, even the laſt and
tb
crowning mercy, ſaying, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inhe-
ril the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
2
world. And then ſhall they dwell in the building of mer-
cy perfected, and fing of mercies for ever and ever. 8.
Laſtly, The foundation on which it ftands, is a firm one.
It is neceſſary that it be ſo ; for a building of mercy to
finners, from a holy juft God, is a building of huge weight,
more weighty than the whole fabric of heaven and earth:
and if it ſhould fall, all is ruined a ſecond time, without
d
any more hope of relief. But it is a ſure foundation, be.
ing God's everlaſting covenant: I have made a covenant
;
with
my Chofen.
In which words, together with the fecond text, there
are four things to be conſidered.
od
1. The foundation' on
which the building of mercy ftands; to wit, A covenant.
Id
2. The parties contraflors in that covenant.
3. The
e making of it. 4. The nature of it.
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A 3

6
A View of the Covenant of Grace.
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1. The foundation on which the building of mercy
ftands, is a covenant, a divine covenant, a ſure one. Th ]
firſt building for man's happineſs was a building of bounty v
and goodneſs, but not of mercy; for man was not in mi- t
fery, when it was a rearing up. And it was founded on a
a covenant too ; namely on the covenant of works, made y
with the firſt Adam : but he broke the covenant, and the
whole building tumbled down in an inſtant. But this is
another covenant, and of another nature. In the type in-
deed and ſhadow, it is the covenant of royalty with Da-
vid, 2 Sam. vii. 11-17, which was a foundation of
mercy to his family, ſecuring the continuance of it, and
that as a royal family. Howbeit, in the antitype and
a
trath, it is the covenant of grace, the covenant of eternal
life and falvation to finners the ſpiritual feed of the head
thereof, to be given them in the way of free grace
and
mercy, Pſalm lxxxix. 24, 29, 36. and in which they aret
freed from the curſe, ſo that it cannot reach them, not-
withftanding of their failures: but the Lord deals with
them as his children ſtill, though offending children ; ver.
30*53. and all by the means of Jeſus Chriſt the Sa-
viour, the mighty One, ver. 19. This is the foundation
of the whole building of mercy to finners in their low e
ftate, into which they were brought by Adam's fall. The
revelation, promulgation, and offer made unto the fons of
men, of this covenant which lay hid in the depths of the
eternal council, is called the goſpel ; the glad tidings of a
new covenant for life and ſalvation to finners.
II. The parties contractors in this covenant are, God,
and his Chofen, the laſt Adam: for it is evident from the
nature of the things here ſpoken of ver. 3, 4. and from
2 Sam. vii. 8. that theſe words, I have made a covenant
with my Choſen, are the Lord's own words. Both heaven
and earth were concerned in this covenant; for it was a
covenant of peace between them ; and accordingly the in-
.
tereſts of both are ſeen to by the parties contractors.
On heaven's fide is God himſelf, the party propoſer of
the covenant, I have made a covenant with my Chofen.
He was the offended party, yet the motion for a covenant
of peace comes from him : a certain indication of the
good will of the whole glorious Trinity towards the re-
1.

The Introduâion and general Scheme. 7
s
covery
of loft finners. The God and Father of our Lord
Jeſus Chrift, the Father of mercies, beholding a loft
world, his mercy feeks a vent, that it may be ſhown to
the miſerable: but juſtice ſtands in the way of the egreſs
1 and building of mercy, without there be a covenant
whereby it may be ſatisfied. Then faith the Father, “ The
“ firſt covenant will not ſerve the purpoſe of mercy : there
:
* muſt be a new bargain : but the loft creatures have no-
" thing left, to contract for themſelves : unleſs another
“ take the burden upon him for them, there is no remedy
{ " in the caſe: they cannot chuſe ſuch an one for them-
3 " felves ; I will make a choice for them, and make the co-
I
31 * venant with my Chofen.” 2. On man's fide, then is
1 God's Choſen, or choſen One ; for the word is fingular.
This choſen One, in the type, the covenant of royalty, is
David: but in the antitype, the covenant of grace, it is
the Son of God, the laſt Adam, even Chriſt the choſen of
God, Luke xxii. 35. The truth is, ſuch great things
are faid of this party with whom this covenant was made,
of his feed, and of the efficacy of this covenant, as can fully
agree to none but Chriſt and his fpiritual feed, verſe 4,
27, 29, 39, 37. The royal family of Judah, the houſe
of David never recovered their ancient fplendor, after the
Babyloniſh captivity; with a view to which time, this
Pfalm' ſeems to have been penned. Their kingdom is
extinct
many ages ago; and the grandeur of that family,
according to the fleſh, is quite funk. But the promiſe
made to David in the covenant of royalty, ſtill flouriſheth,
and will flouriſh for ever in Jeſus Chrift, the topbranch of
the family of David. How then can it be, but that, in the
perpetual building of mercy, mentioned verſe 2. and the
eſtabliſhing of David's feed, and building up his throne to
all generations, verſe 4. Chriſt himſelf is chiefly aimed at ?
And indeed he only was the mighty One, fit for the vaft
undertaking in this covenant, verſe 19. and him the Fa-
ther points out to us, as his elect or choſen One, Ifa. xlii.
1.
III. As to the making of this covenant between the
contracting parties : The Father made it with his own
Son, I have made a covenant with my Choſen, and that be-
fore the world began, Tit. i. 2. By their mutual agree.

8 A View of the Covenant of Grace.
ment thereto, this covenant was completely made from e-
ternity, even as the covenant of works with the firit Adam
was, before we were in being. The original text calls it
cutting off a covenant; which phrafe is taken from that
ancient uſage of cutting off a beaſt, by cutting it aſunder, at
the making of a covenant, Jer. xxxiv. 18. It intimates
this covenant to be a covenant by facrifice ; wherein the
party-contractor on man's fide was the facrifice, and di-
vine Juſtice the ſword thai cut it afunder, according to
Zech. xiii. 8. Awake, O ſword, againſt my fepherd, and
againſt the man that is my fellowv, faith the Lord of hofis ;
fmite the pepherd. And withal it imports the invio.
lableneſs and perpetuity of the covenant made :: no
more for ever to be diffolved, than the parts of the beaſt
cut off one from the other, to be joined together as form-
erly.
IV. For the nature of the covenant: There are five
things belonging thereto that appear from the texts;
namely, 1. The being of a repreſentation in it ; 2. The
deſign for which it was ſet on foot; 3. That there are
in it a condition, and 4. A promiſe ; and 5. Ioto whoſe
hands the adminiſtration' of it is put.
1. There is a repreſentation taking place in this cove.
As it was in the firſt covenant, fo it was likewiſe in
the ſecond ; the party-contractor and undertaker on man's
fide, was a repreſentative, repreſenting and fuftaining
the perfons of others. This appears, in that the choſen
One with whom the covenant was made, is called the laſt
Adam : for it is plain, he is ſo called in relation to the firſt
Adam, who was the figure (or type) of him, Rom. v. 14.
namely, in that likeas the firſt Adam repreſenting bis feed
in the covenant of works, brought fin and death on them;
ſo he repreſenting his, brings righteouſneſs and life to
them : as the apoſtle teacheth at large in that chapter.
2. The deſign of this covenant was life, the moſt valu-
able intereft of mankind. The laf Adam was made a
quickening Spirit, to wit, to give life to his feed. So it is
a covenant of life, as the covenant of Levi, a type thereof,
is expreſsly called, Mal. ii. 5. The firſt covenant was a
covenant of life too ; but there is this difference, to wit,
that the firf was for life in perfection to upright man
nant.

The Introduction and general Scheme.
9
having life before; the fecond, for life in perfection to fin-
ful man legally and morally dead. The parties contract-
ed for in this ſecond covenant, were confidered as under
the bands of death, abfolutely void of life: and therefore
utterly incapable to act for helping themſelves. They lay
like dry bones ſcattered about the grave's mouth, before
the parties contractors; juſtice forbidding to give them life,
but
upon terms conſiſtent with and becoming to its honour.
3. The condition of the covenant, the terms of that
life agreed to by the repreſentative, is implied in that he
was the laft Adam, namely to go through with what the
firſt Adam had ſtuck in. Adam, in the covenant of works,
ftumbled in the courſe of his obedience, and fell; and by
his fall was quite diſabled to begin it anew: he thereby
came under the penalty of that covenant alſo, but was ut-
terly unable to diſcharge it. So the laſt Adam comes in
the room of the firſt, not as the firſt Adam ftood in his
integrity; for in that caſe there was no place for a ſecond
Adam; but as he lay a broken man under the firſt bargain.
And coming in his room in this caſe, his buſineſs was to
ſatisfy the demands of the firſt covenant, in behalf of his
ſeed. Theſe demands were now run up high, quite be-
yond what they were to innocent Adam: the penalty was
become payable as well as the principal fum. Wherefore,
the firſt covenant being ingroſſed in the ſecond, is declar-
ed broken; and the principal and penalty being ſummed
up together, the clearing of the whole is laid upon the laſt
or ſecond Adam, as the condition of the ſecond covenant.
4. The promile of the covenant to be, upon that con-
dition, performed by the party-contractor on Heaven's
fide, is implied in theſe words, I have made a covenant
with (in the original to) my Chofen; that is, “ I have
“made a covenant, binding and obliging myſelf by folemn
promiſe to my choſen One, for ſuch and ſuch benefits,
upon the condition therein ftated and agreed to." Com-
pare the following clauſe, I have ſworn unto David my fer-
The nature of this promiſe will be enquired into in
the due place.
5. Laſtly, The adminiſtration of this covenant is put
into the hands of the party-contractor on man's fide: The
laft Adam was made a quickening Spirit. Each of the con-
.
vant.

10
A View of the Covenant of Grace.
tracting parties being God, it was not poſſible that either
party ſhould fail, or that the laſt Adam ſhould break, as
the firſt had done. Whereupon the time of Chriſt's ful-
filling of the condition of the covenant being prefixed by
the Father, God took Chriſt's fingle bond for fufficient
fecurity, and thereupon conſtituted bim adminiftrator of
the covenant. Thoſe whom he repreſented were confi.
dered as being under death, which in the language of the
covenant, is a very extenfive term; the Spirit and life were
to be purchaſed by him, and did belong to the promiſe of
the covenant. So upon the credit of his fulfilling the con.
.
dition of the covenant in due time, the fulneſs of the Spi-
rit, and eternal life were lodged in him, to be communi.
cated by him: Rev. iii. 1. Theſe things faith he that hath
the ſeven Spirits of God. 1 John v. 11. God hath given to
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. John xvii. 2. As
thou haft given him power over all fleſh, that he ſhould give
eternal life. Thus was he made a quickening Spirit.
Now the Doctrine of theſe texts thus compared and ex-
plained, it,
That the covenant of grace, for life and ſalvation to loff
Jinners of mankind, was made with Jeſus Chriſt, the
lafi Adam; and he conſtituted Adminiſtrator of it.
In handling of this weighty ſubject, I deem it not ne.
ceſſary to infift, to prove that there is a covenant of grace;
the being of which is obvious from the texts, and many o.
ther ſcriptures, fuch as Ila. xlii. 6. xlix. 8. and liv. 1o.
Heb viii. 6. and xiii. 20. But the following account of
it ſhall be ranged under theſe fix heads, namely,
1. The parties in the covenant of grace.
2. The making of that covenant.
3. The parts of it.
4. The adminiftration of it.
5. The trial of a faving perſonal inbeing in it.
6. The way of inftating finners perſonally and ſavingly
in it.

Of the Party-contractor on Heaven's fide.
11
H E A D I.
IN
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace.
N all covenants, of whatſoever nature they be, whether
covenants of abſolute promiſe, or conditional ones,
there must needs be diſtinct parties : for howbeit one may
decree, reſolve, or purpoſe with himſelf, without another
party; yet one's covenanting or bargaining, vowing or
promiſing, ſpeaks an obligation thence ariſing to another
diſtinct party. Accordingly, in the covenant of grace
there are three parties to be conſidered: 1. The party-con-
tractor on Heaven's fide. 2. The party-contractor on
man’s fide. And 3. The party-contracted and undertaken
for. Of which in order. And,
A
grace; the
I. Of the Party contractor on Heaven's fide.
S it was in the covenant of works, in this point; fa
it is likewiſe in the covenant of
party
upon the one fide is God himſelf, and he only. There
was no need of any other, to fee to the intereſts of Hea-
ven, in this covenant: and there was no other, when it
was made, being made from eternity, before the world be.
gan, Tit. i. 2. This is plain, from the words of the com
venant, I will be their God, Jer. xxxi. 33.
But, whether God is herein to be conſidered perſonally
or effentially, is not quite ſo clear. Some divines think,
that the Father, perſonally conſidered, namely, as the firſt
Perſon of the glorious Trinity is the party-contractor on
Heaven's ſide. Others, that God effentially conſidered,
that is, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is that party-
contractor. But, however we conceive of that matter,
we are aſſured from the holy oracles, that theſe three are
one God; and judge, that according to the ſcripture, it
may be ſafely ſaid, that God, eſſentially conſidered, was
the party contractor in the perſon of the Father. Here-
by it is owned, that the Son and Holy Ghoſt have their
part in the covenant on Heaven's fide, as the party offend.
ed by man's fin; and, in the mean time, a peculiar agen-
cy in this great work of power and authority, on that lide,

The Parties in the Covenant of Grace.
is attributed to the Father; as there is unto the Son, on f
man's fide.
]
And that, of the party-contractor on Heaven's fide, wer
may conceive aright in this matter; theſe two things are 1
in the firſt place, to be taken notice of. 1. He, from all
eternity, decreed the creation of man after his own image
and the making of the covenant of works with him, in e
time. All things, brought forth in time, lay from eterni
ty in the womb of God's decree ; in virtue whereof, they a
have their being in time; for which cauſe, the decree is 1
faid to bring forth, as a woman doth a child, Zeph. ii. 22.
And the creation of angels and men, with the providence
about them, made many lines in the volume of the ſealed
book of the decrees. God felf-ſuficient needed neither
man nor angel; but for the manifeſtation of his own glo.
ry, he purpoſed from eternity to create them, and more.
over, to enter into ſuch a covenant with man, as one ſhould
therein repreſent the whole family; ſovereign pleafure
meanwhile, taking another method with the angelic tribe;
but withal purpoſing to give both the one and the other
a fufficient ability to ſtand in their integrity, if they would.
Thus, from eternity, the covenant of works, in all the
parts and appurtenances thereof, was before the eternal
mind: though being made with a mere man, it could not
actually be entered into, till once man was created. But,
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the
world, Aets xv, 18. 2. He decreed alſo from eternity,
to permit the firſt man, the repreſentative of the whole fa.
mily, to fall, and ſo to break the covenant, and involve
himſelf and all his poſterity in ruins. It is evident from
the ſpotleſs holineſs of God, and the nature of the thing,
that the divine permillion was not the cauſe of man's fall: j
and from the neceffary dependence of the creature upon
the Creator, that without it he could not have fallen. But
the ſovereign Lord of the creatures permitted the fall of
man, for his own holy ends, purpoſing to bring about good
from it.
Now, God, the party.contractor on Heaven's fide in the
covenant of grace, is to be conſidered in that matter in a
threefold view.
1. He is to be conſidered in it as an offended God; of.
4

of the Party contractor on Heaven's fide.
13
I fended with all the fins of all mankind, original and actual.
Looking upon the children of men, the whole maſs of
le mankind appeared in the eye of his glory corrupt and
e loathſome, the very reverſe of his holineſs; he ſaw them
| all gone afide, altogether became filthy, none doing good, na nat
e one, Pſal. xiv, 2, 3. In the firſt covenant, God contract-
ned with man himſelf as a friend, without the interpoſition
i of a mediator : but in the ſecond covenant it was not ſo,
y
and it could not be ſo ; for ia it man was conſidered as a
is fallen creature: a tranſgreſſor of the law, and an enemy to
2. God; and it is a covenant of reconciliation, a covenant
e of peace for thoſe who had been at war with Heaven.
d 2. But withal God is to be conſidered herein as a God
purpoſing and decreeing from eternity to manifeſt the glo-
ry of his free grace, love, and mercy, in the ſalvation of
ſome of mankind loft. Accordingly we are faid to be fa-
ved in time, according to his own purpoſe and grace given
e to us in Chriſt Jefus, before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9.
Without ſuch a purpoſe of grace in God, there could ne-
r ver have been a covenant of grace. But the ſovereign Lord
a
9. of the creatures, overlooking the fallen angels, as to any
purpoſe of mercy, entertained thoughts of love and peace
| towards fallen mankind, purpofing in himſelf, to make ſome
t of them everlading monuments of his free grace and mercy,
partakers of life and ſalvation, and ſo fet on foot the covea
nant of grace.
3. Laſtly, Yet we are to conſider him alſo in this mat.
ter as a juſt God, who cannot but do right, give fin a juſt
recompence, and magnify bis holy law, and make it ho-
nourable, Gen. xviii. 25. Heb. ii. 2. Ifa.xlii. 21. Upon
the motion for extending mercy to finners of mankind, the
juftice of God interpoſeth, pleading that mercy cannot be
ſhewn them, but upon terms agreeable to law and juſtice.
And indeed it was neither agreeable to the oature of God,
nor to his truth in his word, to ere&t a throne of grace on
the ruins of his exa&t justice, nor to ſhew mercy i prejudice
of it. Now the juftice of God required, that the law which
was violated, ſhould be fully ſatisfied, and the honour there.
of repaired by fuffering and obedience; the former fuch
as might ſatisfy the penal fanétion of the law, and the lat.
ter the commanding part of it. The which being quite
B

14
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1,
beyond the reach of the finners themſelves, they behoved
to die without mercy, unleſs another, who could be ac.
cepted as a fufficient ſurety, ſhould undertake for them, as
a fecond Adam, coming in their room and tlead, as they
lay ruined by the breach of the covenant of works.
Thus ſtood the impediments in the way of mercy to fal.
len man quite inſuperable to him, or any of his fellow.
creatures; and the covenant of grace was made for remov.
ing thoſe impediments out of the way, and that it might
be the channel wherein the whole rich flood of ſaving mer.
cy might flow freely, for the quickening, purging, ſancti.
fing, and perfecting of loft finners of mankind, who were
under the bands of death and the curſe, through the breach
of the firk covenant by the firft Adam.
From what is ſaid on this point, we may draw this in
ference, to wit, That the redemption of the foul is precious.
The ſalvation of loft finners was a greater work than the
making of the world: the powerful Word commanded,
and this laſt was done, but the former was not to be coin.
paffed, but with more ado,
II. Of the Party contraclor on Man's fide.
WE
7 E have feen, that upon one ſide, in the covenant of
grace, is God himſelf. Now, upon the other ſide
is Jeſus Chriſt the Son of God, with his fpiritual ſeed,
Heb. ii. 13. Behold I and the children which God hath given
me : the former as the party contractor and undertaker:
the latter, as the party contracted and undertaken for : A
good reaſon for his name Immanuel, which being inter-
preted, is, God with us, Matth. i. 23.
The party.contractor then with God, in the covenant of
grace, is our Lord Jeſus Chrift. He alone managed the
intereſts of men in this eternal bargain: for at the mak.
ing of it none of them were in being ; nor, if they had
been, would they have been capable of affording any help.
Now, Jeſus Chriſt, the party-contractor on man’s fide,
in the covenant of grace, is, according to our texts, to be
conſidered in that matter as the laſt or ſecond Adam, head
and repreſentative of a feed, loft Ginners of mankind, the
party contracted for. And thus he fifted himſelf Media-
ter between an offended juſt God, and offending men guil

Of the Party-contra&or on Man's ſide. 15
tor.
ty before him. In which point lay one main difference
betwixt the firſt Adam and the lat Adam : For there is
one Mediator between God and men, the man Chriſt Jefus ;
who gave himſelf a ranſom, 1 Tim. ij. 5, 6. And ſo the
6
covenant of grace, which could not be made immediately
with finners, was made with Chriſt the laſt Adam, their
head and repreſentative, mediating between God and them;
therefore called, Jefus the Mediator of the new covenant, to
whom we come by believing, Heb. xii. 22, 24.
The term Mediator is not, to my obſervation, applied in
the holy fcripture to any other, except Mofes, Gal. iii. 19,
The law-- was ordained by angels in the hand of a media.
And of him, a typical mediator, it is worth obſerv.
ing, that he was not only an inter-meſſenger between God
and Ifrael; but, in God's renewing his covenant, in a way
of reconciliation, after the breaking of the tables, the cove-
nant was made with him, as their head and repreſentative,
Exod. xxxiv. 27. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, write thors
theſe words ; for after the tenur of theſe words I have made
a covenant with thee and with Ifrael. This refers unto the
gracious anſwer made to Moſes's prayer, verſe 9. Pardon
our iniquity, and our fin, and take us for thine inheritance ;
verfe 10. And he (namely the Lord) ſaid, Behold I make
a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, &c. ver.
28. And he wrote upon the tables (to wit, the new ones) the
words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Now Moſes
was alone on the mount with God during the whole time
of this tranſaction; and in it the Lord ſpeaks of him and
the people as one all along.
For clearing of this purpoſe anent the party-contractor
on man's fide, I ſhall 1. Evince, That the covenant of
grace was made with Chriſt as the laſt Adam, head and
reprefentative of a ſeed ; and 2. Shew why it was fo made.
Firſt, That the covenant of grace, the ſecond covenant,
was made with Chriſt as the laſt or ſecond Adam, head and
repreſentative of a feed, to wit, his fpiritual feed, appears
from the following confiderations.
1. Covenants typical of the covenant of grace were made
or eſtabliſhed with perſons repreſenting their reſpective ſeed.
Thus it was in the typical covenant in our text, the cove-
nant of royalty made with David, an undoubted type of
a
B 2

16
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1,
the covenant of grace. In it David was God's ſervant,
having a feed comprehended with him therein, Pfal. Ixxxix.
3.4 He was an eminent type of Chriſt; who is there.
fore called David, Hof. iii. 5. Afterwards ſhall the children
of Iſrael return, and ſeek the Lord their God, and David
their king. And the benefits of the covenant of grace are
called the ſure mercies of David, Ila. lv. z. Thus was it
alſo in the covenant of the day and night, (Jer. xxxiii, 20.)
eftabliſhed with Noah and his ſons, repreſentatives of their
feed, the new world, Gen. ix. 9. Behold I eſtabliſh my co-
venant with you, and with your feed after you. And that
this covenant was a type of the covenant of grace, appears,
from its being made upon a facrifice, chap. viii. 20, 21,
22. and from the lign and token of it, the rainbow, chap.
ix. 13. appearing round about the throne, Rev. iv. 3. but i'-
ſpecially from the nature and import of it, to wit, that there
hould not be another deluge, Gen, ix. 11. the fubitance of
which is plainly declared, Ifa. liv. 9. As I have ſworn that
the waters of Noah ſhall no more go over the earlb; fo have
I ſworn, that I would not be wroth with thee, nor reluke
thee. ver. 10. For the mountains ſhall depart, and the hills be
removed, but my kindneſs fwall not depart from thee, neither
pall the covenant of my pecee be removed, ſaith the Lord, that
bath on thee. And ſuch alſo was the covenant of the
land of Canaan, made with Abraham, repreſenting his feed,
Gen. xv. 18. and afterwards confirmed by oath, chap. xxii.
In all which he was an eminent type of Chriſt,
the true Abraham, father of the multitude of the faithful,
who, upon God's call, left heaven, his native country, and
came and ſojourned among the curſed race of mankind, and
there offered up his own Aeſh and blood a facrifice unto
God, and ſo became the true heir of the world, and re-
ceived the promiſes for his fpiritual feed ; the ſum where-
of is given by Zacharias, in his account of the covenant
with Abraham, Luke i. 72. To remember his holy covenant,
ver. 73. the oath which he ſware to our father Abraham, ver,
74, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out
of the hands of cur enemies, might ſerve him without fear,
ver 75. in holineſs and righteouſneſs before him, all the days of
our life. And finally, thus it was in the covenant of ever-
lafting prieſthood made with Phinehas, another type of the
mercy on thee.
16, 17

Of the Parly-contractor on Man's fide.
17
.
covenant of grace.
In it Phinehas food a repreſentative
of his feed, Numb. XXV. 13. And he ball have it, and his
feed after him, even the covenant of an everlaſting prieſthood;
becauſe he was zealous for his God and made an atonement
for the children of Iſrael. And therein he typified Jeſus
Chrift, repreſenting his ſpiritual feed in the covenant of
grace; for it is evident, that as in Chriſt, who made the
great atonement for finners, the everlaſting prieſthood pro-
miſed to Phinehas, hath its full accompliſhment, his fpiri-
tual feed partaking of the fame in him: according to Pſal
.
CX. 4. Thou art a prieſt for ever.
Rev. i. 6. And bath
made us kings and prieſts unto God and his Father.
Now, forafmuch as theſe typical covenants were made or
eſtabliſhed with parties ſtanding therein as public perſons,
heads, and repreſentatives of their feed; it natively follows,
that the covenant of grace typified by them, was made
with Chriſt as the head and repreſentative of his ſpiritual
feed; for whatſoever is attributed to any perſon or thing
as a type, hath its accompliſhment really and chiefly in the
perſon or thing typified.
2. Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt being, in the phraſeology of
the Holy Ghoft, the laſt Adam, the reaſon hereof cannot
be taken from the nature common to the firſt Adam and
him, for all mankind partake of that; but from their com-
mon office of federal headlip and repreſentation, in the re-
ſpective covenants touching man's eternal happir eſs; the
which is peculiar unto Adam, and the man Christ. Ac.
cordingly, Adam is called the firſt man, and Chrif the fe-
cond man, 1 Cor. xv. 47. ; but Chriſt is no otherwiſe the
ſecond man, than as he is the ſecond federal head, or the
repreſentative in the ſecond covenant; as Adam was the
firſt federal head, or the repreſentative in the firſt covenant.
Agreeable to which, the apoſtle repreſents Adam as the
head of the earthly men, and Chriſt as the bead of the hea.
Fenly men, ver. 48. ; the former being thoſe who bear A.
dam's image, namely, all his natural feed; the latter,
thoſe who partake of the image of Chrift, namely, his fpi-
ritual feed, ver. 49. All this is confirmed from A darn's
being a figure or type of Chrift, which the Apofle expreſs-
ly aflerts, Rom. v. 14. ; and from the paralld he draws
betwist them two, Damely that as by Adam's covenant-
B 3

IS
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
breaking, fin and death came on all that were his, ſo by
Chriſt's covenant, keeping, righteouſneſs and life came to
all that are his, ver. 17, 18, 19. Wherefore, as the firſt
covenant was made with Adam, as the head and repreſen-
tative of his natural feed, fo the fecond covenant was made
with Chriſt as the head and repreſentative of his ſpiritual
feed.
3. As the firſt man was called Adam, that is to ſay,
man; he being the head and repreſentative of mankind, the
perſon in whom God treated with all men, his natural ſeed,
in the firſt covenant; and on the other hand, all men there-
in repreſented by him, do, in the language of the Holy
Ghott, go under the name of Adam, Pfal xxxix. 5, 11.
Surely every man (in the original it is, all Adam) is vani-
ty: lo Chrift bears the name of his fpiritual feed, and they,
on the other hand, bear his name, a plain evidence of their
being one in the eye of the law, and of God's treating with
him as their repreſentative in the ſecond covenant. Iſrael
in the name of the ſpiritual feed, Rom. ix. 6. and our Lord
Jeſus Chriſt is called by the ſame name, Ifa xlix. 3. Thou
art my ſervant, 0 Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified; as le-
veral learned and judicious commentators do underſtand it;
and is evident from the whole context, verſe 1, 2, 4,-9.
The truth is, Chriſt is here ſo called with a peculiar folem.
nity; for the original text ſtands preciſely thus: Thou art
my ſervant, Ifrael, in whom I will glorify myſelf: that is,
thou art Iſrael's repreſentative, in whom I will glorify my-
felf, and make all mine attributes illuſtrious ; as I was diſ-
honoured, and they darkened, by Ifrael the collective body
of the ſpiritual feed. And this leads us to a natural and un-
ftrained interpretation of that paſſage, Pfal. xxiv. 6. This
is the generation of třem that ſeek him, that ſeek thy face, O
Jacob: that is, in other words, that long for the appear-
ing (Prov. vii. 15. Gen. xxxii
. 39.) of the Meffias, the
Lord whom the Old Teſtament church did fo feek; a
pledge of whoſe coming to his temple, (Mal. iii. 1.) was
the bringing in of the ark into the tabernacle that David
had erected for it, on which occaſion tkat Pfalm was pen-
ned. Accordingly it follows immediately, ver. 7. Lift up
your heads, O ye gates, and be lift up ye everlaſting doors, and
the King of gloryfhall come in. And in another Pſalm pen»

Of the Party-contracor on Man's fide. 19
ned on the fame occaſion, and expreſsly ſaid to have been
delivered on that very day into the hand of Aſaph, !
Chron. xvi. 1, 7 is that expreſſion found, ver. Il. Seek
bis face continually; juftly to be interpreted agreeable to
the circumſtances of the main thing which David through
the Spirit had in view that day, namely, the coming of
the Meflias. Thus Chrift bears the name of his ſpiritual
feed ; and they, on the other hand, bear his name too ;
1 Cor. xii. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many mem-
bers, and all the members of that one body, being many, are
one body : fo alſo is Chrift.
4. The promiſes were made to Chrift as the ſecond A.
dam the head and repreſentative of his feed; Gal. iii. 16.
Now to Abraham and his feed were the promiſes made. H&
faith not, And to feeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to
thy feed, which is Chriſt. I owa, that here, even as in
the text immediately before cited, is meant, Chriſt my,
ftical, the head and members. It is to them that the
premiſes are here ſaid to be made ; but primarily to the
head, fecondarily to the members in him ; even as the pro.
miſe of life in the firſt covenant, was primarily made to
Adam as the head, and ſecondarily to all his natural feed
in him. Thus, in the typical covenant with Abraham, the
promiſes of the earthly inheritance were primarily made
to Abraham himſelf, and ſecondarily to his feed according
to the fleſh. And even ſo the promiſe of the eternal in.
heritance plainly ftands made to Chrift, Tit. i. 2. In hope
of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promiſed before the
world began ; wken there was none but Chrift to whom
that promiſe could be made perſonally. Accordingly the
coveoant is faid to be made with the houſe of Iſrael, namely,
the ſpiritual Ifrael ; yet are the promiſes of it directed,
not to them, but to another perſon, Heb. viii. 10. I will
be to them a God, and they fall be to me a people. The rea-
fon of which plainly appears, in the promiſes being made
to Chriſt as their head and repreſentative. Now, foraſmuch
as theſe promiſes belong to the covenant of grace, which
is therefore called the covenant of promiſe, Eph. ii. 12. it
is manifeft, that if they were made to Chriſt as the head
and repreſentative of a ſeed, the covenant of grace was
made with him as fach; and he to whom they were pri.
marily made, was ſurely the party-contractor therein.

20 The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
5. Laſtly, This federal headſhip of Chriſt, and his re.
preſenting his ſpiritual feed in the covenant of grace ap-
pears from his ſuretiſhip in that covenant, the better te.
ftament whereof Jeſus was made a furety, Heb. vii. 22.
Now, he became furety for them in the way of ſatisfaction
for their debt of puniſhment and obedience ; and that tak.
ing the whole burden on himſelf, as for perſons utterly un-
able to anſwer for themſelves. This will afterwards fall in
to be cleared. Mean-while, ſuch a ſurety is a true re.
preſentative of the party he is ſurety for, and one perſon
with them in the eye of the law. Hence not only is
Chriſt ſaid to have been made fin for us, 2 Cor. v. 21. to
have had the iniquity of us all laid on him, Iſa. lii. 6. and
to have died for us, Rom, v. 8. but alſo we are ſaid to
have been crucified with Chriſt, Gal. ii. 20. to be made
the righteouſneſs of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21. yea, to be
raifed up together, and glorified, being made to fit toge-
ther in heavenly places in Chriſt Jeſus, Eph. ii. 6. and to
be made alive in Chrift, as we die in Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 22.
All which neceſſarily requires this his headſhip and repre-
ſentation in the covenant.
And thus it appears, that the ſecond covenant was made
with Chriſt as the laſt or ſecond Adam, head and repre-
fentative of his fpiritual ſeed.
Secondly, We are to enquire, wherefore the ſecond co-
venant, the covenant of grace, was fo made? And this
ſhall be accounted for in the following particulars.
1. The covenant of grace was made with Chriſt as the
laſt Adam, head and repreſentative of his ſpiritual feed,
that infinite love might have an early vent, even from e.
ternity. The fpecial love of God to the ſpiritual ſeed
took vent in the covenant of grace. And that love and
that covenant are of the fame eternal date: as the love
was everlaſting or eternal, Jer. xxxi. 3. fo was the cove-
nant, Heb. xiii. 20. Tit. i. 2. But ſince the feed are
but of yeſterday, the covenant of grace behoved to be
like the covenant of works, a yeſterday's covenant, a time
covenant, if it was not made with Chriſt as their repre-
ſentative ; it could not otherwiſe have been an eternal co.
venant. The promiſe of eternal life, which is undoubt-
edly a promiſe of the covenant of grace, could not other-

Of the Party.contracor on Man's fide.
21
a
wiſe have been of fo ancient a date, as before the world be.
gan, as the apoſtle ſays it is, Tit. i. 2. How could an e-
ternal covenant be originally made with ereatures of time,
but in their eternal head and repreſentative? Or how could
an eternal covenant be perſonally made with them, by way
of perfonal application to them, had it not been from eter.
nity made with another as their head and repreſentative?
But in this method of infinite wiſdom, free love took an
early vent; not waiting the ſlow motion of its objects creep-
ing out of the womb of time, in which many of them lie
wrapt up, even to this day. But as princes ſometimes do,
,
by proxy, marry young princeſſes, before they are mar-
riageable, or capable to give their conſent ; fo God, in his
infinite love, married to himſelf all the ſpiritual feed, in
and by Jeſus Chriſt as their repreſentative, not only before
they were capable of conſenting, but before they were at
all. The which they do afterwards, in their effectnal cal-
ling, approve of by faith, and give their conſent perſonally
to; and ſo they enjoy God as their God, and God hath
them as his people : Joha xx. 17. * I aſcend unto my Fa-
ther and your Father, and to my God and your God.'
2. Otherwiſe it could not have been made at all a con-
ditional covenant anſwering the deſign of it. This cove-
nant taking place only upon the breach of the firſt covenant,
the great deſign of it was, that dead finners might have
life, as was before obſerved. Now, in order to this, a
holy juft God food upon conditions, without performing
of which that life was not to be given : and they were high
conditions, Pfal. xl. 6. Sacrifice and offering thou did not
defire. Theff. v. 9, 10. Jeſus Chriſt who died for us,
that--we should live. But how could an effeétual condi-
tional covenant for life be made with dead finners, other-
wiſe than in a repreſentative ? Dead fouls cannot perform
any condition for life at all which can be pleaſing to God.
They muſt needs have life before they can do any thing of
that nature, be it never fo fmall a condition ; therefore a
conditional covenant for life could not be made with finners
in their own perfons ; eſpecially confidering, that the con.
ditions for life were ſo high, that man at his bel fate was
not able to perform them. Wherefore, if ſuch a covenant

22 The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
was made at all, it behoved to be made with Chriſt as their
repreſentative, Rom. viii. 3, 4.
3. It was ſo ordered, to the end it might be unto us
poor finners a covenant of grace indeed. It is evident
from the holy fcriptures, that this covenant was deſigned
for exalting the free grace of God; and that it is fo fram
ed, as to be a covenant of pure grace, and not of works, in
reſpect of us, whatever it was in reſpect of Chriſt : Rom.
iv. 16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace.
Eph. ii. 9. Not of works, left any man should boaſt. And
at this rate, indeed, it is a covenant of pure grace ; and all
ground of boaſting is taken away from us : the Lord Je-
ſus Chriſt himſelf as a repreſentative, being ſole undertaker
and performer of the conditions thereof. But it is not fo,
if it is made with the finner himſelf, ftanding as principal
party,contracting with God, and undertaking and perform.
ing the conditions of the covenant for life: for how low
ſoever theſe conditions, tindertaken and wrought by the
finner in his own perfon, are fuppoſed to be, the promiſe
of the covenant is made to them : and ſo, according to the
fcripture-reckoning, it is a covenant of works, Rom. iv.
4. Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned
grace, but of debt; and betwixt Adam's covenant and fuch
a covenant, there is no difference, but in degree, which
leaves it ftill of the fame kind.
4. This method was taken, that the communication of
righteouſneſs and life might be in as compendious a way, as
the communication of fun and death was: As by one man's
diſobedience many were made finners ; ſo by the obedience of
one ſhall many be made righteous, Rom. v. 19 The cove-
nant of works having been made with Adam as a reprefen-
tative of his natural feed, upon the breaking thereof, fin
and death are communicate to them all from him as a dead-
ly head. This being ſo, it was not agreeable to the me-
thod of divine procedure with men, to treat with thoſe pre-
deſtinated unto falvation ſeverally, as principal parties, each
contracting for himſelf in the new covenant for life; but
to treat for them all as one public perſon, who through his
fulfilling of the covenant, ſhould be a quickening head to
them, from whence life might be derived to them, in as
compendious a way, as death was from the firft Adama
For his mercies are above all his other works.
a

Of the Party contraclor on Man's fide. 23
5. Laſtly, The covenant of grace was ſo made, that it
might be a fure covenant; even to the end the promiſe might
be ſure to all the ſeed, Rom. iv. 16. The firft covenant was
made with a mere creature, as a principal party and con-
tractor : and though he was a holy and righteous man, yet
was he fo fickle and unſtable, that he failed of performing
the condition be undertook; and ſo the benefit of the
pro-
miſe was loft ; wherefore failen men were not at all fit to
be principal parties, or parties-contractors, in the new co-
venant, wherein the promiſe was to be ſure, and not to miſs
of an accompliſhment. They being then wholly a broken
company, not to be truſted in the matter, Jeſus Chrift the
Son of God was conſtituted head of the new covenant, to
act for, and in the name of the ſpiritual feed : and that to
the end, the covenant being in this manner fure in point of
the accompliſhment of the promiſe. And this is the very
hinge of the ſtability of the covenant of grace, according
to the ſcripture: Pfal. Ixxxix. 28. My mercy will I keep
for him for evermore, and my covenant ſhall ſtand faſt with
him ; or, as others read it, and I think juſtly, the enemy
ſhall not beguile him, namely, as he did the firſt Adam.
The original phraſe is elliptical, q. d. The enemy ſhall not
beguile (his foul, Jer. xxxvii. 9.) in him.
Before I leave this point, I offer the following inferen-
ces from it.
Inf. 1. The covenant of redemption and the covenant
of
grace are not two diftinct covenants, but one and the
fame covenant. I know that many divines do expreſs them-
felves otherwiſe in this matter; and that upon very diffe-
rent views, fome of which are no ways injurious to the doc.
trine of free grace. But this I take to be fcripture truth
and a native conſequent of the account given of the cove-
nant of grace in our Larger Catechiſm, to wit, “ That
" the covenant of grace was made with Chrilt as the ſe-
6t cond Adam, and in him with all the elect as his feed :
" Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed were the
" promiſes made. He faith not, And to feeds, as of ma-
ny; but as of one, And to thy feed, which is Chrift,'
6.
6 Rom. v. 16, to the end.
-lía. liii. 10, 11.- When
"
6: tlou ſhalt make his foul an offering for fin, he ſhall fee
* his feed, he ſhall prolong his days, and the pleaſure of

24 The Parties in the Covenant of Grate.
Head 1.
6 the Lord fhall proſper in his hand. He ſhall fee of
" the travail of his foul, and ſhall be ſatisfied,” &c. So
the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace are
but two names of one and the ſame ſecond covenant, un.
der different conſiderations. By a covenant of redemp-
tion, is meant a bargain of buying and ſelling: and ſuch
a covenant it was to Chriſt only; foraſmuch as he alone
engaged to pay the price of our redemption, i Pet. i.
18, 19. By a covenant of grace is meant a bargain where-
by all is to be had freely: and ſuch a covenant it is to us
only, to whom the whole of it is of free grace God him.
ſelf having provided the ranſom, and thereupon made o-
ver life and ſalvation to us, by free promiſe, without re-
ſpect to any work of ours, as the ground ofour right therete.
To confirm this, conſider, (1.) That in fcripture reck.
oning, the covenants for life and happineſs to man, are
but two in number, whereof the covenant of works is one:
Gal. iv. 23. Theſe are the two covenants; the one from
mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, namely, generat-
ing bond children, excluded from the inheritance, verſe 30.
This is a diſtinguiſhing character of the covenant of works;
for fuch are indeed the children of that covenant, but not
the children of the covenant of grace under any diſpen-
fation thereof. Theſe two covenants are called the old
covenant and the new covenant : and the old is called the
firſt, which ſpeaks the new to be the ſecond: Heb. viii. 13.
In that he faith, A new covenant, he hath made the firſt old.
This is agreeable to the two ways unto life revealed in the
fcripture; the one by works, the other by grace, Rom.
xi. 6. The one is called the law, the other grace, chap. vi.
14. The former is the law-covenant with the firſt Adam,
repreſenting all his natural feed; made firſt in paradiſe,
and afterwards repeated on mount Sinai, with the cove-
nant of grace : the latter is the covenant of grace, made
with the ſecond Adam repreſenting his ſpiritual ſeed:
1 Cor. xv. 47, 48. (2.) It is evident, that the ſalvation of
fingers is by the blood of the covenant, which is the blood
of Chrift, Heb. X. 16. 1 Cor. xi. 25. And the ſcripture
mentions the blood of the covenant four times ; but ne-
ver the blood of the covenants; therefore the covenant

Of the Party-contrailor on Man's fide. 25
the blood whereof the ſcripture mentions, and our falva-
tinn depends upon, is but one covenant, and not two.
Nw, that covenant is Chriſt's covenant, or the covenant
of redemption : for it was through the blood of it he was
Brought again from the dead; namely, in virtue of the pro-
mile made therein to be fulfilled to him, upon his perform-
ing of the condition thereof, Heb. xiii. 20. And it is alle
his people's covenant, or the covenant of grace, Exod.
xxiv, 8. Behold, the blood of the covenant which the
• Lord hath made with you.' It is expreſsly called their
covenant. Zech. ix, 11. • As for thee alſo, by the blood
* of thy covenant, I have ſent forth thy priſoners out of
*the pit, wherein is no water. The words expreſſing
the party here ſpoke to, being of the feminine gender in
the firſt language, make it evident, that this is not direct.
ed to Chrift, but to the church: fo the covenant is pro-
poſed as their covenant. And the ſpiritual priſoners are
delivered, in virtue of this their covenant, which certainly
muſt be the covenant of grace. By all which it appears,
that the covenant of grace is the very ſame covenant that
was made with Chrift, in reſpect of whom it is called the
covenant of redemption.
Inf. 2. Likeas all mankind finned in Adam, ſo believers
obeyed and fuffered in Chrift the ſecond Adam. For az
the covenant of works was made with Adam as a public
perſon and repreſentative, all finned in him, when he broke
that covenant; fo the covenant of grace being made with
Chriſt, as a public perſon and repreſentative, all believers
obeyed and ſuffered in him, when he ſo fulfilled this cove-
nant. This is the doctrine of the apoftle; Rom. v. 19.
• As by one man's diſobedience many were made finners :
• fo by the obedience of one ſhall many be made righte-
ous. chap. viii. 3. God ſending his own Son, in the like-
nefs of finfal fleſh, and for fin condemned lin in the fleſh :
6 verſe 4. That the righteouſneſs of the law might be tul-
«
filled in us. 2 Cor. v. 21. That we might be made the
righteouſneſs of God in him. Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified
with Chrift.' And it affords a ſolid anſwer for believ.
ers, unto the law's demand of obedience and ſuffering for
life and ſalvation.
3. Believers are juſtified immediately, by the righteouſ.
.
с

26 The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
nefs of Christ, without any righteouſneſs of their own in.
tervening; even as all men are condemned, upon Adam's
fin, before they have done any good or evil in their own
perfovs: Rom. v. 18. \ As by the offence of one, judge
«ment came upon all men to condemnation ; even ſo by
the righteouſneſs of one, the free gift came upon all men
' unto juſtification of life.' And thus believers are
righteous before God with the ſelf-fame tighteouſneſs
which was wrought by Jeſus Chriſt, in his fulfilling of the
covenant. The which righteouſneſs is not imputed to
them in its effects only ; ſo as their faith, repentance and
fincere obedience, are therefore accepted as their evange
lical righteouſneſs, on which they are juſtified ; but it is
imputed to them in itſelf, even as Adam's fia was.
4. The covenant of grace is abſolute, and not condi-
tional to us. For being made with Chrilt, as repreſenta-
tive of his feed, all the conditions of it were laid on him,
and fulfilled by him. Wherefore all that remains of it to
be accomplifhed, is the fulfilling of the promiſes unto him
and his ſpiritual ſeed, even as it would have been in the caſe
of the firſt covenant, if once the firſt Adam had fulfilled
the condition thereof.
5. The covenant of grace is a contrivance of infinite
wiſdom and love, worthy to be embraced by poor finners,
as well ordered in all things and ſure, 2 Sam. xxii. 5.0
admirable contrivance of help for a deſperate cafe? won
derful contrivance of a covenant of God, with them
who were incapable of landing in the preſence of his ho-
lineſs, or of performing the leaſt condition for life and fal.
vation! A new bargain for the relief of loft Ginners made
on the higheſt terms with thoſe who were not able to
come up to the lowelt terms! Infinite Wiſdom found out
the way, to wit, by a repreſentative. The love of the
Father engaged him to propoſe the repreſentation ; and
the love of the Son engaged him to accept of it. Thus
God had one, with whom he might contract with the
fafety of his honour; and who was able to fulfl the cove-
rant, to the reparation of the injuries done to his glory:
and finners alſo had one able to act for them, and to pur-
chafe ſalvation for them at the hand of a holy and juft
Gud. So a fure covenant was made, and a firm founda-

Of the Party-contractor on Man's fide. 27
tion laid, upon which God laid the weight of his honour,
and on which finners may fafely lay their whole weight :
• Therefore thus faith the Lord, Behold, I lay in Zion
"-----a fure foundation: he that believeth, ſhall not make
. hafle, Tſa. xxviii. 16. ſhall not be aſhamed,' Rom. ix. 33.
6. Lapily, The way to enter perforally into the cove.
nant of grace, ſo as to partake of the benefits thereof, unto
ſalvation, is to unite with Chriſt the head of the covenant,
by faith. Being thus ingrafted into him, ye ſhall partake
of all that happineſs which is ſecured to Chriſt myitical,
in the everlafting covenant : aven as, through your be-
coming children of Adam, by natural generation, ye ale
perſonally entered into the firſt covenan', ſo as to fall un.
der that fin and death - which poffed upon all men, by the
breach thereof, Rom. v. 12.
III. Of the Party contraxed and undertaken for.
A
S the party-contractor and undertaker on man's fide,
in the covenant of grace, was a repreſentative ; ſo
the party contracted and undertaken for, was repreſented
by him. And that theſe two, namely, the repreſented,
and thoſe contracted for, are of equal latitude, is plain from
the nature of the thing: for theſe whom one repreſents in
a covenant he contracts for in that covenant ; and thoſe
for whom one contracts for in a covenaut made with him
as repreſentative, are repreſented by him in that covenant.
Thus it was in the covenant of the firft Adam, who was
a figure of Chrift the head of the ſecond covenant. In it,
thoſe whom Adam contracted for, he repreſented ; and
thoſe whom he repreſented, he contracted for ; he repre-
ſented his natural feed only, and for them alone he con-
tracted: Therefore thoſe whom the fecond Adam con.
tracted for, he repreſented ; and whom he repreſented, he
contracted for.
Now the party repreſented and contracted for, by our
Lord Jeſus Chriſt, in the covenant of grace, was the elect
of mankind; being a certain number of mankind, choſen
from eternity to everlaſting life ; children, partakers of
fiefh and blood, which God gave to Chrift, Heb. ii. 13,14.
In their perſon he ftood, making this covenant with his
C2

23 The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
Father: in their name he acted, ſtriking this bargain with
him, as a furety to obey the law and ſatisfy juſtice.
And this I ſhall, in the firit place, confirm; and then
fhall enquire how the elect were conſidered in this cove-
nant and federal repreſentation.
Firſt, That the elect were the party repreſented or
contracted and undertaken for, in the covenant, of grace
appears from the following grounds.
1. The party with whom the covenant was made, is in
the text called God's Chofen ; as repreſenting and con-
tracting for all the chofen or elect: even as the firſt man
was called Adam or man, as repreſenting and contracting
for all mankind, in his covenant. For as the apofile
teacheth, Heb. i. 11. He-and they--are all of one ; not
only of one nature, but alſo of one body, to wit, the e.
lection : Chrilt is the head ele&t, Ila. xlii. 1. they the bo.
dy elect, Eph. v. 23. Therefore they go under one name,
principally belonging to him, and then to them by parti-
cipation with him. Thus he alſo called Abram's feed,
as repreſenting all the ſpiritual feed of Abram, that is,
the elect, Gal. 111. 16. And to thy feed, which is Chrift;
and the feed of the woman, as oppoſed to the ſerpent's feed;
and under that name allo the elect are comprehended; they
and they only, being the party betwixt whom and the fer-
pent with his feed, God puts the enmity, according to
the promiſe, Gen. ii. 15.
2. Thoſe whom Chriſt repreſented and contracted for
in the covenant of grace, are the heavenly men : 1 Cor.
xv. 47, 48. • The firſt man is of the earth, earthy : the
« fecond man is the Lord from heaven. As is the
* earthy, ſuch are they alo that are earthy : and as is
the heavenly, ſuch are they alſo that are heavenly. Now,
the heavenly men, belonging to Chriſt the ſecond man, are
none other but the elect. For they are contradiſtinguished
to the earthy men, belonging to the firſt man; to wit, all
mankind taken into the fuit covenant in Adam : and
therefore they are the elect men, taken into the ſecond
covenant, in the ſecond Adaro. Again, the heavenly men
are thoſe who ſhall bear the image of the heavenly man,
Chriſt, ver. 49. and ſuch are the elect, and they alone.
And, finally, they are thoſe to whom Chriſt is, in reſpect

Of the Party contracted and undertaken for.
29
of efficacy, a quickening ſpirit : for as is the beavenly
ſuch are they alſo that are heavenly. As Adam's deadly
efficacy goes as wide as his repreſentation did in the firát
covenant, reaching all mankind bis natural feed, and them
only: ſo Chrift's quickening efficacy goes as wide as his
repreſentation did in the ſecond covenant, reaching all the
elect, his ſpiritual ſeed, and them only : and if it did not,
ſome would be deprived of the benefit, which was pur-
chaſed and paid for, by the ſurety in their name; the
which is not conſiſtent with the juſtice of God.
3. They whom Chriſt repreſented and contracted for in
the covenant, are his feed, bis ſpiritual ſeed; Gal. iii. 16.
• Now to Abraham and his feed were the promiſes made.
• He ſaith--And to thy feed, which is Chriſt.' Pſalm
lxxxix. 3, 4. • I have ſworn unto David my ſervant. Thy
• feed will i eſtabliſh for ever.' In the covenants typical
of the covenant of grace, the parties repreſented were the
feed of the repreſentatives they were made with, as was
cleared before : and in the firſt Adan's covenant, his ta.
tural feed were the repreſented. Wherefore, in the ſecond
Adam's covenant, his ſpiritual ſeed are the repreſented.
Now, Chriſt's fpiritual ſeed are the elect, and none other ,
for they are thoſe whom he begeis with the word of truth,
James i. 18. and are born again (1 Pet. i. 23.) unto him
in their regeneration ; wbom therefore be 'fees as his feed,
with his own image en them, Ifa. liii. 1. They are the
travail of his foul, who ſooner or later are all of them
juſtified, ver. 11. They are the feed that ſhall ſerve him,
Plalm xxii. 30. which ſhall be eſtablihed and endure for
ever, namely, in a ftate of happineſs, Pfalm lxxxix, 4, 29,
36.
4. Laſtly, Chriſt was in the covenant of grace, Ifrael's re-
preſentative, according to that text Iſa. xlix. 3. • Thou
«
art my ſervant, o Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified
Now, Iſrael the collective body, is the elect. Rom. ix. 6.
• They are not all Ifrael which are of lfrael:' Therefore
the elect were the party repreſented and contracted for in
the covenant. So thoſe whom Chrift took with him ina
to the bond of his covenant, are deſcribed to be the feed of
Abraham; Heb. ii. 16. For verily he took not on bim
the nature of angels : but he took upon him the ſeed of
a
C 3

30
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
• Abraham ;' or rather, as it is read in the margin of our
Bibles, more agreeable to the original, " He taketh not
hold of angels : but of the feed of Abraham he taketh
hold." The original word fignifies, to take hold of a
thing running away, or falling down ; and, in the ſame
manner of conſtruction, it is uſed of Chrift's catching hold
of Peter finking in the water, Matth. xiv. 31. Fallen an-
gels and men were both run away from God, and finking
in the ſea of his wrath ; and Chriſt, with the bond of the
covenant, takes hold of men ; but not of the fallen angels,
them he leaves to fink unto the bottom. All the ſeed of
Adam was finking, as well as the ſeed of Abraham, which
is but a part of the feed of Adam, even ſome of all man-
kind; bor Chriſt is not ſaid to have taken hold of the feed
of Adam, that is, all mankind; but the feed of Abraham,
that is all the elect, or the ſpiritual Ifrael called the houſe
of Jacob, Luke i. 33. Accordingly it is obſervable, that
the firft time the covenant of grace was heard of in the
world, the diſcourſe was directed to the ſerpent, by way
of narration, Gen. iii. 14, 15. not to Adam, as the firft
covenant was, chap. ii. 16, 17. that A dam might know
he was to come in here as a private perſon only, and not
as a public perſon with his ſeed. And for this cauſe alſo,
our Lord Jeſus is not ſimply called Adam, or Man, but
the laft Adam, and the ſecond Man, whoſe feed differs
from that of the firſt man, as Abraham's feed from Adam's
feed; but he is ſimply called Ifrael, without any epithet
at all: and his feed is plainly determined to be the elect,
Ifa. xlv. 25. In the Lord fhall all the feed of Hírael be
« Iſrael
* juftified :' even as in the firſt man all the feed of Adam
was condemned, Rom. v. 18. For the firft man was fim-
ply called Adam or Man, becauſe, in the firſt covenant,
he was a compend of all mankind; he was all man in law
reckoning, they being all repreſented by him : fo Jefus
Chriſt was a compend of all Iſrael ; that is, all the elect;
he was all lfrael in law-reckoning, they being all repre.
ſented by him, And thus we have the true ground of
the univerſality of that expreſſion, Iſa. lii. 6. " The
• Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all;' i. e. of all
Ifrael, that is to ſay, all the elect. The which is con-
,
firmed by a paralel text, bearing the type, whereof this

Of the Party contrafted and undertaken for. 31
hath the antitype, viz. Lev. xvi. 21. “ And Aaron ſhall
lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat,
and confeſs over him all the iniquities of the children
6 of Iſrael, and all their tranſgreffions in all their fins, put-
• ting them upon the head of the goat. For as Ifrael
was a people entertained with types, ſo they themſelves
were indeed a typical people.
Secondly, We are to enquire, how the elect were con-
fidered in this covenant and federal reprefentation. And
therein they came under a threefold confideration.
1. They were conſidered as Ginners loft, ruined, and un-
done in Adam; • loft ſheep of the houfe of lſrael, Matth.
xv. 24. In the firft covenant, the whole fuck of mankind
was put under the hard of one ſhepherd, to wit, Adam ;
but he lefing himſelf, loft all the ftock, and was never able
to recover ſo much as one of them again. God had, from
all eternity, put a ſecret mark on ſome of them, whereby
he diſtinguiſhed them from the reft, 2 Tim. ii. 19. • Hav-
*ing this ſeal, The Lord knoweth them that are his,'
And them alſo he ſaw among others, gone away from
their paſture, wandering as waifs and ftrays, a prey to
every devourer ; but, in order to their being fought out,
and returner, and kept in fafety for ever, the new covenant
was entered into with another ſhepherd, even our Lord
Jelus Chrift: and they are put under his hand, as the
Thepherd of Iſrael. In Adam's reprefentation in the co-
venant of works, the party repreſented was conſidered as
an upright feed, Ecclef. vii. 29. but in Chrill's repreſen-
tation in the covenant of grace, the party reprefented was
conſidered as a corrupt linful maſs, laden with guilt, under
the wrath of God ani curſe of the law. Aud who would
have repreſented ſuch a company, putting himſelf in their
room and itead? But free love engaged our Lord Jeius
to it. So the holy One of God repreſented wretched
finners ; the beloved of the Father repreſented the curſed
;
company.
2. They were conſidered alſo as utterly unable to help
themſelves, in whole or in part ; as being without Arength,
Rom. v. 6. They were debtors, bar quite unable to pay
off one farthing of the debt : they were criminals, but
quite unable to bear their own pumharent, to the fatis-

32
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
faction of juftice: had it lain on them to have paid the
debt, or borne the puniſhment, they behoved to have funk
under the load for ever. So it was neceſſary they ſhould
have one to reprefeat them, taking burden on him for them
3. Laſtly, They were conſidered withal as the objects
of eternal, fovereign, and free love, given to Chrift, by bis
Father. The Father loved them, John xvii. 23. and
therefore gave them to Chrift, verſe 6. The Son loved
them, Eph. v. 2. and accepting of the gift, repreſented
them in the covenant, as a father his own children, Iſa.
ix. 6. His name ſhall be called The everlaſting Father.'
Compare Heb. ii. 13. ' Behold, I, and the children which
{
• God hath given me.' It was owing to his free love, and
mere good pleaſure, that they, and pot others in the ſame
condemnation, by the breach of the first covenant, were
repreſented and contra&ted for by Jeſus Chriſt, in the fe.
cond ; that their names were put in the eternal contradt,
while the names of others were left out. They were
his Father's choice, and his own choice; ſo he became
their reprefentative.
From what is ſaid concerning the party repreſented and
contracted for, we make the following inferences,
Inf. 1. There is a fovereign freedom of the love of God
appearing in the ſecond covenant, the covenant of grace.
And it appears, eſpecially in two things. (1.) In that
there was a love towards fallen man, and not towards fal.
len angels, Tit. iii. 4. whereby it came to paſs, that men,
and not devils, were taken hold of, repreſented and con:
tracted for by Jeſus Chrift, in the covenant, Heb. ii. 16.
Doubtleſs he could have contracted for the one, as well
as for the other ; but ſovereignty pafied by fallen angels,
and caught hold of men; howbeit the former were, in
their own nature, the more worthy and excellent creatures,
But in all the diſpenſation of grace, there is no reſpect to
creature-worth; all is owing to the mere good pleaſure of
God, who hath mercy on whom he will have mercy.'
(2.) It appears in that there was an electing love of men ;
whereby it came to paſs, that fome men, and not all men,
were repreſented and contracted for in the covenant. All
men were alike by nature ; and there was nothing in one

Of the Party contracted and undertaken for. 33
For as
more than in another, to recommend him; but free love
pitched on objects altogether unlovely ; and fovereign
love pitches on ſome ſuch objects, paſſing by others of the
ſame condition ; Even fo, Father, for ſo it ſeemed good
' in thy ſight,' Matth. xi. 26. The veſſels of honour,
and veſlels of diſhonour, are both made of the fame ſinful
lump: a myſtery that muſt be reſolved into fovereign will
and pleaſure, Rom. ix. 21. ' Hath not the potter power
6 over the clay, of the ſame lump to make one veffel unto
" honour, and another unto diſhonour?! But ſay not,
that this diſparageth the federal repreſentation of the fe-
cond Adam, that he repreſented only fome of mankind,
whereas the firſt Adam repreſented all mankind.
it is more to be ſurety for a vaſt ſum, for one man who
neither hath, nor can have any thing at all wherewithal to
pay his debt, than to be ſurety for a bundred ſuch as have
abundance of their own; ſo it was more for Jeſus Chriſt
to contract and undertake for one finner, than for Adam
to contract for a righteous world. And fill it holds true,
that “where fin abounded grace did much more abound,'
Rom. v. 20. for it is more by far to ſave one, than ta ruin
many. Meanwhile, thoſe repreſented by Chrilt in the
ſecond covenant, are "a great multitude, which no man
* could number, Rev. vii. 9. even as “the ſtars of heaven,
Gen. xv. 5. Rom. iv. 18.
Inf. 2. There is no univerſal redemption, nor univerſal
atonement. Jeſus Chriſt died not for all and every indi-
vidual perſon of mankind; but for the elect only. The
contrary doctrine may conſiſt with the opinion which
holds the covenant of redemption and the covenant of
grace, to be two diftinct covenants; the former made
with Chrift, and the latter with believers; the condition
of the one undertaken and performed by him, the con-
ditioa of the other undertaken and performed by us,
Accordingly that opinion concerning the covenant, is rea-
dily embraced by Univerſalifts of different denominations.
But that doctrine is utterly inconGiftent with this account
of the covenant, which doth at once overthrow univerſal
redemption or atonement, together with the federal con.
ditionality of our holineſs and good works, in the cove-
nant of grace. For if the covenant of grace was made

34 The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head r.
with Chriſt as a repreſentative, and the elect only were the
party repreſented by him in it; then ſurely the condi.
tions of the covenant, his doing and dying were -accom-
pliſhed for them only; and be died for no other : As
when one hath entered into a bond of furetiſhip, his pay.
ment of that bond can never be reckoned a payment of
their debt, whoſe names were not in the bond, and whom
he was not ſurety for.
Imf. 3. and laft. Whoever they be that reje&t the co-
venant of grace offered to them in the goſpel, and ſo pe.
riſh; all God's eleet ſhall infallibly be entered, perſon-
ally into it, and be ſaved. Likeas all thoſe whom Adam
repreſented in the covenant of works, have been, are, or
fhall be brought perfonally into that covenant, and fin and
death paſs upon them, Rom. v. 12. even ſo all thoſe whom
Chriſt repreſented in the covenant of grace, bave been, are,
or ſhall be brought perſonally into this covenant, and par-
take of righteouſneſs and life, verle 18, 19. Our Lord
Jeſus has fulfilled the conditions of the covenant for them
whom he repreſented ; and it would neither be ſuitable
to the juſtice of God, nor to the wiſdom of Christ, the
party contracting with him, that he ſhould repreſent, con-
tra& and fulfil the conditions, for any who ſhall never en-
joy the benefit of the contract. Wherefore, fince there
are who, by a purpoſe of God that cannot be fruſtrated,
fall without peradventure, be brought perſonally into this
covenant; and ye who hear the goſpel, having the means
for compaſſing that end uſed towards you, do ſtand as fair
for it as any ; this may encourage you to come to Chriſt,
and take hold of the covenant. Beftir yourſelves there.
fore, O finners, to take hold of the covenant of grace,
which is offered to you in the goſpel; and come ye to
Chrilt by faith, thereby winding yourſelves perſonally
into the bond of this covenant, and the communion there.
of.
OBJECTION. But I fear I am none of thoſe whom Chriſ
repreſented in the covenant of grace ; how then can I take
bold of il by believing ? ANSWER. Though your name
were the firſt name that the Lamb wrote down in bis
book of life; yet you nor no man can know, that it is
there at all, 20til that you have by believing taken hold

Of the Party contraded and undertaken for.
35
a
of the covenant, 2 Pet. i. 10. • Make your calling and e-
« lection ſure ;' but firſt your calling, and then your e-
le&tion. And, on the other hand, though you were a
monſter of all manner of wickedneſs, and had all the de-
ſperate marks of a całt-away about you, except that one
only, the fio againſt the Holy Ghoft, you nor no man can
know that you were not repreſented in the covenant :
Matth. xii. 31. *All manner of fin and blaſphemy ſhall
• be forgiven unto men : but the blaſphemy againſt the
Holy Ghoſt ſhall not be forgiven unto men.' Where-
fore that matter is an abſolute ſecret to you, which in this
caſe, you are not to meddle to determine in : « for the
. ſecret things belong unto the Lord our God: but thoſe
things which are revealed, belong unto us,' Deut. xxix.
29. Neither does your warrant to believe, and to lay hold
on the covenant, any manner of way depend on it: for
the reprobate have as good and fair a revealed warrant to
believe, and take hold of the covenant of grace as the e-
,
le&t have, elfe they could not be condemned for unbelief,
and not taking hold of the covenant. Be what you will,
ſince you are certainly a finner of mankind, your warrant
is inconteſtable, according to the word: • For God ſo
• loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
• that whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but
- have everlaſting life,' i John iii. 26. This is his com-
'mandment, that we ſhould believe on the name of his
• Son Jeſus Chriſt,' 1 John iii. 23. Wherefore believe ye,
and take hold of the covenant for yourſelves ; fo fhall you
know your election, and your repreſentation in the cove-
nant, by the effects thereof.
This difficulty caſt in the way of a finner ſenſible of his
need of Chriſt, to beat hiin off from believing on Chrift, is
a dangerous device and temptation of the devil. But do
thou repel it, ſaying, O enemy of my ſalvation, it is true
I do not know whether Chrift repreſented me or not, in
the eternal covenant ; neither am I obliged nor concerned
to know it, in order to my taking hold of that covenant :
but one thing I know aſſuredly, namely, that the covenant,
in the free promiſe of life and falva ion, upon the ground
of Chriſt's obedience and death allenarly, is held out to
me, even to me, to be believed, truſted to, and reited upon,

36
The Parties in the Covenant of Grace. Head 1.
covenant.
by me, even by me: and therefore I will believe, anii lay
held on it ; and upon the infallible ground of the faith- .
fulneſs of God in the promiſe, “Whoſoever believeth ſhall
• not periſh, but have everlaſting life,' I will affuredly con-
clude, that it ſhall be made out to me.
QUESTION. · But are there no marks or ſigns whereby
a poor finner may know himſelf to be one of thoſe who
are repreſented by Chriſt in the ſecond covenant, and
( whoſe names he put in the bond of furetiſhip that he gave
' to his Father from eternity?' ANSWER. Yea, there are;
but then they are ſuch as although the having of them
will prove a man to have been repreſented by Jeſus Chrift
in the eternal covenant; yet the want of them will not
prove a man not to have been reprelented therein, foral-
much as what one has not now, he may come to have af.
terwards. And under-this limitation, I offer theſe two
marks of the thing in queſtion.
Mark 1. A deliberate and cordial complaceney in the
As it was with the repreſentative from eterni.
ty; ſo it is in time, in that matter, with the repreſented,
when once by grace they become capable of perſonal con-
ſenting ; there is a deliberate and cordial complacency in
the covenant being propoſed, Pfalm. xl. 7. Then ſaid I-
verle 8.--thy law is within my heart. The children of
men diſcover themſelves to be Adam's natural feed, re.
prefented by him in the covenant of works, by the incli.
pation and bent of their hearts towards that covenant.
There is ſuch a bias to that covenant hung upon the
minds of inen naturally, that Do and live, or Work and win,
is the religion of all natural men, ſo far as they have any
practical religion at all; and they cannot be brought off
from it, but by the power of renewing grace. Even fo
the eleet of God diſcover themſelves to be Chrif's fpi-
ritual feed, repreſented by him in the covenant of grace,
by their deliberate and cordial complacency in this cove-
The heart touched with divine grace, ſays of it,
This is all my ſalvation, and all my defire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.
The new bias hung on their minds by renewing grace,
carries them to a hearty approbation, reliſh, and liking
of the new covenant held forth in the goſpel; they are
well pleaſed with the parties-contractors, the repreſenta-
nant.

Of the Party.contractor on Man's fide. 37
tive and the repreſestation in it; the conditions and pro-
miſes of it; the adminiſtrator, the adminiftration, and or.
der thereof. In a word, the covenant is in their eyes a
faultleſs contrivance ; there is nothing in it they would bave
out, and there is nothing out of it they would have in.
So there they caſt anchor for their own fouls. But it is
not ſo with others : 1 Pet. ii. 7. · Unto you therefore
' which believe he is precious ; but unto them which be
• diſobedient, the ſtone which the builders diſallowed, the
« ſame is made the head of the corner; verſe 8. and a ſtone
of fumbling and a rock of offence, even to them which
. ftumble at the word, being diſobedient, whereunto alſo
they were appointed.
Mark 2. The image of Chriſt begun to be drawn on the
foul, together with a longing for the perfecting thereof;
1 Cor. xv. 48. “ As is the heavenly, ſuch are they allo
that are heavenly. Ver. 49. And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we ſhall alſo bear the image of the
heavenly. Likeas all whom Adam repreſented, when
he entered into the covenant of works in paradiſe, do after-
wards, every one in his time, perſonate Adam, looking as
like him as ever child was like a father, acting even as he
acted, as I ſhewed elſewhere : ſo all whom Chriſt repreſent-
ed in the covenant of grace from eternity, do in time put
on Chriſt, Gal. ii. 27. perſonating him, and repreſenting
him in another fenſe, namely, bearing his image, and
walking even as he walked, 1 John ii. 6. It is a promiſe
of the covenant to our Lord Jeſus, Ifa. liii. 10. He ſhall
ſee his feed, to wit, as one ſees a new born babe. But do
not others fo ſee them too? Yes, indeed they do. Satan
and wicked men ſee them, as rebels and traitors do with
grudge and hatred ſee a new born prince heir to ibe
The godly ſee them, as in that caſe the prince-
fes do with a particular ſatisfaction ſee their new born bro-
ther. But our Lord Jeſus Chrif himfelt fees them, as the
king, the father of the babe dces with a pece'iar fatisfac-
tion ſee him as his own ſon, and his own picture. Mean-
while, as Adam's children do not open out all at once
what of old Adam is in them, but by degrees as they grow
up; but they are ſtill longing for the perfe&tion thereof,
when they ſhall be grown men: fo Chrif's children are
D
crown.

38
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
HAY
but imperfect in this life, as in the ſtate of childhood ; but
they are longing to arrive at perfection, at the meaſure of the
Jature of the fulneſs of Chriſt, the principle of which they
have in them, Eph. iv. 13.
Thus far of the firſt head, the parties in the covenant
of
grace.
H E A D II.
Н
The Making of the Covenant of Grace.
AVING conſidered the parties in the covenant of
grace, we come now to take a view of the making
of that covenant betwixt the parties contracting therein,
And here we find ourſelves at the fountain head of the
ſalvation of loft finners, the origin and riſe of the glorious
plan, laid from eternity in the fecret council of the ever-
bleſſed Trinity, for remedy of man's miſery. And this is
a manifold myſtery, the ſeveral folds of which we are not
able fully to diſcover. With God it was all one piece, if
1 may ſo phraſe it ; for with him all things are together
and at once; and not one thing before, and another after,
as with us. Howbeit, we cannot conceive of it but in par.
cels; firſt one piece of the myſtery, and then another; and
that becauſe of the weakneſs of our capacity, as we are crea-
tures, and much more, as we are creatures under ſpiritual
darkneſs. Wherefore we muſt of neceffity addreſs our.
felves to the confideration of it in parcels ; but ftill remem-
bering we are in the eternal myſtery, tranſacted in the e.
ternal decree of the holy Trinity all at once, by one eter-
nal act of the divine will : in which, nevertheleſs, we are
allowed to conceive a certain order, fince otherwiſe we can-
not take up the myſtery.
We have already ſeen, that the father, the party-con-
tractor on Heaven's Gide, is in that matter to be conſider-
ed as one offended : but purpoſing to manifeſt the glory of
his mercy in the falvation of ſome of mankind loft ; yet
withal as a juft God, who cannot but give fin a juſt recom-
pence : and alſo, that Jeſus Chrift, the party.contractor on
man’s fide, is to be conſidered therein as the laſt or fecond
Adam, repreſentative of a feed. Wherefore, firſt of all,
we are to enquire, How Chrift the Son of God became le-

The Making of the Covenant of Grace. 39
а
cond Adam ? and then, How the covenant was made with
him as fuch? the former being as it were preliminary to
the latter,
Firſt, How Chriſt the Son of God became fecond A-
dam ? This we may take up in two things.
1. The Father willed and deſigned, that his own Son,
the eternal Word, ſhould, for the purpoſe of mercy toward
mankind loft, take on their nature, and become man. He
ſaw that facrifice and offering would not anſwer the cafe ;
the debt was greater than to be paid at that rate; the re-
demption of fouls could not be managed but hy a perſon
of infinite dignity; wherefore, having purpoſed that the
darling attribute of mercy fhould be illuſtrated in the caſe
of lost mankind, he willed the human nature to be united
in time to the divine nature, in the perſon of the Son.
And hereunto the Son, as the eternal Word, the ſecond
Perſon of the gloricus Trinity, having no nearer relation
to man than as his Sovereign Lord Creator, readily agreed:
Heb. x. 5. • Sacrifice and offering thou wouldit not, but
a body haft thou prepared me.'--Verſe 7. . Then faid I,
Lo, I come (in the volume of thy book it is written of me)
to do thy will, O God.' The eternal Word conſented-
to be made fleſh, that all fiefh might not periſh : he con.
fented to become man, to take into a perſonal union with
himſelf a human nature, to wit, a true body and a reaſon.
a
able foul, according to the eternal deſtination of his Fa-
ther. This was an infiance of amazing condefcenfion.
The higheſt monarch's confepting to lay afide his robes of
majeſty, to clothe himſelf with rags, and become a beggar,
is not to be compared with it. Nay, the higheſt angel's
conſent to become a worm, is not to be named in one day
with the eternal Son of God, the Father's equal, his con-
ſenting to become man: for the diflance between the di.
vine nature and the human is infinite; whereas the diſtance
between the angelic nature, and the nature of worms of the
earth, is but finite.
Now, the effe&t of this was, that hereby the Son of God
was confituted fubftantial Mediator, or Mediator in re.
ſpect of nature, between God and man. Being from e-
ternity God equal with the Father, he fo ftood related to
beaven, and having from eternity conſented to become man,
D 2

40 The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
he lo ſtood related to earth : for though he did not actu-
ally take on him the nature of man until the fulneſs of
time appointed by the Father ; yet furaſmuch as he had
from eternity conſented to take it on, and it was impofli-
ble that his conſent ſhould miſs to take effe&t, he was reck-
oned in law, to all intents and purpoſes thereof, as if he
had actually been incarnate. A type of this his fubftan.
tial mediation was Jacob's ladder, which was ſet upon the
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, Gen. xxviii. 12.
A clear emblem of the divine and human nature in Chrift,
through whom, as fubftantial Mediator, there was a way
opened towards a communication for peace between heaven
and earth. Accordingly our Lord Jeſus applies it to him.
felf; John 1.51. Hereafter you ſhall ſee heaven open, and the
angels of God afcending and defcending upon the Son of man;
to wit, as on Jacob's ladder, Gen, xxviii, 12.
2. The Father chofe him to be the head of the election ;
to be the laſt Adam, federal head and repreſentative of
ſuch as fovereign pleaſure ſhould pitch upon to be veſſels
of mercy, and inrolled in the book of life ; a head and re-
preſentative with whom he might make the new covenant
for life and ſalvation to them.
And to this alſo he readily agreed, conſenting to be the
laft or ſecond Adam, head and repreſentative of the elec-
tion; to fuítain their perſons, and tranſact in their name:
Ifa. xlii. 1. Behold -- mine eleë in whom my ſoul delighteth.
Plalm lxxxix. 19. I have exalted one choſen out of the people.
1 Cor. xv. 47. The ſecond man is the Lord from heaven.
The breach between God and man was greater than to
be done away by a mere intermeſſenger, who travelling
between parties at variance, reconciles them with bare
words. There could be no covenant of peace betwixt God
and finners without reparation of damages done to the ho-
nour of God through fin, and without honouring of the
holy law by an exact obedience; but theſe things being
quite beyond their reach, Chriſt the Son of God faith,
4. Lo I come; I am content to take their place, and put
“ myſelf in their room as a ſecond Adam."
- Now the effect of this was, that hereby he was conſti-
tuted laſt Adam, or the ſecond Man, I Cor. xv. 47. and
oficial Mediator, or Mediator in reſpect of office, between

The Making of the Covenant of Grace. 41
God and man, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. "There is one God, and
one Mediator between God and men, the Man Chriſt Je.
• ſus: who gave himſelf a ranſom for all.' Being called
of his Father unto that office, and having embraced the call
thereto, he was inveſted with the office, and treated with
as ſuch, before the world began, Tit. i. 2. And indeed
he, and he only, was fit for it. The two families of hea-
ven and earth being at war, there could be no peace be-
tween them but through a Medjator. But where could
a mediator be found to interpoſe between ſuch parties who
could not either have been too high, or elſe too low, in rem
ſpect of one of the parties at variance? Man or angels would
have been too low, in reſpect of God; and an uaveiled
God would have been too high, in reſpect of linful men, vn-
able to bear intercourſe with ſuch heavenly majefly.
Wherefore the Son of God, that he might be fit to media
ate; as he being God equal with the Father, was high e-
nough in reſpect of the party offerded: fo he conſented to
become low enough, in reſpect of the party offending, by
his becoming man.
Secondly, It is to be enquired, How the covenant was
made with Chriſt as fecond Adam ? And this alſo may be
taken
up in two things.
1. The Father deſigned a certain number of loft man-
kind, as it were by name, to be conſtituent members of
that body choſen to life, of which body Chriſt was the des
figned head; and he gave them to him for that end :
Philip. iv. 3. ' My fellow labourers, whoſe names are in
the book of life. John xvii. 6.. Thine they were, and
thou gaveft them me.' Theſe were a chofen company,
whom ſovereign free grace picked out from among the reſt
of mankind, on a purpoſe of love, and gave to the ſecond
Adam for a ſeed: on which account they are ſaid to have
been choſen in him, Eph. i. 4. being in the decree of e-
lection laid upon him as the foundation ſtone, to be built
upon him, and obtain ſalvation by him, 1 Theſ, v. 9. which
decree, as it relates to the members-elect, is therefore called
the book of life; being as it were the roll which the Father
gave to the ſecond Adam, the head elect, containing the
names of thoſe deſigned to be his feed, to receive life by him.
Now, our Lord Jeſus ſtanding as fecond Adam, head
a
D 3

42 The Making of the Covenant of Grace. • Head 2.
me.
of the election, to wit, ſuch as ſovereign pleaſure ſhould
pitch upon to be veſſels of mercy, did accept of the gift of
the particular perſons elected or choſen by his Father:
John xvii
. 6. • Thine they were and thou gavel them
Verſe 1o. And thine are mine,' Like as the firſt
Adam, in the making of the firſt covenant, flood alone
without actual iſſue, yet had deſtinated for him a nume-
rous iſſue to be comprehended with him in that covenant,
to wit, all mankind : the which Adam did at leaſt virtu.
ally accept : fo a certain number of loſt mankind being
elected to life, God, as their original proprietor, gave
thern
to Chriſt the appointed head, to be his members, and com-
prehended with him in the ſecond covenant, tho' as yet
none of them were in being; and he accepted of the gift
of them, being well pleaſed to take them in particular for
his body myſtical, for which he ſhould covenant with his
Father. And, in token thereof, he, as it were, received
and kept as his own the book of life containing their names,
which is therefore called the Lamb's book of life, Rev.
xxi. 27.
2. The Father propoſed to him as fecond Adam, the
new covenant for life and ſalvation to them, in the full tenor,
promiſes, and condition thereof; treating in him with all
thofe particular perſons. of loft mankind, elefed unto life,
and given to him, even as he treated with all mankind in
Adam in the firſt covenant. The promiſes therein pro-
poſed, were indeed great and glorious : but withal the
condition, or terms on which they were propoſed, were
exceeding high.
Hówbeit, as the firſt Adam, ſtanding as head and re-
preſentative of all his natural feed, entered into the firſt
covenant with God, accepting the promiſe thereof, upon
the terms and condition therein propoſed, which he en-
gaged to fulfil; fo our Lord Jeſus, ſtanding as fecond A.
dam, head and repreſentative of the particular perfons of
loft mankind, by name elected to life, and given to him as
his fpiritual feed, entered into the ſecond covenant with his
Father; accepting the promiſes thereof, upon the terms
and condition therein propoſed; conſenting and engaging
to fulfil the ſame for them. And thus the covenant of
grace was made and concluded, betwixt the Father and

Chrif the Kinſman-redeemer in the Covenant.
43
Chriſt the ſecond Adam, from all eternity ; being the ſe.
cond covenant, in reſpect of order and manifeftation to the
world, though it was firſt in being: 1 Cor. xv. 47. • The
(ſecond man is the Lord from heaven.' Ifa.liii. 10. “When
'thou ſhalt make his ſoul an offering for fin, he ſhall ſee his
ſeed.' Tit. ii. 2. • In hope of eternal life, which God
«that cannot lie, promiſed before the world began.' Pſalm
xl. 6. . Sacrifice and offering thou didft not deſire, mine
ears haft thou opened.--7. Then ſaid I, Lo, I come.--
68. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
( within my heart.'
'
Now, Chriſt the ſecond Adam, giving this conſent, took
upon him a threefold character, of unparalleled weight and
importance ; fifting himſelf, (1.) The kin/map-Redeem.
er in the covenant. (2.) The Surety of the covenant :
and (3.) The Prieſt of the covenant. The mediation of
Chritt doth indeed run through the whole of the covenant.
And there are ſeveral other parts of that mediation, which
reſpecting the promiſes of the covenant, do belong to the
adminiſtration thereof. But theſe I have now mentioned,
do reſpect the condition of the covenant, and ſo belong to
the making thereof; under which head we fhall contider
them in order.
a
1. Chriſt the Kinſman Redeemer in the Covenant.
Our
UR Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the fecond Adam, giving his
conſent to the covenant, as propoſed to him by the
Father, fifted himfelf kinſman-redeemer in the covenant :
Job xix. 25. "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and
that he ſhall ftand at the latter day upon the earth.'
Under the law, when a man was not able to act for
himſelf, to aſſert and uſe his own right, one that was a kin
to bim, had a right to act for him, coming in his room,
and ſtanding up in his right. And ſuch a one was called
his Goel; which properly ſignifies a kinfman-redeemer.
Hence that word is ſometimes rendered a kinſman; as
Numb. v. 8. If the man have no (Goel) kinſman to re-
compence the treſpaſs unto.' Ruth 11. 12. 'I am thy
(Goel) near kinſman: howbeit there is a (Goel) kinſman
near than I.' Sometimes it is rendered a redeemer ; as

4.4
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
Prov. xxiii. 11. Their ( Goel) Redeemer is mighty,' Iſa.
xlvii. ' As for our (Goel) Redeemer, the Lord of hoſts
is his name.' One's acting in that capacity, is called,
doing the kinſman, or redeeming, to wit, by right of kin,
Ruth ii. 13. and iv. 6. Howbeit, ſuch a one might re.
fufe to do the kioſman's part ; as Ruth's kin(man-redeem.
er did, who reſigned his right to Boaz, and in token there-
of drew off his own ſhoe, and gave it him, Ruth iv. 6, 7, 8.
Now, Chriſt the ſecond Adam, faw finners, his ruined
kinſmen, quite unable to act for themſelves. Not one of
them all was able to redeem himſelf, and far leſs his bro-
ther. Withal, the angels, near a kin to them in the ra.
,
tional world, durſt not meddle with the redemption; be.
ing ſure they could not have miſſed to marr their own in-
heritance thereby, or have delivered their poor kinſmen
neither. If he ſhould have declined it, and drawn off his
ſhoe to them, or to any other of the whole creation, there
was none who durft have ventured to receive it, or put his
foot in it. • I looked, ſaith he, and there was none to help;
and I wondered that there was none to uphold ; there-
fore mine own arm brought ſalvation,' Iſa. Ixiii. 5. He
took on himſelf the character of their kinſman-redeemer;
and of him as ſuch Job ſpeaks in the forecited paffage, wh ch
I conceive to be thus expreffed in the original ; I know,
• my kinſman redeemer liveth; and the latter one, he ſhall
• ſtand upon the duſt.' In which words Job comforts him-
ſelf with a view of Chriſt as his kinſman-redeemer living,
even in his divine nature ; and as the latter or ſecond one
(in oppoſition to the former or firſt, Exod. iv. 8, 9. Deut.
xxiv. 3, 4.) namely, the latter or ſecond Adam REDEEM-
ER, in oppoſition to the former or firſt Adam Destroyer;
firmly believing, that one, uniting himſelf to a human na-
ture, ſhould as ſure ſtand up upon the duſt of the earth,
and do the kinſman's part for him ; as the other having
the breath of life breathed into his noftrils, ſtood up upon
it, and ruined all.
Now, there were four things the kinſman redeemer was
to do for his kinſman unable to act for himſelf; all which
Chrift the fecoad Adam undertook in the covenant.
1. He was to marry the widow of his deceaſed kinſman,
to raiſe up feed to his brother. Hereof Boaz was put in

Chriſt the Kinſman-redeemer in the Covenant. 45
mind by Ruth, chap. iii. 9. "I am Ruth, thine hand-
'maid: ſpread therefore thy ſkirt over thine handmaid,
for thou art a near kinſman.' Compare verſe 10,--13,
chap. iv. 10. and Ezek. xvi. 8. • I ſpread my ſkirt over
(thee--and thou becameſt mine. Our nature was in a
comfortable and fruitful condition, while the image of
God, impreſſed thereupon in Adam, remained with it;
but that image being removed, in the ſpiritual death cauſ-
ed by bis fin, there enſued an abſolute barrenneſs, as to the
fruits of holineſs, in our nature thus left. But our kinſ-
man-redeemer conſented to marry the widow. Being to
take to himſelf a human nature, he undertook to take
on our human nature in particular, taking bis Aleſh of
Adam's family.
Thus was it provided, that his bo-
dy thould not be made of nothing, nor of any thing
whatſoever that was not derived from Adam as its origi-
nal. It was a low match indeed for him; and would have
been ſo, even if the family of Adam had been in its pri-
mitive ſtate and ſplendor; but now it was conſidered as
in the depth of poverty and diſgrace. Yet being neceſſa-
ry for our redemption, he conſented thereto, as our kinſ-
man-redeemer. Accordingly, in the fulneſs of time, he
was made of a woman, a daughter of Adam's family, Gal.
iv. 4, and fo was a ſon of Adam, Luke iii. 23,- 38.
Thus was a foundation laid for the myftical marriage of
believers with him ; which myftical marriage doth not
belong to the condition and making of the covenant
properly fo called, but to the promiſe and adminiſtration
of it, being a finner's perſonal entrance thereinto. And
the great end, in ſubordination to the glory of God, for
which this more intimate union and match, with our na-
ture was gone into by our kinſman redeemer, was to ren-
der it yet again fruitful in the fruits of true holineſs; and
without it our nature had for ever remained under abfo.
lute barrenneſs in that point, even as the nature of fallen
angels doth.
2. He was to redeem the mortgaged inheritance of his
poor kinſman : Lev. xxv. 25. If thy brother be waxen
poor, and hath fold away ſome of his poffeffion, and if
any of his kin come to redeem it, then ſhall be redeem
that which his brother fold : or rather, then ſhall come
6

46
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
a
« in his kinſman-redeemer, that is near unto him ; and he
« ſhall redeem that which his brother fold. Our father
Adam waxing poor through the deceitful dealing of the
tempter with him, quite fuld away the inheritance of e-
ternal life for a morſel of forbidden fruit; and his children
waxen more poor ftill
, through their own perſonal fault,
had ſet themſelves farther and farther from it. They
could not have raiſed, amongit them all, what would have
redeemed ſo much as one man's part of it. How beit,
without it was redeemed, they could never have had acceſs
to it Wherefore the ſecond Adam, as kipſinan-redeem-
er, took the burden of the redemption on himſelf, and a.
greed to pay the price of that purchaſe, dying for us ---
,-
that we might live together with him.' 1 Theſ. v. 10.
3. He was to ranſom his poor kinſman in bondage, pay
the price of his redemption : Lev. XXV. 47. • IF--thy bro-
ther--wax poor, and fell himſelf, ---Verſe 48. After that
« he is fold, he may be redeemed again; one of his bre-
* Thren may redeem him, verſe 52.--according unto his
6 years fall he give him again the price of his redemption.'
Being ſold in the loins of our firſt father, we were brought
into bondage under the curſe of the law: ſo we are by na-
ture the law's bond-men, and conſequently flaves to fin
and Satan ; never to have been releaſed without a ranſom,
the full worth of ſo many ſouls. This ranfom was ſtated
in the covenant, to wit, that the kinſman redeemer ſhould
give bimſelf a ranfom for his poor kinſmen : and he a-
greed to it, purclrafing their liberty, 1 Tim. ii.
5,
6. The
ranſom was great, ſoul for fout, body for body ; a perſon
of infinite dignity, for his poor kinſmen in bondage. But
he conſented to take on him the form of a ſervant, that
they might be ſet free; to have his ear bored at the law's
door-poft, that they might be delivered out of their bon-
dage.
4. Laſtly, He was to avenge the blood of his ſlain kinſ.
man on the flayer: Deut, xix. 12. • The elders of his
city ſhall ſend and fetch him thence, and deliver him in.
• to the hand of the (Goel) avenger of blood, that he
may
die.' Our kinſman-redeemer ſaw all his poor kin-
dred flain men. And the devil was the murderer, John
viii. 44. He had miniſtered poiſon to them in the loins
6

Chriſt the Surety of the Covenant.
47
of their firſt parent ; yes, he had ſmitten them to death,
killed them with an arrow ſhot through the eye. But no
avenger
of their blood could be found till the ſecond A.
dam, as their kinſman-redeemer, did in the ſecond cove.
nant, undertake the avenging of it. Meanwhile, the
murderer . had the power of death,' Heb. ii. 14."and the
'fting of death is fin, and the ſtrength of fin is the law.'
i Cor. xv. 56. Wherefore there was no diſarming and
deſtroying of the murderer, without taking the fting out
of death which he had the power of. And that was not
to be done, but by removing the guilt of fin, whereby fin.
ners were bound over to death: neither was this to be
done, but by ſatisfying the law, whoſe awful ſanction of
death Arongly kept faſt the guilt of death on the finners.
Theſe were the iron gates to be broke through, ere the
kinſman-redeemer, the avenger of blood, could get at the
murderer. But the mighty Redeemer undertook, by his
own death and ſufferings, to ſatisfy the law; and by this
means to remove the ſtrength of fin ; and by this means
again to take away the king of death: and ſo by his own
death to deſtroy the murderer that had the power of death;
and thus to avenge the blood of his flain kinſmen upon him,
Heb. ii. 14. So did Samſon, a type of our kinſman-re-
deemer, avenge Iſrael of the Philiftines, their oppreſſors,
pulling down the houſe on the Philiftines, and dying him.
ſelf to deſtroy them, Judges xvi.
II. Chriſt the Surety of the Covenant.
a
HRIST, the ſecond Adam, conſenting to the cove-
nant, lifted himſelf alſo furety of it, Heb. vii. 22.
By ſo much was Jefus made a ſurety of a better teflament ;
or rather, as others read it, of a better covenant. A furety
is one who undertakes for another, obliging himfelf, whe.
ther for paying his debt, civil or criminal, or for his per-
forming a deed. That we may then rightly underſtand
Chrill's furetiſhip, it is neceſſary we conſider: 1. For
whom. 2. For what he became furety in the covenant.
Firſ, For whom Chrift became ſurety in the covenant.
I find two things advanced on this head, namely, (1.)
That he became furety for God to finners. And (2.) Sure-

48
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
ty for finners to God. To the firſt of theſe Socinians re-
ſtrain Chrift's ſuretiſhip, denying the ſecond; and ſo over-
throw the foundation of our ſalvation. But all orthodox
divines agree, that the ſecond of theſe is the main thing in
,
it. Some of them indeed make no difficulty of admitting,
that Chrilt became furety for God to finners, as well as
ſurety for finners to God; undertaking, on God's part,
that all the promiſes ſhall be made good to the ſeed, even
to all that believe. There is no queſtion, but God's pro-
miſes are, in reſpect of his infallible truth and veracity,
· molt firm and fure in themſelves, and cannot miſs to be
performed: but we, being guilty creatures, are flow of
heart to believe; and therefore do need what may make
them more ſure to us, or aſſure our hearts they ſhall be per-
formed to us. And for this cauſe he hath given us his
word of promiſe under his hand in the holy ſcriptures, and
an earneſt of the promiſed inheritance, Eph. i. 14. the
ſeal of the Spirit, verſe 13. 2 Cor. i. 22. the facramental
ſeals, Rom. iv, 11, yea, and his ſolemn oath too in the
matter, to shew unto the heirs of promiſe the immutability of
his counſel, Heb. vi. 17. And if Jeſus Chriſt is ſurety for
God to us, it is no doubt for the ſame end.
But I doubt if the holy fcriptures call Chriſt a furety
ir that ſenſe at all. Io the forecited paſſage, Heb. vii. 22.
the only text wherein Chriſt is expreſsly called a ſurety, it
is evident that his ſuretiſhip therein mentioned, reſpects
his prieſtly office, wherein he deals with God for us : Verſe
20. And in as much as not without an oath he was made
prieſt, Verſe 21. (-by him that ſaid unto him, The Lord
ſware, and will not repent, Thou art a prieſt for ever after
the order of Melchiſedec ) Verſe 22. By ſo much was Jeſus
made a furety of a better teſtament. But his ſuretiſhip for
God to us, cannot relate to his prie ly ofice, but to his
kingly office, in reſpect of which all power is given to him
in heaven and in earth; and conſequently a power to ſee
that all the promiſes be performed to his people. And
therefore his ſuretiſhip mentioned in that text, is for us to
God, and not for God to us. It is but in other two texts
only, as far as I have obſerved, that we read of furetiſhip
relative to the caſe between God and a finner : and in both
of them, the ſuretiſhip is not to the finner, but for him

Chriſt the Surely of the Covenant.
They are Pſalm cxix: 122. Be ſurety for xby fervant for gund:
and Job xvii. 3. Put we in a furety with thee. The origi-
nal phraſeology or expreſſion is the ſame in the latter text
as in the former; and the fame in them both, as in the
caſe of Judah's furetiſhip for. Benjamin, to his father,
Gen. xliii. 9 and xlix. 32. Now, uuleſs the facred oracles
go before us, in propofing Chriftias a ſurety for God io
us,
I ſee no reaſon why the being of ſuch a thing at all
ſhould be yielded to the adverſaries, who make ſuch a
pernicious uſe of it. As for the comfort that might ariſe
from it to us, the ſame is fully ſecured, in that the whole
adminiftration of the covenant is committed into the hand
of our Lord Jeſus Chrift; and he is the Truſtee and Tel-
tator of the covenant or covenant benefits; as shall be ſhown
in the due place.
Bur, without all peradventure, Chrift the Mediator and
ſecond Adam became ſurety; in the covenant, for finners
to God; as the ſcriptures do abundantly declare: Plalm
lxxxix. 19. • I have laid help upon one that is mighty.'
i 1mm. i. sz. One. Mediator between God and men, the
man Chriſt Jeſus.' Verſe 6. Who gave himſelf a ranſom
for all." 2 Cor. v. 21. - He hatli made him to be fin
for us, who knew no fin. Ifa. liii. 6. - The Lord hath
• laid on him the iniquity of us all.? Gal in. 13. Chritt hath
redeched us from the curſe of the law, being made a
curſe for us. Ifa. lii. 5. He was wounded for our tranſ-
greſſions, he was bruiſed for our iniquities. The covenant
of
grace was made with the ſpiritual feed iu Chrift the fe-
cond Adam, taking burden for them uphn himſelf as their
furety. And without a ſurety, it could nct have been
made with them. For they were a compary of broken
men, owing a thouſand times more thau they were all
worth; and their werd in a new bargaio for life and fal.
vation was worth nothing; there could be no regard bad
to it in heaven. There was neither truth nor ability leit
them, after the firſt covenant was broken. Behold their
character in point of truth or veracity, Rom. ill. 4. Let
God be true, but every man a liar:' and in point of
ablity, chap. 1.6. When we were yet without firength,
* in due time Clai died for the ung dy' The demands in
a

50
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
this covenant were high, and quite above their ability to
anſwer; and, beſides, they themſelves were falſe and fickle.
They brake their word in the firſt covenant, when able to
have kept it; how could they be truſted in this new bar-
gain, when their ability was gone? ſo there was an abſo.
ute neceſſity of a ſurety for them in it. And Jeſus Chrift
became ſurety for them: ſo the new covenant, on which
depends all their falvation, was made, and made ſure.
Solomon tells us, That he that is ſurety for a ſtran-
ger ſhall ſmart for it; and he that hateth ſuretiſhip, is
fure,' Prov. xi. 15. Our Lord Jeſus knew very well the
Durden he took on himſelf in his ſuretiſhip for finners; the
character of thoſe whom he became ſurety for; and that
he could have no relief from them: but his love to his Fa-
ther's glory, and the ſalvation of finners, engaged him in
it, being perfectly ſure to ſmart for it, as will appear from
con Gidering,
Secondly, For what he became furety in the covenant.
Suretiſhip, in reſpect of the ſubject-matter of it, is of two
forts. 1. There is a furetiſhip for paying one's debt:
Prov. xxii. 26. Be not thou one of them that Jlrike hands, or
of them that are fureties for debts. 2. A ſuretiſhip for one's
performing of a deed: Chap. xx. 16. Take his gar.
ment that is ſurety for a ſtranger; and take a pledge of him
for a ſtrange woman : that is, of him who is furety for her
good behaviour; for ſhe will leave him in the lurch.
Now, our Lord's furetiſhip for finners was of the firſt
fort. Chriſt as the ſecond Adam, conſenting to the cove-
nant, fifted himſelf furety for the debt of the ſeed repre-
fented by him. Their debt was, by God's eterval fore-
knowledge, lated from the broken covenant of works, in
the whole latitude of the demands it had on them; and he
became furety for it, ſtriking hands with his Father to pay
it completaly. And,
1. He becamé' ſurety for their debt of puniſhment,
which they as finners were liable in payment of, as the
origital phraſeth it, 2 Theff. i.
9.
That was the debt
owing to the divine jutlice, for all and every one of their
Tivs, original or actual. The demerit of their fing, as of
ences againſt an infinite God, was an infinite puniſhment.
The; were liable to bear the pains of death, in the full la-

Chrif the Surety of the Covenant.
51
titude thereof; to ſuffer the force of revenging wrath, to
the complete ſatisfaction of infinite juſtice, and full repa-
ration of God's injured honour. This was their debt of
puniſhment: a debt which they themſelves could never
have cleared, though paying to the utmoſt of their power,
through ages of eternity. But this their debt Chrif be-
came furety for, obligirg himſelf to lay down his life for
theirs which was loſt in law: Pſalm xl. 6, 7. Sacrifice and
offering thou didſt not deſire, mine ears hafi thou opened-Then
ſaid I, Lo, I come. John X. 15. I lay down my life for the
Sheep. Ver. 18. I lay it down of myſelf: I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This com-
mandment have I received of my Father. Here is a fureti-
fhip that never had a match! David, in a tranfport of
grief for the death of his ſon Abfalom, wiſhes he had
died for him, 2 Sam, xviii. 33. Reuben will venture the
life of his two ſons for Benjamin, Gen. xli. 37. and Ju-
dah will venture his own for him, chap. xliii.
9. while yet
there was hope that all would be ſafe : But our Lord Je.
fus deliberately pledgeth his own life for fingers, when it
was beyond all peradventure, the precious pledge would be
loſt in the cauke, and that the death he would ſuffer would
be a thouſand deaths in one. Some have offered them.
felves fureties in capital caſes, and embraced death for their
country or friends; and peradventure for a good man fome
would even dare to die. “But God commendeth his love to-
wards us, in that while we were yet finners, (and enemies, )
Chriſ died for us, Rom. v. 7, 8, 10.
Now, in the ſecond Adam's furetifhip for the criminal
debt of his fpiritual ſeed, there was not an enſuring of the
payment thereof one way or other, only as in fimple caus
tionary: but there was an exchange of perſons in law;
Chrift fubftituting himſelf in their room, and taking the
whole obligation on himſelf. This the free grace of God
the creditor did admit, when he might have infifted, that
the ſoul that finned ſhould die : and, a delay being withal
granted as to the time ofthe payment, God thus manifeſted
his forbearance, celebrated by the apoſtle, Rom. iji. 25.
And, in virtue of that fubftitution, Chrift became debtor
in law, bound to pay that debt which he contracted not ;
to rellore that which he took not away, Pſal. lxix. 4. For,
E 2

52 The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
becoming ſurety for them, to the end there might be laid a
foundation, in law an) juftice, for exacting their debt of
puniſhment from him, their guilt was transferred on bim,
Ila. liii. 6. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. This
was painted at, in the laying of the hand on the head of
the ſacrifices under the law, eſpecially on the head of the
ſcape-goat, Lev. xvi. 21. - And Aaron ſhall lay both his
• hands upon, the head of the live goat, and confeſs over
• him the iniquities of the children of Ifrael, and all their
• tranſgreſſion in all their fińs, putting them upon the bead
of the goat.' All the ſins of all the eleet were at once
imputed to the ſurety, and ſo became his, as his righteouſ-
neſs becomes oors, namely, in law-reckoning, 2 Cor. v. 21.
• For be hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin;
" that we might be made the righteouſneſs of God in him.'
And he himſelf ſpeaks ſo of them, Plalm xl. 12. • Mine
iniquities have tálcea hold upon me;' as ſeveral valuable
interpreters do underſtand it, according as the apoſtle gives
tis direction, determining Chriſt himſelf to be the ſpeaker
in this pſalm, Hebi . 56, 7. He was indeed without
fiu inherent in him ;, but not without fin imputed to him,
till in his reſurrection he got up his diſcharge, having clear.
ed the debt by his death and ſuffering. Then was he ju-
ftified in the Spirit, 1 Tim. ii. 16. and ſo shall appear the
ſecond time without fin, Heb. ix. 28. the fin which was up-
on him, by imputation, the firit time he appeared, being
done away at his reſurrection. This relation of our fin
to Chrift, is neceffary from the nature of furetiſhip for
debt; in which cafe no body doubts but the debt becomes
the furety's, when once he hath ftrisken hands for it. And
how elſe could the law have juftly proceeded againn Chrif?
How could our puniſhment bave been, in juſtice, inflicted
on him, if he had not had ſuch a relation to our fin? If
the law could not charge our fin on him, in virtue of his
own voluntary undertaking, it could have no ground in
juftice to inflict cur puniſhment on him.
2. He became furety for their debt of duty or obedi.
ence the which alſo is a debt according to the ſtyle of
the holy ſcripture, Gal. v. 3. A debtor to do the whole law.
The law as a covenant of works, though it was broken by
them, and they had incurred the penalty thereof, yet had

Chrif the Surety of the Covenant,
53
neither loſt its right, nor ceaſed to exact of them the obe-
dience which at fut it required of man as the condition of
life. They were ſtill bound to perfe&t obedience, and on
no lower terms could have eternal life, as our Lord taught
the lawyer for his humiliation, Luke x. 28. Thou haſt an-
fwered right: this do and thou ſhalt live.' The paying of
the debt of puniſhment might ſatisfy as to the penalty of
the bond ; but there is yet more behind, for him who will
meddle in the affairs of the broken company. How ſhall
the principal fum therein contaived, be paid ; namely, the
debt of obedience to the law, for life and falvation ? The
honour of God would not allow the quitting of it: and
they were abſolutely unable to pay one mite cf it, that
would have been current in heaven; foraſmuch as they
were without ſtrength, Rom. v. 6. and dead in treſpafies
and Gins, Eph. ii. 1. quite as unfit for the doing part, as
for the ſuffering part. But Chrif became furety for this
debt of theirs too, namely, the debt of obedience to the
law as a covenant, which was, and is the only obedience to
it for life, obliging himſelf to clear it by obeying in their
room and ſtead, and fulfiling what the law could demand of
them in this kind: Pſal. xl. 7, 8. Then ſaid I, L. I come
-I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea thy law is within
my heart. Matth. iii. 15. Thus it becometh us to fulfil all
righteouſneſs
. Chap. v. 17. Think not that I am come to de-
Proy the law.--I am not come to deffroy, but to fulfil.
And here alſo there was an exchange of perſons in law,
Chrift fubftituting himſelf in their room, and taking their
obligation on himſelf; in virtue of which he became the
law's debtor for that obedience owing by them ; and this
he himſelf folemnly owned, by his being circumciſed, Luke
ii. 21. according to that of the apofle, Gal. v. 3. I teftify
again to every man that is circumciſed that he is a debtor to do
the whole law. For becoming furety for them in this
point alſo, he transferred on himſelf their ſtate of ſervitude,
whereby the law had a right to exact that debt of him,
which they, upon the breach of the covenant of works,
were liable in payment of.
For clearing of this, it is to be conſidered, that all man-
kind was by the firſt covenant, the covenant of works, con-
ftitute God's hired ſervants; and a&tually eatered to that:
E 3

aggiore Count
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head In
Ivy
a
$4
their ſervice, in their head the firſt Adam, re And in token
hereo, we are all naturally inclined in that character ta
deal with God; though by the full we, aré rendered inca.
ble to perform the duty of it, Luke xv. 19. Make me as one
of thy bired ſervants. The work they were 19 work, was
perfect obedience to the holy law; the hire. thyery. were to
have for their work, was life, Rom. x. 3. The man that dothy.
theſe things shall live by them. The penalty of breaking a..
way from their mafler, was bondage, under the curls, Galo
iij. 10. Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. Burt's
violating that covenant of bired ſervice, they brake away
from the r Lord and Maſter; ſo they not only loſt all plea
for the hire, but they became bond men under the curſe;
Mill obliged to make out their ſervice, and that further-
pore, in the miſery of a ftare of fervitude or bondage, Gal.
Sv. 24. Theſe are the two covenants : the one from mount Sia
:ai, which genderelh to bondage. Their falling under the
curſe, inferred the loſs of their liberty, and conſtituted them
bord men ; as appears from the nature of the thing and
infances of the curſe in other cafes, as Gen, ix. 25. Curſed
be Cunaan ; a ſervant of ſervants ſhall be be. Joth. ix. 23.
Now therefore ye, (namely the Gibeonites,) are curſed, and
zlere Mall none of you be freed from being bond-men. The
very ground being curſed, (Gen. 1. 17.) falls under
bondage, according to the ſcripture, Rom. viii. 21.
Now, Chrift faw all his fpiritual feed in this ſtate of fer-
vitude; but unable to bear the miſery of it, or to fulfil the
ſervice ; aod he put himſelf in their room, as they were
bond-men ; transferring their ſtate of ſervitude on himſelf,
and fo filting himſelf a bond fervant for them.
The holy fcripture ſets this matter in a clear light.
"That is a plain teftimony unto it, Philip. ii. 6, 7, 8. Who
being in the form of God took upon him the form of a fire
vani-- and became obe tient unto death, even the death of the
craſs. The form of a fervant which he took upon him,
a
was the form of a bond-fervant. For fo the word in the
original properly fignifies; being the ſame word that is
cottantly uted in that New Testament phraſe, which we
read bond or free, or bond and free, 1 Cor. xii. 13. Gal.it
28. Ephr. vi. 8. Col. iii. 11. Rev. xiii. 16. aod xix. 18.

Chriſt the Surety of the Covenant.
55
And the apoſtle leads us to underſtand it fo here, telling
us that this great furety-ſervant became obedient unto death,
even the death of the croſs. The which kind of death was
a. Roman punifhment, called by them, the fervile puniſh-
ment, or puniſhment of bond-fervants; becauſe it was the
death that bond-men malefactors were ordinarily doomed
unto: freemen feldom, if ever, according to law. And
foraſmuch as his being in the form of God, denotes bis be-
ing very God, having the very nature and effence of God;
for the form is that which effentially diſtinguiſheth things,
and makes a thing to be preciſely what it isand this form
is, according to the apoſtle, the foundation of his equality,
with God his Father, which nothing really diferent fron
the divine ellence, can be: Therefore his iaking upon him
the form of a bond ſervant, muft neceffarily denote his be-
coming really a bond ſervant, as really as ever man did,
who was brought into bondage, or a ſtate of fervitude.
The Father folemnly declares the transferring of our ſtate.
of ſervitude on Chriſt, ſpeaking to him under the name of
Iſrael, as was cleared before, Iſa. xlix. 3. Thou art my fer-
vant, 0 Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified. As if the Fa-
ther had laid to him, “ Son, be it known, it is agreed that
“ I take thee in the room and place of Iſrael, the ſpiritual
e ſeed, to perform the ſervice due in virtue of the broken
** original contract. Thou in their fead art my ſervant ;
my bond ſervant (as the word is rendered, Lev. xxv. 39.
" and elſewhere ;) it is from thy hand I will look for that
« ſervice.” Agreeable hereunto is the account we have
"
of our redemption from the curſe,.Gal. i. 13. namely,
that it was by Jeſus Chriſt being made a curſe for us ;
• for it is written, Curſed is every one that hangeth on a
stree;' the which Chriſt did, dying on a croſs, the capi.
tal puniliment of bond-men.
Behold the folemaity of the tranſlation, Pſalm 1. 3
Sacrifice and offering thou didſt not deſire, mine ears
thou oprned. The word here rendered opened, pice
perly Gignifies digged, as may be ſeen in the margin of our
Bibles; and to me, words are, Mine ears thou diggeji through:
that is, bore, as it is expreſſed in our paraphraſe of the
Palms in metre, Mine ears thou bored. This has a taani.
felt view to that law concerning the bond fervant, Exod.
6

56
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
3.
xxi. 6. • Then his maſter ſhall bring him unto the judges ;
« he ſhall alſo bring him to the door, or unto the door-
« poft: and his matter ſhall bore his ear through with an
« awl; and he ſhall ſerve him for ever ;' that is, in the lan.
guage of the law, till death. This is confirmed from Ho.
fea iii. 2. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of ſilver;
which was the half of the fated price of a bood-woman,
Exod. xxi. 32. In the original it is, . So I digged her
thro' to me; the ſame word being here uſed by the Holy
Ghoft, as Pſalm xl. 6. It is a pregnant word, which is
virtually two in fignification: and the fenfe is, I bought
her, and bored her ear unto my door poft, to be my bondo
woman; according to the law, Deut. xv. 17. • Thou ſhalt
( take an awl, and thruſt it through his ear unto the door,
and he ſhall be thy ſervant for ever : and alſo unto thy
• maid ſervant thou fhalt do likewiſe. That the boring
of her as a bond woman, was noways inconſiſtent with the
prophet's betrothing of her to himſelf, Hoſea iii. 3. appears
from Exod. xxi. 8.
Joſeph was an eminent type of Chriſt as the Father's
ſervant. And it is obſervable, that he was firſt a bond fer..
vant, and then an honorary ſervant. In the former ftate
being ſold for a ſervant, Pfalm. cv. 17. he was a type of
Chrift, a bond ſervant in his ftate of humiliation; whoſe
moſt precious life was accordingly fold by Judas for thirty
pieces of ſilver, the ftaed price of the life of the bond fer-
vant: Exod. xxi. 32. If the ox ſhall puſh a man ſervant, or
a maid ſervant ; he ſhall give unto their maft r thirty Shekels of
filver, and the ox ſhall be ſtoned. In the latter flate, being
made ruler over all the land of Egypt, Pſalm cv. 21, 22.
Gen. xli. 40. he was a type of Chriſt, in that moſt ho-
'nourable and glorious ſervice or miniſtry, which was con-
ferred on him in his ſtate of exaltation, wherein he was
conftituted a fervant for whoſe law the iſles ſhall wait, Ifa.
xlii. 1, 4. God having given him a name which is above eve.
ry name, that at the name of Jeſus every knee ſhould bow.
Philip. ii. 9, 10. This latter ſervice of Chriſt belongs to
the covenant, but the former, to wit, the bond ſervice, be-
ing his furety fervice, belongs to the condition of the co:
venant. Wherefore, riſing from the dead, having fulblled
.
the condition of the covenant, paid the debt for which he

Chriſt the Surety of the Covenant.
57
a
became ſurety, and got up the diſcharge, he put off for
ever the form and character of a bond ſervant, and roſe and
revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living,
Rom. xiv. 9.
And hence it clearly appears, how the obedience of the
man Chriſt comes, in virtue of the covenant, to be imputed
to believers for righteouſneſs, as well as his fatisfa&tiop by
ſuffering : for that kind of obedience which he performed
as our furety, was 'no more due by him, antecedently to
his contract of ſuretiſhip, than his fatisfaction by ſuffering.
It is true, the human nature of Chriſt, being a creature,
owed obedience to God in virtue of his creation ; and myft
owe it for ever, foraſmuch as the creature, as a creature,
is ſubject to the natural law, the eternal rule of righteouſ-
neſs: but Chriſt's putting himſelf in a ftate of ſervitude,
taking on him the form of a bond ſervant, and in the ca-
pacity of a bond fervant performing obedience to the law,.
as it
was ftated in the covenant, for life and ſalvation, was
entirely voluntary. Obedience to the natural law was due
by the man Chrift, by a natural tie; but obedience to the
poſitive law, binding to be circumciſed, baptized, and the
like, which fuppofed guilt on the party' ſubjected thereto,
was not due but by his own voluntary engagement. And
the obedience of a ſen to the natural law, he owed natural-
lys; but obedience to that or any other law, in the charac-
ter of a bond ſervant, and thereby to gain eternal life and
ſalvation, he owed not but by compact. The human na-
ture of Chriſt had a complete right to eternal life, and was
actually poffefled thereof, in virtue of its union with the
divine nature; fo that there was no occaſion for him to
gain life to himſelf by his obedience. Wherefore, Chriſt's
taking on him the form of a bond fervant, and in that cha-
racter obeying the law for life and ſalvation, were a mere
voluntary work of his as furety for finners; wherein he
did that which he was no otherwiſe bound to, than by his
own boltintary undertaking. Now foraſmuch as the obe-
dience of Chriſt imputed to believers for righteouſneſs, in
his obedience of this kind only, there is a clear ground for
its imputation to them according to the covenant.
And thus have we ſeen Chriſt's ſuretiſhip in the cove-
nant to be of the nature of a ſuretiſhip for paying one's
a

58
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
debt: and what the debt was which he became furety for:
If it be required, Whether or not Chrift’s furetifhip is
alſo of the nature of ſuretiſhip for ope's performing of a
deed?.or, whether Chrift became ſurety in way of cau-
tion to his Father, that the elect ſhould believe, repent
and perform fincere obedience? I anſwer, Though the
elea's believing, repenting, and ſincere obedience, are in.
fallibly ſecured in the covenant ; ſo that whoſoever, being
ſubjects capable of theſe things, do live and die without
them, ſhall undoubtedly periſh, and are none of God's e.
lect: yet I judge, that Chrift did not become ſurety in
the covenant, in way of caution to his Father, that. the
clect ſhould perform theſe deeds, or any other; and that
the way of ſpeaking doth, not ſo well agree with the ſcrip-
Cure account of the covenant, Becauſe,
1. It doth ſomewhat obſeure the grace, the free grace
of the covenant; whereas the covenant is purpoſely fo or.
dered, as to manifeft it moft illuſtriouſly, being of faith,
that it might be by grace, Rom. iv. 16. For ſuch a ſureti-
ship, or cautionary for the eleA's performing of theſe
things, muſt needs belong to the condition of the cove-
nant, properly ſo called: as being a deed of the Mediator,
whereby he promiſeth fomething to God, and engageth
that it ſhall be performed by them: and fo theſe things
performed by them accordingly muſt be a part of the con-
dition. But that kinders themſelves perform any part
the condition of the covenant, properly ſo called, cannot
be admitted without prejudice to the grace of the cove.
nant; for, ſa far as we perform in our own perſons any
part of the condition, the reward is not of grace, but of
debt; for in him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt, Rom, iv. 4. But the reward is whol-
grace to us, as it is of debt unto Chrift ; for to him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that jufiifieth the un-
godly, his faith is counted for righteouſneſs, verk 5. Chap. xi.
6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works ; otherwiſe
grace is no more grace. Suppoſe a man is furety for a
thouſand pounds for his neighbour, who is thereupon to
have a right to a certain valuable benefit; and that this
man abſolutely becomes furety for the whole fum, except-
ing only an hundred pence; for which hundred pence he
of
ly of
3.

Chriſttle Surety of the Covenant. 59
alſo becomes cautioner, that it ſhall be paid by the princi.
pal: it is evident, that the condition of this bargain is di-
vided between the ſurety and the principal, though indeed
their fhares are very unequal : but however unequal they
are, as far as the hundred pence, which the principal pays
in his own perſon, do reach, fo far the benefit i of debt
to bim. Or, put the caſe, a ſurety engageth for the whole
of the ſum payable ; and, beſides, is ſurety for the princi.
pal's good behaviour; it is evident, that in this caſe the
good behaviour of the principal is a part of the condition of
the bargain, as well as the payment of the money; fince
caution for it is required by him who is to communicate
the benefit. At this rate, the condition is ſtill divided
between the furety and principal; and the latter performs
a part of it as well as the former ; and ſo the reward is,
in part, of debt unto him, as well as to the ſurety. The
,
application hereof to the caſe in hand is obvious. The
fum of the matter lies here : If Chriſt did in the covenant
become furety in way of caution for his people's perform-
ing fome deed; the performing the condition of the co-
venant, properly to called, is divided betwixt Christ and
them, however unequal their ſhares are ; and if the per-
forming the condition is divided betwixt Chriſt and them,
ſo far as their part of the performance goes, the reward is
of debt to them, which obſcures the grace of the cove-
Aaut.
2. According to the ſcripture, the ele&t's believing, re-
penting, and ſincere obedience, do belong to the promiſe
fory part of the covenant. If we conſider them in their
original ſituation, they are benefits promiſed in the cove.
nant by God unto Cbrift, the ſurety, as a reward of his
fulfilling the condition of the covenant.
And ſo they are,
by the unchangeable truth of God, and his exact juſtice,
inſured beyoud all poſſibility of failure: Pral. xxii. 27.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the
Lord. Verſe 30. A feed SHALL ferve him. Verſe 31. They
SHALL come, and shall declare his righteouſneſs unto a peo-
ple that ſhall be bora. Plal ex. 3. Thy people ſhall be willing
in the day of thy power See Ifa. liii. 10. with verſe 1.
Ezek. xxxiv, 26, 27, 31. Heb. viii, 10, 11. If it be aſk-
ed, To whom are thele promiles made, and the promiſes

60
The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
а
of the like nature through the Bible? it is evident, that
ſeveral of them are made to Chriſt expreſsly ; and the a-
poſtle anſwers as to them all, Gal. iii. 16. To Abraham and
to his feed were the promiſes made.--To thy feed, which is
Chriſt. And whereas there are found promiſes, wherein
Chriſt himſelf is the undertaker, as John vi. 37. All that
the Father giveth me, SHALL come to me ; they are not to
be taken for Chriſt's engaging to his father, as caution-
er for a deed to be done by the feed; but therein he ſpeaks
to man, as adminiftrator of the covenant, intruſted with
the conferring on finners the benefits purchaſed by his o-
bedience and death, and made over to him by the promiſe
of the Father; Matth. xi. 27. All things are delivered unte
me of my Father. Verſe 28. Come-unto me all ye that labour,
and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft. Luke xxii.
29. And I appoint (or diſpone ) unto you a kingdom, as my
Father hath appointed (or diſponed) unto me.
Thus far of Chriſt's ſuretiſhip in the covenant.
III. Chriſt the Prieſt of the Covenant.
Sit was neceſſary for Chriſt, the ſecond Adam, his
doing the part of a kinſman-redeemer, that he
ſhould beconie ſürety in the covenant ; ſo it was neceſſary
to his performing what he became furety for, that he
ſhould be a prieſt. And accordingly. confering to the
covenant; he became the prieſt of the covenants Heb. ix.
11. •Chriſt being come an high-prieſt of good things to
come.' A prieſt is a public perfon, who deals with an
offended God in the name of the guilty, for reconciliation,
by facrifice, which he offereth to God upon an altar, be-
ing thereto called of God, that he may be accepted. So
a prieſt ſpeaks a relation to an altar, an altar to a facrifice,
and a ſacrifice to fin.
Thoſe whom Chriſt repreſented in the covenant being
finners, he became their prieſt, their high prieſt, appearing
before God, in their name, to make atonement and recon-
ciliation for them: and this was the great thing that the
whole prieſthood under the law, and eſpecially the high
prieſthood, did typify and point at. Their nature was
the prieſt’s garments he put on, to exerciſe his priefly of-
fice in ; il fage berg pure and uudiod in hits: and
A
3
a

Chriſt the Prieſt of the Covenant.
61
in their nature he fuſtained their perſons, repreſenting
them before God, as their great high-prieſt. A lively
type hereof was • Aaron's bearing before the Lord, the
' names of the children of Iſrael, the twelve tribes, upon
his two ſhoulders,' in the ſhoulder. pieces of the ephod;
theſe names being engraven on two onyx ftones ſet there
in by divine appoiotment, Exod. xxviii. 9, 10, 12. as al-
fo his bearing them in the breaft-plate, being engraven on
twelve ftones ſet therein, verſe 15:--29. Thus Aaron,
the high prielt, was all Iſrael repreſentatively: an illofri-
ous type of Chriſt, the prieſt of the covenant, the ſpiritual
Iſrael repreſentative, Iſa. xlix. 3.
The neceſſity of Chrift, the ſecond Adam, his becom-
ing a prieſt, appears in theſe following things, jointly con-
fidered :
1. Thoſe whom he repreſented were finners: and there
could not be a new covenant, without proviſion made for
removing of their fie; and that required a prieft. The
firft covenant was made without a prieſt, becauſe then there
was no fin to take away; the parties therein repreſented,
as well as the repreſentative, were conſidered as innocent
perſons. But the ſecond covenant was a covenant of
peace and reconciliation between an offended God and
finners, not to be made but by the mediation of a priett,
who ſhould be able to remove fin, and repair the injured ho.
nour of God: Zech. vi. 13. He ſhall be a prieſt upon
his throne, and the counſel of peace ſhall be between
them both.'
And there was none fit to bear that chara&er but Chrift
himſelf. No map was fit to bear it, becauſe all men were
finners themſelves, and ſuch an high-prieſt became us, as was
undefiled, ſeparated from finners, Heb. vii
. 26. It is true,
the elect angels were indeed undebled; but yet none of
them could be prieſt of the covenant; becauſe,
2. Sin could not be removed without a ſacrifice of ſuffi
cient value, which they were not able to afford. The new
covenant behoved to be a covenant by ſacrifice, a covenant
written in blood; ' and without ſhedding of blood there
was no remiffion,' Heb. ix. 22. Therefore the typical
covenant with Abraham was not made without the fo-
lemnity of facrifice, Gen. xv. 9. that he might know the
F

62
The Making of the Covenant of Grace: Head 2.
.
covenant to be a covenant of reconciliation, in which a
juft God did not thew his mercy, but in a way cónlift-
ent with the honour of his juftice. Now, the ſacrifices of
beaſts, yea, and whatſoever the creatures could afford for
facrifice in this caſe, were infinitely below the value. But
Jeſus Chrift becoming a prieſt, gave himſelf a ſacrifice to God,
for eſtabliſhing the covenant; and that facrifice was for a
• ſweet-ſmelling favour,' Eph. v. 2. or, as the Old Tefta.
ment phraſe is a favour of reſt,' Gen. viii 21. marg.
The repreſented being finners, were corrupt and abomina-
ble before God; and he, as it were, ſmelled a favour of dif-
quiet from them, they being a ſmoke in his noſe, Ifa. Ixv.
5. their fin ſet his revenging juſtice and wrath a-ftir. But
the ſacrifice of Chriſt himſelf was fit to ſend forth ſuch a
ſweet-ſmelling favour unto God, as ſhould quite overcome
the abominable favour riſing from them, and lay his revenge
ing juſtice and wrath to the moſt calm and profoundeſt
reft.
The neceffity of a ſacrifice in the ſecond covenant aroſe
from the juſtice of God requiring the execution of the
curſe of the broken firſt covenant; whereby the finner
ſhould fall a facrifice for his fin; according to that, Pſal.
" He ſhall bring upon them their iniquity, and
-ſhall cut them off in their own wickedneſs.' It was an
ancient cuſtom in making of covenants, to cut a beaſt in
twain, and to paſs between the parts of it; and that
paffing between the parts reſpected the falling of the curſe
of the covenant upon the breaker; Jer. xxxiv. 18. • And
I will give the men that have tranſgreffed the covenant,
' which have not performed the words of the covenant
I wbich they have made before me, when they cut the
6 calf in twain, and paſſed between the parts thereof:' or
rather, more agreeable to the original, - I will make the
men that have tranſgreffed my covenant--the calf which
" they cut in twain, and paſſed between the parts thereof;'
that is, I will make them as that calf which they cut in
twais: I will execute the curſes on them, cutting them a-
funder as covenant-breakers, Matt. xxiv. 51. Now, the co-
venant of works being broken, juſtice required this exe.
cution of the curſe of it, in order to the eſtabliſhing of a
new covenant, the covenant of grace and peace. But had
.
xciv. 23 •
3

Chrif the Prieſt of the Covenant. 63
it been executed on the finners themſelves, the fire of wrath
would have burnt continually on them; but never would
ſuch a ſacrifice have fent forth a favour ſmelling ſo ſweet,
as to be a favour of reſt to revenging juſtice; forafmuch as
they were not only niere creatures, whoſe moft exquiſite
ſufferings could not be a ſufficient compenſation for the
injured honour of an infinite God: but they were finful
creatures too, who should ſtill have remained linful under
their ſuffering. Wherefore Jeſus Chriſt, being both fepa.
rate from finners, and equal with God, conſented in the co-
venant to be the facrifice, on which the curſe of the firſt
covenant might be executed, in their room and itead.
This is lively repreſented in the covenant made with
Abraham, in which he was a type of Chrift, Gen. xv.
that covenant God promiſed the deliverance of Abraham's
feed out of the Egyptian bondage and to give them the
land of Canaan; a type of the deliverance of Chriſt's
fpiritual feed from the bondage of fin and Satan, and of
putting them in poſſeſſion of heaven, verſe 13, 14, 16, 18.
Awful was the folemnity uſed at the making of this co-
venant. There were taken a heifer, a ſhe goat and a ram,
each of them of three years old; typifying Chrift, who
was about three years in his public miniſtry, verſe 9.
Theſe were each of them, divided in the midſt, hacked a-
ſunder by the middle; which typified the execution of the
curſe of the broken firſt covenant on Chriſt our ſurety, and
ſacrifice for us, verſe 10. Abraham's driving away the
fowls that came down upon the carcafes, typifies Chriſt's
victory over the devils all along during the fate of his
humiliation, and eſpecially his triumphing over thein on
the croſs, verfe 11. And finally there was a ſmoking
furnace and a burring lamp that paſſed between the pieces ;
which fignified the revenging wrath of God ſeizing on
Chriſt the ſacrifice, and juſtice therewith fatisfied, verſe
17:
3. No facrifice could be accepted, but on ſuch an altar
as ſhould fan&tify the giſt to its neceffary value and deſigned
effect, Matth. xxiil. 19. And who could furniſh that but
Chriſt himſelf, whoſe divine nature was the altar, from
whence the facrifice of his human nature derived its value
and efficacy as infinité ; Heb. ix. 14. How much more
F 2

64 The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
liii2
« shall the blood of Chriſt, who, through the eternal Spi
(rit, offered up bimſelf without ſpot to God, purge your
conſcience from dead works ?' His bleſſed body ſuffer-
ing and bleeding to death on the croſs, and his holy ſoul
ſcorched and melted within him with the fire of divine
wrath, both in the mean time united to his divine naturo,
were the facrifice burning on the altar, from the which God
fmelled a ſweet ſavour, to the appealing of his wrath, and
ſatisfying of his juſtice fully. Not that Chriſt was a ſa.
crifice only while on the croſs ; but that his offering of
himfelf a ſacrifice, which was begun from his incarnation
in the womb, the ſacrifice being laid on the altar in the
firſt moment thereof; and was continued through his
whole life ; was completed on the croſs, and in the grave;
Heb. x. 5. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he
faith, Sacrifice nor offering thou wouldſt not, but a body baft
thou prepared me : --ver. 7. Then ſaid 1, Lo, I come. Iſa.
When ye ſhall ſee him, there is no beauty that we
Jould defire him. Ver. 3. He is a man of forrows and ac-
quainted with grief. 2 Cor. v. 21. He bath made him to be
fin for us.
4. Laſtly, There behoved to be a prieſt to offer this fa-
crifice, this valeable facrifice, unto God upon that altar;
elle there could have been no ſacrifice to be accepted, and
fo no removal of fin, and conſequently no new covenant.
And ſince Chriſt himſelf was the facrifice, and the altar
too, he himſelf alone could be the prieſt. And forala
much as the weight of the ſalvation of finners lay upon
his call to that office, he was made prieſt of the covenant
the oath of God, Heb. vii. 20, 21. As he had full
pow-
er over his own life, to make himſelf a ſacrifice for others;
fo his Father's folemn inveſting of him with this office by
an oath, gave bim acceſs to offer himſelf effectually ; even
in ſuch fort as thereby to fulfil the condition of the cove-
nant, and to purchaſe eternal life for them.
Inferences from the ſecond Head.
I ſhall fhut up this head of the making of the covenant of
grace, with two inferences from the whole. .
Inf. 1. What remains for finners that they may be per-
fonally and ſavingly in covepant with God, is not as par-
a

Chriſt the Priejl of the Covenant. 65
ties contractors and undertakers, to make a covenant with
him for life and falvation ; but only, to take hold of God's
covenant already made from eternity, between the Father
and Chrift the ſecond Adam, and revealed and offered to
us in the goſpel, Ifa. lvi. 4, 6. I have no deſign hereby
to difparage our covenants made for national reformation
by our godly progenitors, and commonly called the Nation-
al Covenant, and Solemn League and Covenant, on which
God ſet the feal of his good pleaſure, in the experience of
many. Theſe, and the like, are covenants of duties, con-
fequential enough to the taking hold of God's covenant of
grace. Neither would I diſcourage any ſerious fouls, from
taking hold of God's covenant of grace for eternal life
and ſalvation to themſelves, with all the awful folemnity
of the moſt expreſs words, yea, and of writing and fubferib-
ing it with their hands; which is commonly called perſon-
al covenanting. But I would have all to beware of a prac-
tical cerrupting of the covenant of grace, by making co-
venants of their own, upon ſuch and ſuch terms, which
they will fulfil for life and falvation. The carnal Jews
miftaking the deſign of the giving of the law, did ſo cor-
rupt the covenant of grace; looking for life and ſalvation,
not for the ſake of the promiſed feed alone, but for their
obedience, ſuch as it was, to the moral and ceremonial laws.
And thus many, thinking that eternal falvation is propo-
fed to them in the word, upon the condition of faith, re.
pentance and ſincere obedience to God's law, do conſert
to theſe terms, and folemnly undertake to perform them;
juft binding themſelves to fuch and fuch duties, that God
may fave their ſouls; and ſo they make their covenant.
And while they can perfuade themſelves, that they perform
their
part of the covenant, they look for life and falvation
thereupor. This doth quite overturn the vature of the
covenant of grace : « for to him that worketh, the reward
is not reckoned of grace, but of debt, Rom. iv. 4.
' and if it be of works, then it is no more grace,'chap. xi. 6.
The fiofulneſs of this practice is great, as overlooking
Chrift, the great undertaker and party-contractor by ap-
pointment of the Father; and putting themſelves in his
room, to do and work for themſelves for life. And the
danger of it muſt needs be great, as laying a foundation
E 3

66
The. Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head. 2.
to bear the weight of their falvation, which divine wiſdom
faw.to be quite unable to bear it. The iſſue whereof muſt
be, that ſuch covenanters, ſhall lie down in forrow. So
the apoftle determines, Gal. v. 4. Chriſt is become of
e no effect unto you, whoſoever of you are juſtified by the
• law; ye are fallen from grace.'
Our part then, in this caſe, is only to take hold of God's
covenant made already, and offered and exhibited to us in
the goſpel, This hold is taken by faith; which is in
{cripture account, the hand of the ſoul, John i. 22. So
the original expreſſion plainly carries it, Iſa. Ivi. 4, 6.
· That falten in my covenant.' In which phraſeology,
the correlate word hand (expreſſed Gen. xxi. 18.) is un.
derſtood ; q. d. • That faften [their hand] in my cove-
' nant;' that is to ſay, " Who by the hand of faith take
faſt hold of my covenant;" as Adonijah did of the horns of
the altar, 1 Kings i. 50. wherein the ſame manner of ex-
preſſion is uſed, and this you do, by taking hold of Chriſt
in the free promiſe of the goſpel; believing that he is held
forth to you in particular, confiding and truſting in him
as your Saviour, for your ſalvation from fin and wrath, up-
on the ground of God's faithfulneſs in the promiſe, that
whoſoever believeih in him ſhall not periſh, but have everlaſt-
ing lift, for he is given for a covenant to you, Iſa. xlix. 8.
and to receive him, is to believe on his name, John i. 12,
This is our making a covenant with God by facrifice,
which is mentioned, Pfal. 1. 5. The original expreſſion is,
« That eut my covenant upon a ſacrifice;' namely, by laying
their hands in faith on the head of the ſacrifice, thereupon
cut down in their ſtead; and ſo ceremonially transferring
their guilt on the ſacrifice; but really and ſpiritually, approv.
ing of the device of ſalvation by a crucified Saviour, and fal-
ling in with it as the method of ſalvation for them. In this
way of covenanting the free grace of the covenant is preſerv-
ed pure and entire ; «fer to him that worketh not, but be-
lieveth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is
* counted for righteouſneſs,' Rom. iv. 5. Here the ho-
nour of fole undertaker and, party-contractor in the co-
venant, is, according to the Father's appointment, left to
Chriſt, the one that is mighty, Pſal. lxxxix, 19. Here
the ſecond Adam builds the temple, without our laying.
a

Chriſt the Prieſt of the Covenant. 67
one ftone therein in our own perſons : even as the firſt
Adam laid it in ruins, without our pulling down of one
ftone of it in our perſons : and Chriit bears the perfonal
glory of the reparation, even as Adam the perfonal blame
of the ruin, Zech. vi. 13. And at this rate, the foul doth
in time, for her own part, give her folemn approbation of
the covenant made from eternity, and a perſonal conſent
to what Chriſt from everlaſting conſented to in her game;
even as the princeſs married by proxy in her childhood,
ratifies all when ſhe is come to age, by receiving her huſ-
band. Likeas all Adam's children, as ſuch, taking ſal.
vation to heart, and therefore covenanting with God, do
in effect repeat the covenant of werks made with Adam
their repreſentative ; ſo all the ſecond Adam's feed as
fuch, taking ſalvation to heart, and therefore covenanting
with God, do in effect repeat the covenant of grace made
with Chrift their repreſentative. In the making of the
covenant before the world began, the Father propoſed
to Chrilt as fecond Adam, their head and reprelenta-
tive, that he fhould take burden upon him for them,
and be their kinſmao redeemer, their ſurety for their
debt of puniſhment and duty, and their prieft ; and
Chrift conſented thereto, from eternity. Amen, for my
part, ſays the ele&t foul in time, in the covenanting day:
it is infinitely well ordered: I am a loft finner; a debtor
to divine juſtice, a guilty creature; he is, with my whole
heart and ſoul, my Kinſman redeemer, My Surety, my Prieſt:
my part ofthe puniſhment incurred, and of the duty owing,
is a vaſt and exceeding great part of that debt; but my ſoul
is well content of, and reſts in that method of paying it :
2 Sam. xxiii. 5. He hath made with me an everlaſting
•
covenant, (Heb. He hath put to me an everla iting co-
"venant)--this is all my ſalvation, and all my defire.'
The Father ſaid to Christ as their repreſentative, for thy
doing ſo and ſuffering. • I will be their God, and they
• ſhall be my people.' Amen, ſaid Chrift from eternity:
"All mine are thine, John xiv. 10. Amen, for my part,
' .
fays the elect foul in the time of perſonal covenanting.
This heart of mine muſt have ſome God, I muſt belong
to one or other; and too long have I been for another :
but now, timber of the houſe, and tones of the wall, bear

68 The Making of the Covenant of Grace. Head 2.
witneſs, my ſoul is content with, conſents to, and rells in
this method of difpofing of me; namely, that the God
and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt be my God in Chrif,
and I one of his people from henceforth and for ever.
This manner of covenantiog is inconſiſtent with a pur-
poſe or defire of continuing in fin: even as one's commit-
ting himſelf for eure into the hands of a phyſician who
cures infallibly, is inconfitent with a deſire to keep his
difeaſe hanging about him. Chrift being made of God un-
to us wiſdom, righteouſneſs, fan£lification, and redemption,
1 Cor. i. 30. it neceffarily carries along with it, a taking
of Chrift for a Prophet, and a King and Lord unto us ;
as ſuch a one doth neceffarily yield himſelf to the phyfi-
çian's management. In it one joins himſelf to Chriſt as
his covenant-head, who alſo is the adminiftrator of the co-
venant: and ſo ſubjects himſelf to his teaching and govern-
ment. And it is ſuch a way of covenanting, as no pro-
.
fane perſon, nor hypocrite, continuing fo, ever did or can
fall in with. For (1.) it fpeaks a heart content to part
with all fin, well pleaſed with Chriſt's whole ſalvation,
whereof the principal part is to ſave his people from their
fins, Matth. i. 21. whereas unſound covenanters are always
offended with ſome one thing or other in Chrift, chap. xi.
6. (2.) It ſpeaks a foul carried out of all confidence in
itſelf, its own working and doing for life and falvation,
and bottomed only upon Chriſt's doing and ſuffering for
that end. And thus, ſuch a covenanter, being poor in
fpirit, Matth. v. 3. and rejoicing in Chriſt Jefies, and
having no confidence in the fleſh, Philip. iii. 3. is diftinguiſh-
ed from the preſumptuous hypocrite, whoſe confidence for
hfe and ſalvation is ever upon his own doing and working,
either in whole or in part; as alſo from the deſpairing un-
believer, who hath no confidence neither in Chrift, nor in
himſelf, that he ſhall have life and ſalvation, however he
may believe firmly that others ſhall. So this faith, this
covenanting, is quite another thing, than either the falſe
faith of the preſumptuous profane, and the preſumptuous
hypocrite, or the no faith of the deſperate, or the waver.
ing doubter, who can never fix in greater or leffer meaſure
of confidence in Chrift, for ſalvation to himſelf: James i,
6. • But let him aſk in faith, nothing wavering; for he

Chrijl the Prieſt of the Covenant.
69
" that wavereth, is like a wave of the fea, driven with the
'wind, and toffed. Verſe 7. For let not that man think
that he ſhall receive any thing of the Lord.'
If any think this to be an eaſy way of believing cove-
nanting, either they miſtake it, or they try it not. To
believe upon ſome ground we ſee in ourſelves, is very na-
tural; but to believe merely upon a ground in another,
namely, righteouſneſs in Chrift, and faithfulneſs in God,
while all in ourſelves tends to make us deſpair, is above the
reach of nature. A conſcience thoroughly awakened,
will convince a finner, that it is a matter of the greateſt
difficulty.
Inf. 2. Juftifying faith, though it receives Chriſt in all
his offices as Prophet, Prielt, and King ; yet as it enters
us perſonally into the covenant, and juſtifies, it eyes him in
his prieſtly office particularly; namely, as the great High-
prieſt, who hath made an atonement for fin, by the facri.
fice of himſelf ; as the Surety who undertook and com.
pleted the payment of the debt of puniſhment and duty;
and as the Kinſman-redeemer, who having married our
nature to the divine nature in himſelf, redeemed the mort-
gaged inheritance with his own blood, gave himſelf a ran-
ſom for us, to deliver us from our ſpiritual bondage, and
by his death deftroyed him that had the power of death :
Rom. iii. 25. "Whom God hath fet forth to be propitia-
tion through faith in his blood. Chap. v. 11. Our Lord
Jeſus Chriſt, by whom we have now received the atone-
(ment. The comfort for a wounded conſcience, fick
with the guilt of fin, lies here. This is that office of Chriſt
to which the convinced finner, ſtanding trembling before
the juft Judge of the world, lifts up his eyes, and makes
his recourſe for ſafety; for there, and only there, can one
ſee a ranſom, a righteouſneſs, an atonement. In his pro-
phetical and kingly office he adminifters the covenant; but
in his prieſtly office he performed the condition of it. So
it is the foundation of the other two. It was by the facri-
fice of himſelf, that the word and ſpirit of the covenant,
whereby he teacheth finners, were purchaſed : and thereby
alſo he obtained bis kingdom. And his interceffion is
founded upon his oblation. So his priefly office, and
that conſidered particularly in point of his offering his fa-

70 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
crifice, doth as the foundation-Ilone, bear the weight of
the ſalvation of fingers, and of the honour of God and the
Mediator therein. Wherefore, it is not ftrange, that his
inveftiture with the prieſtly office was confirmed by' the oath
of God; a folemnity not uſed in the caſe of his propheti-
cal and kingly offices.
And thus far of the making of the covenant.
HE
H E A D III.
TH
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace.
TH
HE parts of the covenant of grace, being the things
therein agreed upon betwixt God and Chriſt the
ſecond Adam, are two, to wit, the conditionary part, and
the promiffory part. Theſe comprehend the whole of the
covenant, and of them we ſhall treat in order.
The firfi Part of the Covenant, namely, the Conditionary
Part.
HE condition of a covenant or bargain, properly
and commonly ſo called, is, That part of a covenant
or bargain, upon the performing of which one's right to
the benefit promiſed is founded, and his plea for it is ftated,
as becoming due to him for that his performance, accord-
ing to and in virtue of the agreement between the parties.
This is a federal condition, a covenant condition, or the
condition of a covenant : and what all men, in common
converſation, underftand by the condition of a covenant or
bargain As for inftance, The paying of ſuch a fum of
money for ſuch a commodity, according to the agreement
between the parties, is the condition of a covenant of com-
merce, ſale or traffic: the working of ſuch a piece of work,
or doing ſuch a deed, for ſuch a reward agreed upon by
the parties, is the condition of a covenant of ſervice and
hire.
BeGides this, there is alſo what is called a condition of
connexion or order in a covenant; whereby one thing ne-
ceſſarily goes before another, in the order of the covenant,
without being the ground upon which one's right and title
to that other thing is founded. As in the former inftance,

The conditionary Part of the Covenant.
The buyer's receiving of the commodity, and the hireling's
receiving of the reward, covenanted or bargained for,
mult needs go before their poſſeſſion or enjoyment of them;
but it is evident, that that receiving is not the thing upon
which the buyer's right and title to the commodity, or the
hireling's right and title to the reward is founded : there.
fore, though it may be called a condition of connexion in
the reſpective covenants, yet it cannot, in any propriety of
ſpeech, be called the condition of them.
Now, to apply theſe things to our purpoſe: In the or-
der of the covenant of grace, foraſmuch as the having of
the Spirit muf go before faith, faith before juſtification,
juftification before fanctification, holineſs before heaven's
happineſs; theſe may be called conditions in the co-
venant of grace, viz. conditions of certain connexion :
and this belongs to the eſtablithed order of the pro-
miſes of the covenant, which are contraditinguiſhed to
the condition of the covenant. Howbeit, fuch conditions
can in no proper ſenſe be called the condition or conditions
of the covenant of grace, more than the buyer's receiving
of the commodity can be called the condition of the cove-
nant or bargain of ſale. But the condition of the cove-
nant of grace, properly fo called, is, Chriſt in the form of
a bond-ſervant, as laft Adam, Repreſentative, Kinſman-re.
deemer, Surety, and Prieſt, bis fulfilling all righteouſneſs
owing, in virtue of the broken covenant of works, unto
God by his fpiritual feed: Matt. iii. 15. Thus it becometh
us to fulfil all righteouſneſs.
For clearing of this purpoſe, I ſhall (1.) Evince this
to be the condition of the covenant ; (2.) Explain and
unfold that righteouſneſs, the fulfilling whereof was made
the condition of the covenant.
Firſt, To evince that this is the condition of the cove.
nant of grace, confider,
1. Chrift's fulfilling all righteouſneſs as the ſecond A-
dam, is what the Father propoſed unto him, as the terms
on which his feed fhould be ſaved, and upon which he
founded his promiſe of eternal life to be given them; and
any
work or deed of theirs: tſa liv. 10. «When thou
"halt make his ſoul an offering for fin, he ſhall ſee his
• fced. Ver. 11. He ſhall fee of the travail of his ſoul and
not

172 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
• ſhall be ſatisfied: by his knowledge ſhall my RIGHTEOUS
SERVANT juftify many : for he ſhall bear their iniqui-
«ties.' Luke xxii 20. • This cup is the new teſtament in
'MY BLOOD, which is ſhed for yon. And the ſame is
that which Chriſt as the ſecond Adam did from eternity
conſent voto, undertake, and bind himſelf for: and which
he did in time, according to agreement, perform. Thus
he himſelf repreſents it, Matth. iii. 15. Thus it becom-
(eth us to fulfil all righteouſneſs ;' namely, as it becometh
a perſon of honour and credit to fulfil his bargain, Luke
xxiv. 26. Ought not Chrift to have ſuffered theſe things?
to wit, as one ought to perform the condition of a cove-
nant or bargain he has agreed to.
2. This is the only ground of a finner's right and title
to eternal life; and upon nothing elſe can he ſafely found
his plea before the Lord for life and ſalvation : Eph. i. 7.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgive-
neſs of fins, according to the riches of his grace, Philip. iii.
8, 9. • That I may win Chriſt, and be found him, not
having mine own righteouſneſs--but -- the righteoufneſs
' which is of God by faith.' Surely, upon the condition
of the covenant fulfilled, one may found his plea before the
Lord for the benefits promiſed in the covenant: but no
man may found his plea before the Lord for theſe on any
work or deed of his own whatſoever, no not on faith it-
ſelf; but only on Chriſt's fulfilling all righteouſneſs;
therefore no work oor deed of ours whatſoever, no not
faith itſelf, can be the condition of the covenant of
grace properly ſo called: but only Chrilts falfilling all
righteouſneſs. The finner ſtanding in the court of con-
ſcience, trembling before the Lord, flies in under the co-
vert of that righteouſneſs fulfilled by the mediator, and
dare oppofe nothing but it to the condemning ſentence
the law, giving up with all other pleas for life and falva-
tion. Believing in Chriſt is the pleading upon that
ground, not the ground of the finner's plea: it faith, My
Lord and my God' in the promiſe, upon the ground of
Chrift's fulfilling all righteouſneſs allenarly, as the condi-
tion of the covenant. If any will make it the ground of
their plea, they muſt needs produce it as a work of a law,
that is, as a deed done by them, whereby they have ful.
of

The conditionary Part of the Covenant. 73
and v. 4.
.
a
filled and anſwered a law, and thereupon they crave the be-
nefit promiſed: the which will, according to fcripture, he
found a dangerous adventure, Rom. iii. 20. Gal. ii. 16.
3. It is by this, and this alone, the ſalvation of finners
becomes a debt: therefore this alone is the condition of
the covenant. For the reward is of debt to him, and him
only, who fulfils the condition of a covenant; 'to him that
worketh, not to him that worketh not, but believeth,'
Rom. iv. 4, 5. And ſo it is of debt to Chrift alone, not
to us: and therefore it was he that fulfilled the condition
of the covenaat; we fulfil no part of it. This is confirm
ed from the primitive ſituation of mankind with reference
to eternal life, in the firſt Adam's covenant, duly confider-
ed. The condition thereof was perfect active obedience.
And, according to the nature of that covenant, if this on,
bedience had been fulfilled by Adam, eternal life to him
and his would hereupon have become a debt to him. And
the plea of his pofterity for life, in that caſe, would not
have been founded on their perſonal obedience coming al-
ter that fulfilment ; fince it would not have been the per-
formance of the condition, but the fruit of the promiſe of
the covenant; but it would have been founded on that per-
formance of Adarn their repreſentative ; foraſmuch as, in
the cafe fuppoſed, it would have been the only obedience
whereby the condition of that covenant was fulfilled; and
ſo they would have obtained life, not for any perſonal work
or deed of theirs, but for the obedience of the firſt Adam
their repreſentative, to which God did graciouſly make the
promiſe of life, in the firſt covenant.
4. Faith and obedience are benefits promiſed in the co-
venant, upon the condition of it, as hath been already e-
vinced ; and in virtue of the promiſes of the covenant, they
are produced in the ele&t; therefore they cannot be the
condition of the covenant. And ele&t infants are ſaved,
though they are neither capable of believing nor of obey-
ing: howbeit, the condition of the covenant muſt needs be
performed, either by themſelves who are ſaved, or elſe by
another in their ftead. Therefore Chrill's fulfilling all
righteoufneſs, which is the only obedience performed in
G

74
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
their ſtead, muſt be tlie alone proper condition of the co-
venant.
5. Laſtly, The covenant of grace doth ſo exclude our
boaſting, as the covenant of works did not. This is clear
from Rom. ii. 27. · Where is boaſting then? It is exclud.
. ed. By what law? of works ? Nay : but by the law of
• faith.' But if any deed or work of ours be the condi-
tion of the covenant of grace, in whole or in part, our
boaſting is not excluded, but hath place therein, as in the
covenant of works ; the difference being at moft but in
point of degrees : for, according to the ſeripture, it is
working, or fulfilling the condition of a covenant, that
gives the ground of boafting ; foraſmuch as “to him that
6 worketh, the reward is reckoned of debt :' and life being
of or by works in the covenant of works, though not in
the way of proper merit, but in the way of paction or
compact only, this gave men the ground of boafting in
that covenant, according to the ſeripture. Therefore, fo
far as life and ſalvation are of or by any work or deed of
ours, as fulblling the condition of the covenant of grace,
our boaſting is not excluded, but hath place therein as in
the covenant of works. Wherefore, ſince the covenant of
grace is ſo framed, as to leave no ground for our boaſting,
no work or deed of ours, but Chrift fulfilling all righteoul-
neſs, even that alone, is the condition of the covenant
of
grace: and our life and falvation are neither of works, nor
hy works, as fulblling the condition of the covenant : Tit.
iii. 5. Not by works of righteouſnefs, which we have done,
but according to his mercy be faved us. Eph. ii. 9. Not of
9
works, left any man ſhould boaſt.
God forbid we ſhould go about to juftle faith and obe-
dience out of the covenant of grace! Thoſe who do ſo in
principle or practice, will thereby juſtle themſelves out of
the kingdom of heaven: Matth. v. 19. Whoſoever fall
break one of theſe leaſt commandments, and fall teach men for
ſo,
he hall be called the leaſt in the kingdom of heaven : that is,
he ſhall be treated as he treated that one of theſe command-
ments, he ſhall be judged unworthy of the fellowſhip of
that kingdom. Faith is neceſſary ſavingly to intereft us
in Jeſus Chriſt the head of the covenant : and none can
attain to eternal happineſs, without a&ual believing, who

The conditionary Part of the Covenant. 75
are ſubje&ts capable of it: nor can any attain it without the
Spirit of faith indwelling in them. Obedience is neceffa-
ry, as the chief ſubordinate end of the covenant, being that
whereby God hath his glory he deſigned therein ; and
without obedience begun here, none who are ſubjects ca-
pable of it, can ſee heaven. But withal it is neceſſary, that
they be kept in the place and ſtation aſligned them in the
covenant by the Father and the Son from eternity. By
faith we perſonally ernbrace the covenant, conſent to, and
reſt in the condition of the covenant fulfilled by Chrift;
and ſo are juſtified and brought into a flate of ſalvation :
John x. 9. “I am the door: by me if any man, enter in,
• he ſhall be ſaved.' Compare John i. 12, and iii. 16. and
xiv. 6. By evangelical repentance and goſpel obedience,
6
we teſtify our thankfulneſs to God, and evidence the truth
of our faith, and our being within the covenant: 1 Pet. ii.
9. ' Ye are a choſen generation, a royal prieſthood, an ho.
• ly nation, a peculiar people ; that ye ſhould fhew forth
the praiſes of him who hath called you out of darkneſs
• into his marvellous light : ver. 10. Which in time paſt
were not a people, but are now the people of God; which
* had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.'
Compare Rom. vi. 13. and xii, 1, 2. i Cor. vi. 20.
This the prophet taught the Jewiſh church of old, Mic.
vi. 8. He hath jhewed thee, O man, what is good ; and what
doth the Lord require of thee; but to do juftly, and to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? In the 6th
verſe a moft important queſtion is put, concerning the
acceptance of a finner with God, how it may be ob.
tained, wherewith ſhall I come before the Lord ?
and ſeveral coftly expedients for that purpoſe are propoſ.
ed by the finner, even to the “ giving of the fruit of his
• body for the fin of his ſoul,' ver. 6, 7. But the pro-
phet anſwers that queſtion in a word, tacitly upbraiding
them with graſs fupidity, in their groping for the wall
in broad day light, even as in the night ; · He hath ſhew.
ed thee, O man, what is good, that is, what is goodly,
valuable and acceptable, in the fight of God, for that pur-
poſe, even for a finner's obtaining pardon and acceptance
with God; namely, the Meſſias, Jeſus Chriſt ſacrificed for
finners. This was what God had all along, by his prophets,
G2

76 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3
and by the whole ceremonial law, pointed out to them, and
ſet before them, as the good for that purpoſe, that they
might by faith look thereunto, and be ſaved, Ifa. xlv. 22.
And in the Atyle of the Holy Ghoſt, Chriſt crucified is.
elſewhere ſpoken of under the ſame notion : 2 Chron.
xxx. 18. The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth
his beart to ſeek God. Orig. Jehovah the good make atone-
ment for, &c. Pfalm lxxxv. 12. The Lord fhall give thee
that which is good ; or, ſhall give thee good. Compare
John iv, 10. If ihou knewefi the gift of God, and who it is.
Ifa.lv. 2n Eat ye that which is good, Compare John vi. 55.
My fifa is meat indeed. Job. xxxiv. 4. Let us know among
ourſelves. what is good. Ver. 5. For Fob hath faid I am
righteous. Now being thus accepted of God, what doth he
require of thee in poiot of gratitude, but to do juftly, as one
accepted not without a righteouſneſs anſwering the de.
mands of juſtice and judgment; and to love mercy, as one
who hath obtained inercy; and to walk humbly withºthy
God, as one who is free grace's debtor? In the fame man-
ner of expreſſion doth Mofes addreſs himſelf to the people
ſecured of the poffeffion of Canaan by the oath of God,
and being juſt to enter upon it. Deut. X. 11, 12. And
now, Ifrael, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee,
but to fear the Lord thy God, &c. namely, in point of gra-
titude, for his giving thee that good land.
Infer. From what is ſaid it appears, that your life and
ſalvation entirely depend on your ſpecial intereſt in Chriſt's
righteouſneſs. If ye are pofſeffed of it, your ſalvation is fe-
cure; if not, falvation is far from you. If you were never
ſo full of your own righteouſneſs, works, doings, and fuf-
ferings, all is but filthy rags in this caſe, and cannot give
you a right or title to life: and although, you can ſee no.
thing of your own in yourſelves, which you can lean to
before the Lord, yet if the righteouſneſs of Chriſt is yours
in pofleflion, by faith, your life and falvation are firm as a
rock.
Cafe, How then ſhall I know that Chriſt's righteoafneſs
is indeed mine in poffeffion ?, Anf. The Lord himſelf gives
a diftinguiſhing character of ſuch happy poffeffors, Ila. ii.
7. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteouſneſs, the
' people in whoſe heart is my law. They that know

The conditionary Part of the Covenant.
77
righteouſneſs, are, in the ſtyle of the ſcripture, thoſe whoſe
it is, agreeable to the phrafe, Matth. xxv. 12. I know you
not, q. d. Ye are none of mine, I acknowledge you not as
mine. So this character confifts of two parts. (1.) They
are ſuch as acknowledge Chrift's righteouſneſs as their on-
ly righteouſneſs in the light of God, and look to it alone
for life and falvation, renouncing all their own righteouſ-
neſs: Iſa. liii. 11. By his knowledge ſhall my righteous
• fervant juftify many ;' that is, by the knowledge or ac-
knowledgment of him, which is by faith. (2.) They have
the law of God in their hearts. The righteous people,
righteous by faith, are a holy people. They make con-
ſcience of internal obedience ; for the holy law rules with
in them, even there whither no eye réacheth, but the eyes
of God and their own conſciences. So they are dillia-
guiſhed from hypocrites, who are • like unto whited fe.
'pulchres, beautiful outward, but within full of all un.
cleanneſs. They make conſcience of external obedience
too ; for as the candle burning within the lanthorn will
fhine through it, ſo the law of God ruling in the heart,
cannot miſs to role in life and converſation too; Matt.
vi. 22. •If therefore thine eye be ſingle, thy whole lo.
dy ſhall be full of light. And ſo they are diſtinguiſh.
ed from the profane, whoſe unhaly lives declare them
to have neither part nor lot in this righteouſneſs :
Palm xxiv. 3, 4• • Who fiall ſtand in his holy place ? He
" that hath clean hands.' And the law is not only in
their minds by its light, to drive them to obedience ; as in
the caſe of legaliſts, who work like ſlaves; but it is in their
heart and affections, diſcovering to their fouls the beauty
of holineſs; and ſo drawing them to all obedience, and
caufing them to work like fons to a father. Their hearts
'
are reconciled to the purity of the holy law, and they's de.
light in it after the inward man,' Rom. vii. 22. and would
fain reach a full conformity unto it, ſaying from the heart,
O that my ways were directed to keep thy ſtatutes !'
Secondly, To unfold that righteouſneſs, the fulfilling of
which was made the condition of the covenant of grace,
we ſhall view it in the ſeveral parts thereof. That righ.
teouſneſs, forafmuch as it was to be fulfilled in the room
6
Pſalm cxix. 5
G3

78
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. , Head 3.
and flead of finners, was and muſt be ſtated from the law
or broken covenant of works, which they were lying un.
der: for the law, or broken covenant of works, was ſo
far from being neglected in the new bargain, that what-
foever it had to charge upon, or demand of the parties
contracted for in the new covenant, was fummed up, and
fet down therein, to be fully cleared by Chrift their furety
contracting for them. Now, ftating that righteouſneſs
from thence, it will be found to conſiſt of three parts,
making ſo many conditionary articles of the covenant of
grace; to wit, ' holineſs of nature, righteouſneſs of life,
6 and ſatisfaction for fin.? Of the which in order.
T!
ARTICLE I..
Holineſs of Nature.
HE law required holineſs of nature as a condition
of life, inaſmuch as condemning original ſin faying,
Thou ſhalt not covet, it concluded all men to be by nature
children of wrath. For God being eſſentially holy, holy
by neceffity of nature, nothing can be fo contrary to God
as an unholy nature ; becauſe, howbeit perfons, or things
of a like nature, may be contrary in ſome points, yet they
can never be la contrary one to another, as thoſe of quite
oppoſite natures. But the parties contracted for in the
covenant of grace, having their nature wholly corrupted,
and being incapable to purify it, or make their heart clean,
Prov. xx. 9: it is evident, they could by no means anſwer
this demand of the law by themſelves. Wherefore, for
the ſatisfaction of the law in this point, it was ſettled
as a conditionary article of the covenant of grace, “ That
" Chriſt, the ſecond Adam, repreſenting them, ſhould be
" a man of a perfectly holy, pure, and untainted nature,
s fully anſwering for them the holineſs and perfection of
of nature required by the law.” For ſuch an high-prieſt
• became us, who is holy, harmleſs, undefiled, ſeparate
« from finners,' Heb. vii. 26. And this article contains-
two clauſes :
1. “ That he, as the ſecond Adam, ſhould be conceive
es ed and born holy, for and inſtead of them corrupted in
" their nature, conceived and born in fin.” There was.

The conditionary Part of the Covenant.
79
a:holy nature given to Adam, as the root of mankind, to
be by him kept and tranſmitted to his pofterity, in the
way of natural generation. And upon this ground the
law requires all men to be born holy, pronouncing them
unclean, and children of wrath, in the contrary event, Job
xiv. 4. Eph. ii. But how could this demand be anſwered
by finners? They are born in fin: They cannot enter a-
gain into their mother's womb, and be born a ſecond time,
without fin. No, they cannot: yet the law will not beat
of that demand for life. Wherefore it was provided, that
Chriſt, as a public perfon, repreſenting his ſpiritual feed,
ſhould be born perfectly holy; that, whereas they brought
a finful corrupt nature into the world with them, he ſhould
bring a holy human nature into the world with him. And
ſo he was the laſt Adam, i Cor. xv. 451 • holy and
undefiled, Heb. vii. 26. that holy thing born, Luke i,
35. And the effect thereof, with reſpect to that law-de.
mand for life, is, that all believers are, in law-reckoning;
born holy in the ſecond Adam, even as they were created
holy in the firſt Adam. Hence they are exprefsly ſaid to be
circumciſed in him, Col. ii. 11. which plainly preſuppoſeth
their being born in him. And it is in virtue of their
being legally born holy in Chriſt, when he was born, that,
being united to him in the time of loves, they are really
born again, and at length perfected; even as in virtue of
their being legally defiled in Adam, when he finned, they
are actually and really defiled in their own perſons coming
into the world: the holy nature being actually communi.
cated to them from Chrift their ſpiritual head, in whom
they were legally born holy; even as the corruption of
nature is actually conveyed to them from Adam, their na-
tural head, in whom they finned in law-reckoning.
2. The other clauſe is, “ That Chrift, as the ſecond
« Adam, ſhould retain the holineſs of nature inviolate-un-
" to the end, for them, and in their name.” The law,
or covenant of works, required as a condition of life, that.
the holineſs of nature given to mankind in Adam, ſhould
be preſerved pure and incorrupt. But it was loft: and
put the caſe, that it had been reſtored, they could not
have retained it, in their own perfons, unſtained, amidſt
fo many ſnares. Wherefore, to ſatisfy the law-demand in

80
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
this point, it was provided, that in the man Chriſt, as a
public perſon repreſentative of his feed, their nature ſhould
be kept perfectly holy unto the end, without the leaſt
ftain or defilement: Ifa. xlii. 4. He « ſhall not fail; or,
• he ſhall not wax dim or wrinkle,' as the ſkin doth when
the moiſture is exhauſted. Therein the firit Adam failed.
He Mone in purity of nature, as he came from the Creator's
hand: but he failed, he waxed dim; the holineſs of his na-
ture being exhauſted by fini, all inankind in him loſt their
ſpiritual beauty, and wrinkled. But now that the ſecond A-
dam failed not, but preſerved the holineſs of human nature in
him unſtained, not in the leaſt darkened even to the end of
his life; the remains of the corruption of nature in believe
ers are not imputed to them Rom. iv. 8. but as defiled as
they are in themſelves, through thoſe remains cleaving
to them, yet in Chrift their beauty is freſh, and not mar-
red in the leaſt according to that, Cant. iv. 7. • Thou art
• all fair, my love, there is no ſpot in thee.'
Elisha A
T
A R TICLE II.
Righteouſneſs of Life.
THIS alſo the law infifted upon as a condition of life;
and juftly: for God gave to Adam, and all man.
kind in him, a law to be obeyed in all points; not only
in virtue of the tie of natural duty, but in virtue of the bond
of a covenant for life; but it was never fulfilled by them.
The firſt Adam began indeed the courſe of obedience; but
he quickly fell off from it, with all his natural feed in him.
Now, it being inconſiſtent with the honour of the law, that
the prize, to wit, eternal life, fhould be obtained, without
the race was run: it itill infifted, ſaying, . If thou wilt
enter into life, keep the commandments. Matth. xix. 17.
Howbeit, we were weak, moveleſs, without ſtrength for
running that race. Wherefore it was ſettled, as another
conditionary article of the covenant “ That Chriſt as a
“ public perſon, repreſenting thofe he contracted for, ſhould
« begin and perfect the courſe of obedience to the law, in
« “ righteouſneſs of life.” And accordingly he became ou
bedient unto death, Philip. ii. 8.
The law, which was the rule of this obedience exacted

The conditionary Part of the Covenant.
of him, was the ſame law of the ten commands that was
given to Adam, and binding on us as under it; for he
was made under the law, to redeem them that were un-
der the law,' Gal. iv. 4, 5. It extended to all divine in-
fitutions which the ſecond Adam found in being, whether
obliging med, as men, or as members of the church of God
on earth ; even as the rule of the firft Adam's obedience
extended to the poſitive law touching the forbidden fruit,
which was in being when he was ſet to fulfil his covenant
obedience.
That we may the more diftin&tly comprehend this arti-
cle, it may be obſerved to bear theſe three things follow-
ing :
3
I “ That he, as the ſecond Adam, ſhould obey the
€ whole law, in the name of thoſe he repreſented.” This
was a debt owing by them all; and was required of them
by the law, as a condition of life : Gal. iii. 10. Curfed
every one that continueth not in all things which are writ.
ten in the book of the law to do them. But the anſwering
of this demand was quite beyond their reach. Man, by
the fall, having loft much of his knowledge of the law,
had loft ſight of many of the duties required therein ; how-
beit, ignorance of the law excufed no man. His heart was
Kaverſe to enmity againſt the law, Rom. viii. 7. And he
was without ftrength to perform the duties then required
of him, chap. v. 6. So that by reaſon of ignorance, aver-
fiun, and impotency in that matter, the obedience of the
whole law was not to be had from them. Wherefore it
was provided, that Chriſt, as their repreſentative, ſhould
give obedience to the whole law for them; that both ta-
bles of the law, and each command of each table, ſhould
have due obedience from him; that the law being laid
before him in its ſpirituality and full extent, he ſhould
fully anſwer it, internal and external obedience, in his
mind, will, and affections, in thought, word, and deed ;
that he ſhould conform himſelf to the whole natural law,
and to all divine inſtitutions, ceremonial or political, fo as.
to be circumciſed, keep the paſſover, to be baptized, to be
a ſervant of or fubje&to rulers, pay tribute to whom it
was due, and the like: In one word, that he ſhould per-
form the whole will of God, fignified in his law ; fo that,

The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
with the ſafety of the law's honour, his people might have
life. What the firſt Adam failed in, the ſecond Adam
was to do. And this I take to be repreſented unto us,
in the caſe of the firſt and ſecond king of Iſrael, to wit,
Saul and David, A&ts xiii. 22. • I have found David, the
• ſon of Jeffe, a man after mine own heart, which ſhall ful-
« fil all my will: Gr. all my wills.' In which there is a
plain view to Saul, who was partial in his obedience to the
will of God, (1 Sam. xv.) and upon that fcore loſt the
kingdom for him and his.
2. « That every part of that obedience ſhould be car-
65 ried to the higheft pitch and degree.” This the law
required of them, as a condition of life; as our Lord him-
feli ſhewed unto the lawyer, Luke x. 27. • Thou ſhalt
• love the Lord thy G&d with all thy heart, and with all
thy foul, and with all thy ſtrength, and with all thy
• mind; and thy neighbour as thyſelf, Verſe 28.---This
• do, and thou ſhalt live.' But it was a demand they could
never have anſwered, fince Adam had ſquandered away
their ſtock of ability, and left them without ftrength.
They might as ſoon have reached up their hands to the
fun in the firmament, ſo far above them, as have attained
to the perfection of obedience demanded of them by the
law. Wherefore it was agreed, that Chrif ſhould in their
name obey the law in that perfe&tion, being made under
the law, as they were under it, Gal. iv. 5. that every ac-
tion of his ſhould bear, not only a goodneſs of the matter,
but of the manner too, and that in perfection; that love
to God and man fhould flame in his holy human foul, to
the utmoſt pitch required by the law; and ſo that debt
owing by his feed, might be cleared by him, acting as a
public man in their name.
3. Laſtly, “ That all this ſhould be continued to the
# end, without the leaſt failure in one jot of parts or de-
grees of obedience.” This alſo was a condition of life ftat-
ed in the firft covenant : Gal. ii. 10. Curfed is every one
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the lazy to do them. But it was a demand they could by
no means anſwer ; man's nature being ſo vitiated by the
fall, that if a thouſand hells were lying upon it, the belt on
carth could not keep perfe&tly right one hour. Wherefore

The conditionary Part of the Covenant. 83
it was agreed, that the ſecond Adam (hould, in the pame
of thoſe he repreſented, continue in all things written in the
law to do them, even to the end ; that he ſhould not fail
in his begun courſe of obedience, but ran to the end of
the race ſet before him ; that from the womb to the
grave,
his heart and life ſhould ſhine in perfection of holineſs.
All which he did accordingly fulfil, being obedient unie
death, Philip. ii. 8.
THE
a
A RTICLE III.
Satisfaction for Sin.
HE former two were in the condition of Adam's co-
venant; but this was not in it: for while there was
no fin, there was no place for ſatisfaction for fin. But
the new covenant behoved to be ſettled on the condition
of a ſatisfaction for fin ; becauſe the broken law or cove.
pant of works, infifted for it as a condition of life to fin-
ners in virtue of its penalty by them incurred. Howbeit,
it was quite beyond their power to anſwer this demand of
the law. If then the Mediator will have a feed brought
from the ſtate of death, into a ſtate of life and falvation,
he mult buy them from the hand of juſtice, telling down
a price for every foul of them, 1 Cor. vi. 20. According-
ly, all the sins of every one of them, from the firft fin they
fhould be conceived and born in, to the laſt &in they ſhould
expire with, being foreſeen of God from eternity, were
fummed up as ſo many breaches of the law or covenant
of works ;' and it was made another conditionary article
of the covenant, « That Chrift, as a publie perſon, ſhould
fatisfy fully and completely for them all:" Ifa.liii. 6.
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of ws all; compared
with Lev. xvi. 21. All the iniquities of the children of Iſrael,
and all their tranſgreſſions, in all their fins.
Now, in this article, there were three things eſtabliſh-
ed:
Firſt, “ That Chrift, as a public perfon, ſhould fatisfy
" for them by ſuffering:” Luke xxiv, 26. Ought not
Chriſt to have ſuffered ? Sinners were liable to ſuffer for the
fatisfaction of juftice; and nothing but ſuffering could be
accepted as a compenſation of the injury done by fin to

The Parts of the Covenant of Grace.
Head 31
the honour of God, in the violating of his holy law.
Thouſands of rams, and ten thouſands of rivers of oil were
at the Mediator's command ; all the filver and gold, and
the precious things of the earth and ſeas, were at his dif-
poſal: but none of theſe could be of uſe in this bargain;
they were all of no value in a treaty for the redemption of
the ſoul, Mic. vi. 6, 7, 8. 1 Pet. i. 18. · His own fuffer-
ing could only avail here. That the Son of God ſhould ſuf-
fer, was indeed an amazing propoſal; but it was neceffary
in order to ſatisfy for our fin.
Secondly, “ That he ſhould ſuffer the fame puniſhment
" they ſhould have ſuffered in virtue of the penalty of the
« broken covenant of works :” and that was death in its
full latitude and extent. This appears from the penalty
of that covenant, from which the debt of ſatisfaction was
ftated, In the day thou eateſ thereof, thou ſhalt ſurely die,
Gen. ii. 17. compared with Chriſt's dying for, that is, in
the room and ſtead of finners, fo often mentioned in the
fcriptures, Rom. v. 8. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 1 Theff. v. 10.
And it is confirmed from what the fcripture teacheth,
that they all, for whom Chriſt died, died in him, 2 Cor.
V. 14. If one died for all, then were all dead; or then they
all died, to wit in him; even as they finned, and became
liable to death, in Adam. So faith the apoſtle, I am
crucified with Chriſt, Gal. xi. 28.
For clearing of this purpoſe, two things are to be di-
ftinguiſhed in that death, which was the penalty of the
covenant of works: 1. What was eſſential to it, wrapt
up in the very nature of the thing itſelf, called death in
the ſtyle of that covenant. And that may be compriſed
in thefe two: (1.) The curſe. (2.) Infinite execution ;
the former making the death legal, the latter making it
real and fatisfactory. 2. What was accidental to it, a-
riſing not from the nature of the thing in itſelf, but from
the nature of the party dying that death. And this is of
two ſorts: (1.) There is ſomething arifing from the na-
ture of the dying party, as he is a mere creature : ſuch as
the eternity of the puniſhment, and deſpair of life. (2.)
Something ariſing from the nature of the dying party, as
he is a finiul creature, or a ſubject of inherent fin; ſuch
as the extinction of the ſaving relation betwixt God and

The conditionary Part of the Covenant. 85
the foul, the diveſting it of God's image, and the corrup-
tion and diſſolution of the body.
Now, the effentials of that death we ſhould have fuffer-
ed, in virtue of the penalty of the broken covenant of
works, were laid, as a part of the condition of the covenant
of grace, op Jeſus Chriſt, to be ſuffered by him for us. For
he was made a curſe for us, Gal. iii. 13. and gave himſelf for
us, an offering and a ſacrifice to God
for a ſweet ſmelling favour,
Eph. v. 2. that is, a facrifice equalling the infinite offence
ariſing from our fin; whence he is faid, by one offering to
have perfealed for ever them that are fanctified, Heb. X. 14.
But the accidentals of that death were no part of the con-
dition of the covenant laid on him: nor could they at all
bave place in him : ſince he was neither a ſubject of inhe.
rent fin, nor yet a mere creature. Nevertheleſs, it was ſtill
the ſame death that we ſhould have ſuffered ; foraſmuch
as the effentials were the fame. Thus the bodies of the
faints, which are now weak and corruptible, ſhall at the
reſurrection be powerful and incorruptible, yet fill
the ſame bodies; fince theſe qualities are but acciden-
tal to a human body. So in the caſe of clearing debt,
though the borrower could not pay it, but in a great
quantity of copper- money, and that advanced by little and
little for a long time; which withal would ruin him; yeta
if his rich cautioner ſhould pay all at once, in a little gold,
it is evident, it would be the payment of the ſame debt,
providing only that it fully equalled the ſum borrowed.
Nay, confining our view to death itſelf, which is the
neral proper notion of the thing in queſtion, let us put the
caſe, that two men, equally guilty of the ſame crime, are
laid under one and the ſame ſentence of death, and it is
executed on them both; but the one is by a miracle raiſed
to life again, and the other lies and rots in the grave.
It
is evident in this caſe, that the death they died, is the fame
death, anſwering the very ſame eſtimate which the law
made of the crime; and that therefore the death of the
former ſatisfies the law, as well as the death of the latter,
ſo that it cannot reach his life again for that crime: how.
beit, it is no leſs evident, that there is a huge difference
between the death of the one and of the other, in
accidentals, particularly in the duration or continuance
H

86 The Parts of the Covenant of Cracé. Head 3,
of it. Wherefore, we conclude, that as Chrift gave the
ſame active obedience to the law which we ſhould have
given in virtue of the condition of the covenant of works;
ſo he fuffered the ſame puniſhment of death that we ſhould
have ſuffered in virtue of the penalty of that broken cove-
nant: foraſmuch as whatever difference there was in acci-
dentals, the effentials were the ſame ; it being laid on him,
in the new covenant, to ſuffer death for us, equalling the
infinite offence ariſing from our fins, being fully proportion-
ate to the eſtimate the law'arid juſtice of God had made
of our crime.
And thus, according to what is ſaid, two grand points
were eſtabliſhed in the conditionary part of the covenant.
I. 6 That the curſe of the law due to us for our fio,
66 ſhould be transferred on him as the fecond Adam, our
" repreſentative : whereby he ſhould inftantly be a man
* dead in law for his ſeed.” Either he or they behoved
to bear the curſe : for it is written, Curſed is every one that
continueth not in all things written in the law. Since God
had annexed the threatening of death to his firſt covenant,
ſaying, In the day that thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt furely die:
the truth of God ſecured the curſe its taking place, as ſoon
as fin ſhould enter. Now, they were not able to bear it
without being ruined thereby. But that it might be
borne, and they withal ſaved, it was provided, that he ſhould
be laid under it, in their room and ſtead; that as he was
made fin for them, ſo he ſhould alſo, in confequence there-
of, be made a curſe for them, Gal. iii. 13.
The curfe is the ſentence of the broken law paſſed upon
a perſon, binding him over to the revenging wrath of God,
to the full ſatisfaction of juſtice. So that awful and tre-
mendous myftery lies here, Chriſt muſt fand before the
tribunal of the holy law, as a finner; anſwerable for all
the fins of all the ele&t, by virtue of his bond of ſuretiſhip
regiſtrate in the records of heaven: and ſentence muſt paſs
upon him, adjudging and binding him over to fuffer all
that revenging wrath which theſe fins deſerved. The
Lamb of God, faith, Lo, I come : ſo it was done, he was
made a curſe for us. In token hereof, being convened be-
fore the Jewiſh Sanhedrim, he was judged a blafphemer,
and worthy of death: and compearing before Pilate the

The conditionary Part of the Covenant.
87
Roman governor, he was by him ſentenced to die, and
that upon the croſs.
Behold the ſtupendous reſult of this awful tranſaction,
the transferring of the curſe on Chriſt the fecond Adam :
1. Hereby he was made the ſeparated one of the ele&t fo.
ciety, ſeparated unto evil, as the immediate effect of the
curſe is deſcribed, Deut. xxix. 21. He was made the de.
voted head, devoted to pay for all the reſt. He was ſet
up as the mark againit which all the arrows of avenging
wrath ſhould be aimed. He was appointed to be the com.
mon receptacle of all the floods of vengeance, iſſuing from
incenſed juftice towards the whole body of the eleet, to
ſwallow them up: here the current of all theſe was turned,
that they ſhould together fow in upon him. Hence he
cries, Plalm lxix. 2. I am come into deep waters, where the
floods overflow me. 2. Hereby he became the reſting place
of revenging juſtice where it was to prey, till it ſhould be
fatisfied to the full ; Iſa. liii. 10. Thou ſhalt make his foul
an offering for fin. In token hereof, when the officers
came to apprehend him, he faith, If ye ſeek me, let thefe go
their way. Juſtice leaves the chace of the rehel multi-
tude, feeks him and him only ; ſince he was made a curſe
for them. Thus was he deſigned to be the ſacrifice for
all his feed, which the fire of revenging wrath ſhould burn
up, till it fent forth a ſweet-ſmelling favour, a favour of
reft to the incenfed jutice of an offended God.
2. Another grand point eſtabliſhed here, was, “ That
“the curſe transferred on him, ſhould be infinitely executed
upon him as the ſecond Adam, our repreſentative ;
" whereby be ſhould die really for his feed; to the full
« compenfation of all the injuries done to the honour of
an infinite God, by all their fins.” Vain is that curſe
which takes not effect : but as the curſe of the holy law
was not capfeleſs, ſo it could not miſs of coming on, in its
infinite weight, for the ſatisfaction of juſtice. Now, had
it come fo on them, they would have been eternally fatis-
fying, but could never have ended their fatisfa&tion. But
coming on him, the church of God was purchaſed with his
own blood, Acts xx. 28. and the blood of Jeſus Chriſt his
Son cleanſeth us from all fin, 1 John i. 7. the infinite digni-
ty of the perſon dying, making the execution of the curſe
6
<<
H 2

88 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
gar.'
1/4,
on him unto death to be infinite in value, fully compen-
ſating the infinite wrong, according to the eſtimate made
of it by law and juſtice.
And here it was ſettled and agreed, “ That the curſe
«
“ ſhould be executed on the whole man,” that being their
due: and therefore that he ſhould become poor, and not to
have where to lay his head : that he ſhould fuffer hunger,
for want of meat ; thirt for want of drink; that his
name and reputation ſhould be ſunk, loaded with vile re-
proaches and landers; his very friends going about to lay
hands on him as a madman: that he ſhould be accounted
a worm, and no man ; a reproach of men, and deſpiſed of the
people : his whole lot in the world afflicted, perſecuted, and
exceeding low: and that in end, being ſtripped of his
ments, he ſhould be hung up naked before the fun, between
two malefactors, as if the worſt of the three.
More particularly, here it was ftipulated and agreed to,
" That the curſe ſhould be executed on his bleſſed
" body ;" foraſmuch as their bodies were liable to it, as
being inftruments of fin and diſhonour to God; that it
fhould be hanged on a tree, that all the world might there.
in read the anger of God againſt the breaking of the firſt
covenant, by eating of the forbidden tree : and his being
made a curfe for us, fince it was written, Curfed is every one
that hangeth on a tree; that the curſe ſhould go over and
death paſs through every part of that blefled body; that
his head ſhould be diſgracefully wounded with a 'crown of
• thorne put upon it: his viſage marred more than any
man; his back given to the fmiters; his cheeks to them
that plucked off the hair ; his face not hid from ſhame
and ſpitting ; his tongue made to cleave to his jaws ; his
" hands and feet pierced ; nailed to a croſs; all his bones
• drawn out of joint; his heart like wax melted in the
* midſt of his bowels ; his blood ſhed; his ſtrength dried
up; and that in end it ſhould expire and die, be ſeparate
• from his ſoul, pierced with a ſpear, and laid in the duſt of
« death.'
2dly, « That it ſhould be executed on his holy foul, in
" a ſpecial manner;" foraſmuch as their fouls were the
principal actors in fin: that he ſhould undergo the wrath
of God in it, being all along his life a man of ſorrows

The conditionary Part of the Covenani. 89
and acquainted with grief ; and that towards the latter end,
there ſhould be an hour and power of darkneſs, wherein the
malice of men, the power and rage of devils ſhould be joint-
ly engaged againſt him, making their utmoſt efforts on
him; and then the full floods of Heaven's revenging wrath
ſhould come rolling in upon his ſoul; that they ſhould lo
overflow it, as to ftrike him with fore amazement, fill him
with trouble, load him with heavineſs, and overwhelm him
with exceeding ſorrow; that there ſhou:d be ſuch a pref-
ſure of divine wrath on his holy foul, as ſhould put
him
into an agony even to his ſweating great drops of blood :
and ſhould bring over it a total eclipſe of comfort, and as
it were melt it within him; that fo, while he was dying
a bodily death on the croſs, he might die alſo a ſpiritual
death, ſuch as a moft pure and holy ſoul was capable of.
Here was the death determined in the covenant, for the
fecond Adam our repreſentative : a death in virtue of the
curſe transferred on him, long lafting and exquiſite, for
the full ſatisfaction of revenging juſtice. (1.) It was long
lafting death. He was a dying, in the flyle of the co-
,
venant of works, not only upon the croſs, but all along
the time of his life ; the death that was the penalty of
that covenant, working in him from the womb, till it laid
him in the grave. Wherefore he behoved to be conceiv-
ed of a woman of a low eftate; and born in the ftable of an
inn, no room for him in the inn itſelf; laid in a manger,
no eradle to receive him; his infant-blood ſhed in circum-
cifion, as if he had been a finner: yea his infant life fought
by a cruel perſecutor, and his mother obliged to run her
country with him, and go to Egypt. Returning, he be-
hoved to live aa obſcure life, in an obſcure place, from
which nothing great nor good was expected, John i. 46.
aod, coming out of his obſcurity, to be ſet up as the ob-
ject of the world's ill will and ſpite, obloquy and mal-treat-
ment, till by the hands of the Jew and Gentile he was put
to death on the croſs. (2.) It was an exquiſte death.
No pity, no ſparing in it: but the curſe carried to the
higheſt pitch. No ſparing from an angry God, Rom.
vui.
32. No ſparing from wicked men let looſe on him,
puſhing him like bulls, roaring on him and devouring him
like lions, and renting him like dogs, when once their hour -
a
H 3

90 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
.
a
65
and power of darkneſs was come, Plam. xii. 12, 13, 16.
Not a good word ſpoken to him in the midſt of his tor-
ments, by thoſe that ftood by; but he cruelly mocked and
inſulted in them : much leſs a good deed done him. Not
a drink of water allowed him, but vinegar offered him in
his thirft, cauſed thro' the fire of divine wrath drinking
up his ſpirits and moiſture. Nay, the very face of the
heavens was lowring on him; the fun muſt not give him
its light, but wrapt up itſelf from him in darkneſs; becauſe
light is ſweet, and it is a pleaſant thing to behold the fun.
Laſily, In this article it was eſtabliſhed, " That he
" ſhould ſuffer all this voluntarily, ſubmiſſively, and refign-
edly, out of regard to the wronged honour of God."
Accordingly ſpeaking of his life, he faith, No man taketh
it from me, but I lay it down of myſelf, John X. 18. com-
pare Pfalm xl. 6, 7, 8. This the law demanded of them
whom he ſuffered for, condemning all murmuring and im.
patience, and binding them to obedience and ſuffering
conjunctly. But how could they have ſo borne the load of
revenging wrath, who cannot bear a ſharp fit of the gout
or gravel, without fome degree of impatience in the eye
of the holy law? Wherefore it was provided, That Chriſt,
as their repreſentative, ſhould bear their puniſhment volun-
tarily, and with perfect patience and reſignation : that he
Ihould go as a lamb to the ſlaughter, quietly reſigning his
human will to the divine will; and make his obedience in
his ſufferings, as conſpicuous as his ſufferings themſelves :
that, in midſt of the extremity of his torment, he ſhould
not entertain the leaſt unbecoming thought of God, but
acknowledge him holy in - them all, Pſalm xxii. 3. nor yet
the leaſt grudge againſt his murderers; in token of which
be prayed for them while he was on the croſs, ſaying,
Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they don'
Luke xxiii. 34.
Thus far of the conditionary articles.
a
INFERENCES from the conditionary Part of the
Covenant.
Thus, as we have ſhown, ſtood the important condition
of the covenant of grace; and from thence the following
inferences are fairly deducible.
Inf. 1. The redemption of the ſoul is precious : Is it

Inf. from the conditionary Part of the Cov.
91
a
not? Look to the price of the purchaſe, the ranfom of fouls,
as ſtated in the covenant : the holy birth, righteous life,
and ſatisfactory death of the Son of God; and ye
muft
conclude it to be a coſtly redemption. Turn hither your
eyes, (1.) Ye who value not your own ſouls. See here
the worth of thoſe fouls ye fell for a thing of nought, for
ſatisfying a corrupt paffion, a pang of luft of one fort or a-
nother. Coftly was the gathering of what ye thus throw
away. Ye let them go at a very low price ; but Chrift
could not have one of them at the hand of juſtice, but at
the price of his precious blood. Ye cannot forego the va-
nities of a preſent world for them, por ſpend a ſerious day
or hour about them : but he, after a life-time of ſorrows,
underwent a moſt bitter death for them. What think ye?
Was he inconſiderate and too liberal in his making ſuch a
bargain for the redemption of fouls? He was infinitely
juft, who propoſed the condition; and he was infinitely
wife, who went into it. He was a Father that exacted
this ranſom for fouls; and he was his own Son that paid
it. Be aſhamed and bluſh, to make fo low an eſtimate of
thoſe fouls, which Heavep ſet ſuch a high price on. (2.)
Ye who have cheap thoughts of the pardon of fin, and of
ſalvation, correct your miſtake here. You fearleſsly run
on in fin, thinking all may ſoon be ſet to rights again, with
a God forgive me, have mercy on my ſoul; fo as you may
leap out of Delilah's lap into Abraham's bofom. . O fear.
ful infatuation! Is the mean and low birth, the ſorrowful
life, and the bitter death of Jeſus the Son of God, not
ſufficient to give men a juft and honourable notion of the
pardon of fin? Look into the condition of the covenant
for pardon, written in the blood of the Lamb of God, and
learn the value a juft God puts upon his pardons and falva-
tion. See, O finner, that it is not words, but deeds; not
promiſes and reſolves to do better, but perfection of holi.
neſs and obedience; not drawing of fighs and ſhedding of
tears, but ſhedding of blood ; and not thy blood neither,
but blood of infinite value, that could procure the pardon
of fin, and ſalvation. And if thou have not upon thee by
faith all that righteouſneſs Chriſt fulfilled, to be preſented
unto God for a pardon, thou ſhalt never obtain it. Par-
ticularly, ye are apt to think light of the fin ye were born

92
The Parts of ike Covenant of Grace. Head
3.
in, and the corruption cleaving to your nature ; but know
that God does not think light of theſe. It behoved to be
an article of the covenant, that Chrift ſhould be bora holy,
and retain the holineſs of human nature in him to the end;
elſe the unholy birth and corrupt nature we derive from
Adam, would have taked us all down eternally under the
curſe. (3.) Ye that have mean thoughts of the holy law,
reétify your dangerous miſtake by the help of this glaſs.
Ye make no bonds of tranſgreſſing its commands; ye ne-
gleet and deſpiſe its curſe : as it is a law, ye ſhew not fo
much regard to it as to the laws of men : and as it is a
covenant, ye look upon it as out of date, being in no con.
cern how it may be ſatisfied for you. And ſhall the ho,
nour of the holy law lie in the duft, in your caſe? Rather
than it ſhould fo lie in the caſe of Sodom and Gomorrah,
God would have them laid in alhes with fire and brim-
ſtone. Yea, for vindicating the honour of the law, this
whole world ſliall be burnt to aſhes, and all the unholy caſt
out from the preſence of the Lord for ever. And in the
caſe of then that are faved, God would have the curſe of
the law executed upon his own Son, as their furety, and
the commands of it perfectly obeyed in all points by him
in their name. Sure if you are poffeffed of any ſhare here-
in, it will be great and honourable in your fight, as it is
in the fight of God.
Inf. 2. The law is no lofer, in that life and ſalvation are
beſtowed on believers in Chrift. It is ſo far from being
made void through faith, that it is eſtabliſhed thereby as
the apoſtle witneſſeth, Rom. iii. 31. God would never dil-
penfe his pardons at the expence of the honour of his law;
nor declare one righteous, without the righteouſneſs of the
law being fulfilled, either by him, or in him by another,
Rom. viii. 4. Wherefore life and ſalvation being deſigned
for the clea, the law's whole accounts of all it had to charge
on them for life, were taken in ; and an infallible method
was laid down for clearing them, the burden of the payment
being transferred on Chriſt their furety. By this exchange
of perſons the law had no loſs. Nay, it was more for the
honour of the law, that he was made under it, and fatisfi.
ed it, in virtue of the claim it had upon him by the ſecond
covenant, than if they, being mere creatures, had ſatisfied

Inf. from the conditionary Part of the Cov.
93
it in all points. But the truth is, they being finners, could
never by any means have fully ſatisfied it ; though it had
eternally purſued them and exacted of them, it would ne-
ver have had enough from them ; whereas now, by Chriſt's
taking their debt on him, it was paid to the utmoſt far-
thing
Inf. 3. Faith hath a broad and firm bottom to ſtand on
before the Lord. The believer bath a ſtrong plea for life
and ſalvation, which cannot miſcarry; namely, the condi.
tion of the covenant fulfilled by Jeſus Chrift, even all righ-
teouſneſs: Having therefore, brethren, boldneſs to enter into
the holieſt by the blood of Jeſus--- let us draw near with a
true heart in full aſurance of faith, Heb. x. 19,–22. The
broken boards of uncovenanted mercy, and men's own
works, which prefumption fixeth upon, cannot but fail,
fince the law admits no life for a finner on theſe grounds.
But foraſmuch as there is a gift of Chriſt and his righ-
teouſneſs proclaimed in the goſpel by the authority of hea.
ven, he who by faith receiveth that gift, and makes the
farne his only plea before the Lord, cannot miſs of falva-
tion; Rom. v. 17.. They which receive (Gr. the) abun.
* dance of grace, and of the gift of righteouſneſs, ſhall
reign in life by one, Jeſus Chrift;" where the abundance
mentioned, relates not to different degrees of the grace
or gift, but to the offence, as appears from ver. 20. As if
he had faid, “ Who receive the grace and gift of righte-
“ouſneſs which abound beyond Adam's offence, ſaving
" them out of the gulf of ruin it plunged them into.”
Faith uniting a linner to Chriſt the head of the ſecond co-
venant, makes him partaker of Chriſt's righteouſneſs, as
really as ever his covenant-relation to Adam made him
partaker of his guilt. So having all that Chriſt was, did
,
or ſuffered, for fulfilling the condition of the fecond cove.
nant, to plead for life and ſalvation, it is not poffible the
claim can miſcarry; juſtice as well as mercy befriending
the plea of faith, as a righteous thing with God, 2 Theſſ. i.
6, 7
Inf. 4. Laſtly, All who are in Chriſt the head of the co-
venant of grace, and ſo brought into it perſonally, are in-
herently righteous, or holy. For likeas though Adam a.
lone did perſonally break the firſt covenant by the all.

94 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3
ruining offence, yet they to whom his guilt is imputed do
thereupon become inherently finful, through the corrup-
tion of nature conveyed to them from him: ſo howbeit
Chrift alone did perform the condition of the ſecond cove-
nant yet thoſe to whom his righteouſneſs is imputed, do
thereupon become inherently righteous, through inherent
grace communicated to them from him by the Spirit. So
teacheth the apoſtle in the forecited paffage, Rom, v. 17.
· For if by one man's offence, death reigned by ene; much
. more they which receive the abundance of grace, and of
the gift of righteoufneſs, ſhall reign in life by one, Jeſus
Chriſt.' How did death reign by Adam's offence? Not
only in point of guilt, whereby his pofterity were bound
over to deftructiou; but also in point of their being dead
to all good, dead in treſpaſſes and fins; therefore the receiv-
ers of the gift of righteouſneſs mult thereby be brought
to reign in life, not only legally in juſtification, but alſo
morally in fan&tification begun here, and perfected here-
after.
Accordingly, anſwerable to the three parts of the con-
dition of the covenant of grace, undertaken and performed
by the ſecond Adam, to wit, holineſs of nature, righteouſ-
neſs of life, and ſatisfaction for fim; there are three characters
to be found in all capable fübjects, who, being perſonally
brought into the covenant, have the righteouſneſs of Chriſt
upon them, and imputed to them.
Char, 1. They are all born again, and ſo mare partakers
of a new and holy nature: 2 Cor. v. 17. Therefore (name-
ly, ſince he died for all, verſe 15.) if any man be in Chrill,
he is a new creature. Chrift's being born holy, ſecured a
holy new-birth to them in him: ſo they are all new crea-
tures, created in Chril Jefus unto good works, Eph. ii. 10.
new-made in Chrift, as ſure as they were marred in A-
dam. And how can it be otherwiſe? Can a man be in-
grafted in the true vine, and not partake of the ſap and
juice of the ſtock, that is, the Spirit and grace of Chrift?
No, ſure; If any man have not the Spirit of Chrijl, he is
none of his, Rom. viii, 9. Or, can the Spirit and grace of
Chrift be in any, and yet no change made on their nature,
but it ftill remain unrenewed? No, indeed: If Chriſt be in
you, the body is dead, becauſe of fin : but the ſpirit is life, be-

Inf. from the conditionary Part of the Cov. 95
,
cauſe of righteouſneſs, ver. 10. Conſider this ye who pre-
tend to rely on the righteouſneſs, of Chriſt, but are very
eaſy' in this point, whether ye are born again or not; whe.
ther there is a holy nature derived from Chriſt to you or
not. Believe it, Sirs, if it be not ſo, ye have no ſaving in-
tereft, part, nor lot in Chriſt's righteouſneſs. Ye may on
as good grounds pretend, that howbeit the guilt of Adam's
fin was imputed to you, yet there was no corrupt nature
derived from him to you; as pretend that Chriſt's righte-
oufneſs is imputed to you, while yet ye are not born again,
your nature is not changed, by the communication of lanc-
tifying grace from Chrift, unto you. Deceive not your-
felves; ye muſt be regenerate, elſe ye will periſh; for • ex-
cept a man be born again, he cannot ſee the kingom of
«God,' John iii. 3.
Char. 2. They are all righteous and holy in their lives:
Iſa. Ix. 12. Thy people alſo hall be all righteous. Chap.
lxii. 12. And they foall call them the holy people. How did
ungodlineſs, unrighteouſneſs, and profanity enter into the
world, the which are now overflowing all its banks ? Was
it not by one man, by Adam's fin, which is imputed to all
mankind ! Rom. v. 12. Then be ſure, if the fecond A.
dam's righteouſneſs be imputed to you, holineſs of life will
come along with it: i Cor, vi. 11. But ye are waſhed, but
ye are fanctified, but ye are juflified. Does fan&tification then
go before juftification ? No: but it hath a neceffary de
pendence on juſtification, and evidenceth it to the world,
and to one's own conſcience. Unjuſtified, unſan&tified ;
and unfan&tified, unjuſtified. Did our bleſſed Saviour come
into the world, and in our nature lead a holy righteous
life, that men might live as they lift? Nay, quite the con-
trary ; even that we being delivered out of the hands of
our enemies, might ſerve him without fear, in holineſs
• and righteouſneſs before him, all the days of our life,
Luke i. 74, 75. If then Chrif lived for you, aſſuredly ye
ſhall live for him. Conſider this, ye who are far from
righteouſneſs of life, living in the negle& of the duties ei.
ther of the firſt or ſecond table, or both. Your ungodly
and unrighteous life declares you to be in your fins, under
the curſe, and far from righteouſneſs imputed. There is
indeed a righteouſneſs of Chrift; but alas ! it is not upon

96
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
ing wrath.
you; ye are naked for all it, and ſtand expoſed to reveng-
Char. 3. The old man is crucified in them all : Gal. v.
24. · They that are Chriſt's have crucified the fleſh, with
• the affections and lufts.' Therefore I ſay to you in the
words of the apoſtle, Rom. viii. 13. · If ye live after the
(
• fleſh, ye ſhall die ; but if ye through the Spirit do morti.
;
fy the deeds of the body, ye ſhall live. When our Savi.
our hung on the croſs, he hung there as a repreſentative
of all that are his, with all their fins on him by imputation,
that the body of fin might be deſtroyed in his ſufferings for it,
Rom. vi. 6. He hung there as the efficient meritorious
cauſe of their mortification, that by his death he might
deſtroy the power of death in them : which appears not in
any thing more, than in living luſts preying on their fouls:
Hof. xiii. 14. I will redeem them from death: 0 death, I
will be thy plagues, See Tit. ij. 14. Rom. vi. 6, 7. Eph.
V. 25, 26. And he hung there as the exemplary cauſe of
their mortification; ſo that all who are his, and have fin-
ned after the * fimilitude of Adam's tranſgreſſion,' are like.
wiſe crucified and die to ſing after the fimilitude of his cru-
cifixion and death ; being • crucified with him, Gal. ii.
• 20. planted together (with him) in the likeneſs of his
• death, Rom. vi. 5. the fellowſhip of his ſufferings making
6 them conformable unto his death,' Philip. iii. 10. Will
ye then live after the fleſh, not wreſtling againſt, but ful-
filling the lufts thereof, living in fin, and to fin, inftead of
being mortified to it; and yet pretend that the fatisfaction
of Chriſt is imputed to you for righteouſneſs ? Truly you
may, on as good grounds, fay, that the blood of Chriſt
fhed for you, hath proven ineffectual; and that he hath ſo
;
far miffed of his aim and deſign in ſuffering for you; or
that he died for you, that you might live in your lin with-
out danger. Theſe would make a blaſphemous profeſſion.
Accordingly, your preſumptuous finful life and practice is
a courſe of practical blafphemy againſt the Son of God,
making him the miniſter of fin; and evidenceth your pre-
tenſions to the imputation of his fatisfaction to be altoge-
ther vain. Nay, of a truth, if ye have any faving intereſt
in the death of Chriſt, your old man is crucified with
a

Inf. from the conditionary Part of the Cov.
97
• him, Rom. vi. 6. and ye are dead with him, ver. 8. dead
with him to fin, to the world, and to the law.
(1.) If ye have a faving intereſt in Chriſt's death, ye
are dead with him to fin: Rom, vi. 10. In that he died,
« he died unto fio once. Ver. I1. Likewiſe reckon
ye
alſo
yourſelves to be dead unto fin.' While our Lord Jeſus
lived in the world, the fins of all the elect, as to the guilt
of them, hung about him, and made him a man of ſorrows
all along; when he was upon the crofs they wrought upon
him moft furiouſly, ſtinging bim to the very foul, till they
killed him, and got him laid in the grave. Then they
had done their utmoſt againſt bim, they could do no more.
So dying for fin, he died unto it, he was delivered from it:
and in his reſurrection he ſhook them all off, as Paul ſhook
the viper off his hand into the fire, and felt no harm;"
riſing out of the grave, even as he will appear the ſecond
time, without fin. Wherefore, if ye do indeed «know the
• fellowſhip of his fufferings, if you really have fellowſhip
with him in them, death will have made its way from Chrift,
the head, unto you as his members; his death unto fin can.
not miſs to work your death unto it alſo. If you are dead
indeed with Chriſt, as ingrafted into him, fin hath got its
death's wounds in you ; the bood that knit your hearts and
your lufts together, is loofed ; and ye ſhall be ſhaking off
the viperous brood of them into the fire, in the daily prácer
tice of mortification. But if ye are not dead, but ſtill live
ing unto fin, it is an infallible evidence ye are none of the
members of Chriſt : Rom. vi. 2. · How ſhall we that are
. dead to fin, live any longer therein? Ver. 3. Know ye
not, that ſo many of us as were baptized into Jeſus Chrift,
were baptized into his death?"
(2.) If ye have a faving intereft in Chriſt's death, ye
are dead with him to the world: Col. iii. 1. • If ye then
be riſen with Chriſt, ſeek thoſe things which are above.
* Ver. 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chriſt
« in God.' The world hated him, and uſed him very un. .
kindly while he was in it; and when he died, he parted
with it for good and all. John xvii
. 11. ' Now I am no
6 more in the world. I come to thee.' The quieteſt lodg.
ing that ever the world allowed him in it, was a grave: and
coming out from thence, he never flept another night in it.
I

98
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
He tarried indeed forty days in it after that: as many days
as the Iſraelites did years in the wilderneſs; the former an
exemplar, the latter a type of the Chriſtian life, from con-
verfion till the removal into the other world; nevertheleſs,
he was dead to the world ftill, he converſed now and then
with his own, but no more with the world. New, if ye
are his, ye are dead with him unto the world too, in virtue
of his death, being crucified unto it, Gal. vi. 14.. Union
with Chrilt by faith lays finners down in death, in Chriſt's
grave, and ſo ſeparates between them and the world for e
ver: and withal it raiſeth them up again with Chrift unto
a quite new manner of life: no more that manner of life
which they lived before their union with him, than that
which Chrit lived after his reſurrection, was the manner of -
life he lived before his death: Rom. vi. 4. · We are buried
« with him by baptiſm unto death; that like as Chriſt was
« raiſed up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
• ſo we alſo ſhould walk in newneſs of life.' If your title
to heaven is indeed ſettled, by your receiving the atone-
ment, now is your forty days before your aſeenſion into
it; now are ye no more of the world, although ye be in
it; your treaſure and heart are no more there. Ye are no
more indwellers in it as natives; but travelling through it
as ftrangers, ' coming up from the wilderneſs leaning on
• the beloved,' Cant. viii. 5.
(3.) Laſtly, If ye have a faving intereſt in Chriſt's
death, ye are dead with him to the law alſo : Gal. ii. 16.
. I through the law am dead to the law. Ver 20. I am
& crucified with Chrif.' Our Lord Jeſus toek on our na-
ture to ſatisfy the law therein : the whole courſe of his
life was a courſe of obedience to it, for life and falvation
to us; and he ſuffered to ſatisfy it in what of that kind it
had to demand, for that effect : in a word, he was born to
the law, he lived to the law, and be died to the law:
namely, for to clear accounts with it, to ſatisfy it ful.
ly, and get life and falvation for us with its good
leave. He was made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, Gal. iv. 4, 5. And when once it fell
upon him, it never left exacting of him, till it had
got
the
utmolt farthing, and he was quite free with it, as dead to
it, Rom. vii. 4. In token whereof he got up the bond,

Inf. from the conditionary Part of the Cov. 99
blotted it out, yea rent it in pieces, nailed it to his croſs,
Col. ii. 14. Now, Chriſt became dead to it, dying to it in
his death on the croſs ; ſo that the holineſs and righteouſ-
neſs of the man Chrift did thereafter no more run in the
channel in which it had run before, namely, from the
womb to his grave; that is to ſay, it was no more, and
fhall be no more for ever, obedience performed to the law
for life and falvation ; theſe having been completely gain-
ed and ſecured by the obedience he gave it from the womb
to the grave. Wherefore, my brethren, if ye are his, ye
•
alſo are become dead to the law by the body of Chrift,
which became dead to it on the croſs, Rom. vii.
4.
As
ye will not be Libertines in your life and practice, being
dead to fin and the world with Chrift; fo ye will not be
Legalifts in your life and practice neither, being alſo dead
with him to the law as a covenant of works. Your obe-
dience will run in another channel than it did before your
union with Chriſt, even in the channel of the goſpel. Ye
will ſerve in newneſs of fpirit, in faith and love. The
frowns of a merciful Father will be a terror to you to
fright you from fin ; love and gratitude will prompt you
to obedience. The grieving of the Spirit of a Saviour will
be a ſpring of forrow to you ; and his atoning blood and
perfect righteouſneſs will be the ſpring head of all your
comfort before the Lord ; your good works, but ſtreams
thereof, as they evidence your faving intereſt in theſe, are
accepted through them, and glorify God your Saviour.
Ye will not continue to ſerve in the oldneſs of the letter,
as before ; at that time the law was the fpring of all the
obedience ye performed; fear of the puniſhment of hell
for
your fins, and hope of the reward of heaven's happi-
neſs for your duties, being the weights that made you go,
though for all them you often ſtopped: your forrows
ſpringing from your ill works, under the influence of the
law allenarly; and your comforts from your good works,
under the fame influence; ye being alive to the law, and
dead to Chrift. Rom. vii. 6. But now we are delivered from
the law, that being dead wherein we were held ; that que
joould ſerve in newneſs of Spirit, and not in the oldneſs of the
letter. If by faith you wholly rely on Chriſt's righteouf.
nefs, the holineſs of his nature, the righteouſneſs of his
I 2

The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
I
life, and his fatisfaction for fin, how is it poſſible but ye
muſt be dead to the law? for 6 the law is not of falth,
Gal. iii. 12. But if you perform your obedience for life
and ſalvation, looking for acceptance with God on the ac.
count with your works, you go in a way directly oppoſite
to the way of faith, and either altogether rejeét Chriſt's
fatisfying of the law, or elſe impute imperfection unto his
payment of the bond. And Chriſt is become of no effect
* unto you, whoſoever of you are juſtified by the law; ye
* are fallen from grace,' Gal. v. 4.
Thus far of the firſt part of the covenant, namely, the
conditionary part.
The SECOND Part of the Covenant, namely, the
PROMISSORY Part.
N every covenant, whether it be a proper or improper
covenant, there is a promife. And in a proper cove-
nant, the promiſſory part anſwers to the conditionary part,
being an obligation which the party covenanter to whom
the condition is performed, comes under for ſome benefit
to be beſtowed in view of the performance of the condition.
This is the promiſe of a proper covenant, binding on him
who makes it, providing the party contracting with him
do his part. In every ſuch caſe, where the thing is lawful
and poſſible, it binds in point of truth and faithfulneſs, by
virtue of compact : in ſome caſes it binds alſo, in point of
remunerative juſtice: to wit, where the condition perform-
ed is properly equivalent to the benefit promiſed.
The covenant of grace, made between God and Chriſt as
the head and repreſentative of his ſpiritual ſeed, is a pro-
per covenant. And in it there is a promiſſory part, anſwer-
ing to the conditionary part already explained : and it
is God's part of the covenant, as the other' was the Medi.
ator's. Thereby God hath obliged himſelf, to make the
benefits therein condeſcended on forthcoming, upon the con-
fideration of the performning of the condition. And for.
aſmuch as the condition performed by Chriſt, was ſtrictly
meritorious of the benefits promiſed ; the promiſes are
binding and firm, not only in reſpect of the truth and faith-
fulneſs, but alſo of the juſtice of God.
Of what weight and importance the promiſfory part of:

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
IOI
the covenant is, will appear by the following confiderati-
ons.
1. The covenant hath its name from this part of it, be-
ing called the covenants of promiſe, Eph. ii. 12. Covenants,
becauſe, though fill in itſelf but one covenant, yet from its
firſt promulgation in paradiſe, it was often renewed, as to
Abraham, Jacob, the Ifraelites in the wilderneſs, and to
David : and as oft as it was renewed, it was renewed in a
promiſe. The firſt covenant had a promiſe of life, yet it
is not called a covenant of promiſe : on the contrary, the
law or that covenant, is oppoſed to the promiſe ; though
not in its uſe, yet in its nature, Gal. iii. i8. . If the inhe-
Sritance be of the law, it is no more of promife. For the
law's promiſe of life was fuſpended on the condition of
works, to be performed by men themſelves: whereas in the
ſecond covenant, life and falvation are promiſed to finners
freely, for Chrift's fake, without reſpect to any work of
theirs as the condition thereof.
2. The covenant is deſcribed to us, by the Holy Ghost,
as a cluſter of free promiſes of grace and glory to poor fin-
ners, in which no mention is made of any condition ;
Heb. viii. 10. This is the covenant--I will put my laws
in their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will
• be to them a God, and they ſhall be to me a people. Ver,
$11. And they ſhall not teach every man his neighbour,
' and every man his brother, faying, Know the Lord :
* for all ſhall know me, from the leaſt to the greateſt. Ver.
112. For I will he merciful to their unrighteouſnefs, and
* their fins and their iniquities will I remember no more.'
Theſe promiſes with their condition, having been propoſe
ed to, and accepted by Chriſt as fecond Adam, and the
condition performed by him; the covenant comes natively,
in the goſpel, to be ſet before us in him, to be by us received
and embraced in and through Chrift, by faith. Thus the
promiſes are the covenant by way of eminency; even God's
eavenant, wherein he hath bound himſelf to perform his
part, as the Mediator hath already performed his. And
in this fenſe, indeed, the covenant of grace is not condi.
tional, but confifts of abſolute promifes; that is, promiſes
become abſolute, through the condition thereof actually
performed already ; but being conſidered in its full latí.
I 3

102 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3
tude, and in reſpect of Chriſt, the covenant, and all the
promiſes thereof, are properly and ftrictly conditional.
3. The promiſes of the covenant are the purchaſe of the
blood of Chriſt : the fruit of his fulfilling all righteouſneſs,
in his birth, life, and death. As the curſe came by the
demerit of Adam's fin ; ſo the promiſes are owing to the
merit of Chriſt's righteouſneſs ; they are the new teſtament
in his blood, i Cor. xi. 25. From the promiſe of the
bread and water, (Ifa. xxxiii. 16.) to the promiſe of a
ſeat with him on his throne, (Rev. ill. 21.) they are all
the purchaſe of his meritorious obedience even to the
death. Juftly are they called exceeding precious promiſesy,
2 Pet. i. 4. as being the price of his blood. Of what un-
ſpeakable weight and importance muſt they be, that coft
ſuch a frice, between the Father and his own Son ?
4. The great deſign and end of the covenant is accom-
pliſhed in the performing of the promiffory part thereof;
and that is, the glory of God, and the ſalvation of finners.
The great glory to God, and grace to finners, ſpringing
ир
from the whole of the covenant; meet together here,
namely, in the accompliſhment of the promiſes, as all the
rivers ineet together in the ſea. The promiſes were the
great thing the parties-contractors had in view, when they
entered into the covenant : it was room for them the
Father fought by his propoſal of the covenant ; and that
was what the Son intended to purchaſe, by his fulfilling
the condition. The condition of the covenant is the
foundation of the promiſes :: the promiſes the glorious fu-
perſtructure reared upon that cofly foundation. The ad-
miniſtration of the covenant, is fubfervient to the accom-
pliſhment of the promiſes. The condition of the cover
nant was performed on earth, in the ſpace of about thirty-
three years ;, the promiſes have been a performing more
than five thouſand years on earth, and will be a performing
in heaven, through the ages of eternity.
5. The bappineſs and comfort of all the elect, for time
and eternity, depends upon the promiſes of the covenant.
What keeps unconverted ele&t perſons from dying in that
itate, and fo dropping down to hell, but the promiſe of
the covenant? What makes grace overtake them, when
they are fleeing from it, but the promiſe? What preſerves,

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
103
grace in them, like a ſpark of fire in an ocean, that it is
not extinguiſhed, but the promiſe? And what is their ſe-
curity and comfort in the face of death, but the ſame pro-
mife? 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.
6. The glory of the man Chrift, as Mediator, depends :
on the promiſe of the covenant. This was the fecurity,
in the faith of which he lived on earth, about the ſpace of
thirty-three years in a very low condition; and in end died .
an ignominious death; Pſalm. xxii. 4.. * Our fathers truſted
in thee: they truſted, and thou didd deliver them.' He
paid the price of the redemption of finners, while as yet
many of the redeemed were not born, nay, nor as yet
are; and ſeveral of them imbrued their hands in his
blood : but he reſted on the promiſe of the covenant. He
pleaded it when he was juſt entering into the ſwelling
waves of death, where he was, like Jonah, to be fwallow-
ed up, John xvii. 5. Now, O Father, glorify me with thy-
Jelf. And in the faith of the accompliſhment of the pro-
miſe, he completed his performance of the condition; for
the joy that was ſet before him in the promiſes, he endured the
croſs, deſpiſing the ſhame. Heb. xii. 2.
7. Laſtly, God hath ſworn the promiſes of the cove.
nant: I have made a covenant with my Chofen: I have work
unto David iny fervant. The apoſtle tells us that God will-
ing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promiſe the im-
mutability of his counſel confirmed it by an oath, Heb. vi. 17.
A tender man will not fwear a promiſe, but in a matter
of weight. Of what unſpeakable weight and importance
then muſt the promiſe of the covenant be, which the God
of truth hath confirmed with his cath?
Now, for clearing of this part of the covenant, we ſhall,
1. Conſider the promiſes in general ; and, 2. Take a more
particular view of them,
of the Promiſes in general.
S to the promiſes in general, two things are to be
inquired into ; 1. What are the general kinds of
them? And, 2. To whom they are made.
1. As to the general kinds of the promiſes; confidering
the parties on whom the promiſes of the covenant of grace
have their direct and immediate effect, they appear to be
of two general kinds.
A

104 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
1. Some of them have their direct and immediate effect
on Chriſt himſelf, the head of the covenant; ſuch as the
promiſe of aſliſtance in his work, and the promiſe of a name
above every name. So in the firſt covenant, there were pro--
miſes which were to have their direct and immediate effect
on Adam himſelf, and looked not, but mediately and in-
direály, to his poſterity, fuch of them, at Icaft, as ſhould
have lived after the complete fulfilling of the condition of
that covenant: namely, the promiſes of natural life conti.
nued in vigour and comfort, and of ſpiritual life continued
in favour and fellowſhip with God, during the courſe of
his probationary obedience.
2. Others of them have their direct and immediate ef.
feet on Chrift's fpiritual ſeed, comprehended with him in
the covenant ; ſuch as the promiſes of regeneration, of the
new heart, and cleanfing from the defilement of fin. So
in the firſt Adam's covenant, the promiſe of life contained
a promiſe of the holy conception and birth of his natural
feed : in reſpect of which the promiſe would have had its
direct and immediate effect, not on Adam himſelf, but on
his poſterity,
II. The next thing to be conſidered is, To whom they
were made ? And we may take up this point in two things.
Firſt, The promiſes of the firit fort, namely, thofe hav-
ing their direct and immediate effect on the perſon of Chriſt,
were made to Chriſt himfelf. Of this no doubt can be
moved. And they were made to him as the head of the
covenant, the ſecond Adam, the reprefentative of his feed.
This appears from our text, wherein he is called the Chofen,
the head elect, and repreſentative of the election, David,
God's ſervant : in which capacity the covenant was cut
off or made, to him, by the Father. It is evident, that all
the promiſes of affiftance in his work, and of his ſubſequent
reward, were made to him in view of his performance of
the condition : and therefore, fince he performed the con-
dition, as head of the covenant, ſecond Adam, and repre-
ſentative of his ſeed, theſe promiſes were made to him in
that capacity.
The promiſes of this kind then were made to Chrift on-
ly. And that was the peculiar honour put upon the head
of the covenant, in the promiſſory part ; as it was his pe-
culiar burden to fulfil the conditionary part. So he hath

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 105
the name which is above every name, and is anointed with
the oil of gladneſs above his fellows.' In the election,
whereof he is the head, he ſhines above the reſt, as the ſun
in his meridian brightneſs, above the twinkling ſtars. He
is the Benjamin at God's table with his brethren, whoſe
meſs of promiſes in the covenant is five times fo much as
any
of theirs ; the Jofeph who was ſeparate from his breth-
ren, in fulfilling the condition of the covenant, and had
a double portion in the promiſed land made over to him,
as the firſt born amongft many brethren.
Nevertheleſs, as the honour and proſperity of the head
redound to the members, their intereft, in reſpect of their
union and communion, being a joint intereſt ; ſo the glo-
ry and honour ſettled on Chriſt by promiſe, are a ſpring
of grace and glory to his members, an enriching treaſure,
their glory and crown, He is that head of gold which
puts a glory on the body: and the ointment poured upon
the head, cannot miſs to go down to the ſkirts of his gar:
ments. And hence is, (1.) The continual cry of prayer
by the whole company of the faithful, for the accompliſh-
ing of the promiſes made to the Mediator, Pfal. lxxii. 15.
• Prayer alſo ſhall be made for him continually. It is e-
vident that Pfalm concerns the Meſilas. But prayer made
continually for Chrift! how can that be? Why, till the
world end, that cry in prayer ſhall never ceaſe among the
faithful, Thy kingdom come, Matth. vi. 10. It began with
Adam's embracing the promiſe of faith, was carried on all
along the time of the Old Teſtament: and now it hath
been founding in the New Teſtament church more than
feventeen hundred years, and ſhall not ceaſe until the conſumn.
mation of all things. (2.) Hence alſo the joyful aeclama.
tions of praiſe, by the ſame company, for the accompliſhe
ment of promiſes to the Mediator. Whenſoever there ap-
pears any fuch accompliſhment made, it is matter of joy
to the church; and the more there appears of it, the joy
is the more increaſed. Thus the church hath a fong upon
the fulfilling of the promiſe of the gathering of the nations
unto him, Ifa. xii. 1. of his vi&tory over Antich:ift. Rev.
xix. I of the calling of the Jews, verſe 6. And when she
end being come, all the promiſes made to him ſhall be ac-
compliſhed, that will afford them an everlaſting ſông ef
praiſe.
;

106 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
Secondly, The promiſes of the other fort, namely, thoſe
having their direct and immediate effect on the elect, are
made to Chriſt primarily, and to them ſecondarily : firſt
to the head; then to the members, through him.
1. The promiſes having their immediate effect on the
Ciect, are made to Chriſt immediately, primarily, and
chiefly; God hath in the covenant promiſed grace and
glory, all that pertains to life and godlineſs, unto a ſelect
company of mankind: but the promiſe of all theſe was
firſt and chiefly made to Chriſt their head : fo that he
hath not only an intereft in theſe promiſes, but the chief
intereſt in them. This appears by ſeveral documents from.
the word of God.
ift, The apoſtle teſtifies, that the promiſes were made to
the feed, which is Chriſ, Gal. iii. 16. And the promiſes
he ſpeaks of, are the promiſes of the bleſſing of the
Spirit, ver. 14: of the inheritance, ver. 18. the promiſes
received through faith, ver. 14. Even theſe are made to
Chriſt the head of the body. This is confirmed by thoſe
paffages which ſhew God's covenant to be made with
Chriſt, and in the mean time explain it by a promiſe of
the happineſs of his feed, Pfalm lxxxix. 3, with 4. verſe
28 and 29. verſe 35 and 36. And what is more natural,
than to make a promiſe to a father in favour of his chil.
dren?:
2dly, Our Lord Jeſus is conſtitute the heir of all things,
(Heb. i. 2.) in virtue of the promiſe of the covenant, I
will make him my firſt born, Pfal. lxxxix. 27. Now, if
Chrift, as the ſecond Adam, be heir of all things, by his
Father's promiſe, the promiſes of all things are made to :
him: and conſequently, the promiſe of eternal life, com.
prehending all happineſs to his people, is made to him in
the firſt place. So Chriſt is the firſt and chief heir ; and
they are ſecondary heirs in and through him. Hence, in
view of the great promiſe of the covenant, I will be their
God, our Saviour hath that endearing expreffion, I aſcend
unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your
God, John xx. 17. Compare Rom. viii. 17. And if chil.
dren, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift.
zriy; As in the covenant of works, God promiſed life
to Adam's natural feed, upon condition of his perfect o-

The pomiſſory Part of the Covenant. TOY
bedience; which is evident from death's coming on them
by his diſobedience ; fe in the covenant of grace, he hath
promiſed life to Chriſt's ſpiritual feed, upon condition of
his obedience; for (as in Adam all die, even ſo in Chriſt
• ſhall all be made alive,' 1 Cor. xv. 22. But that promiſe
1
of life for Adam’s natural feed, was primarily made to A-
dam himſelf, while as yet none of them were in being ; and
they were to partake of it only through him, to whom it
was made as their repreſentative. Therefore the promiſe
of life to Chriſt's fpiritual feed, was made chiefly to Chriſt
himſelf; and to them only in and through him. Accord-
ingly we are told, that the promiſe of eternal life, upon
which the hope of believers is built, was made before the
world began, Tit. i. 2. And to whom could it be then
made immediately and primarily, but to Chriſt the head of
the covenant ?
Laſtly, Theſe promiſes contain a part of the reward madeo-
ver in the covenantto Jeſus Chriſt, who, forthe joy that was
« ſet before him, endured the croſs,' Heb. xii. 2. A great
part of which joy lay here : He ſhall fee his feed--the
i travail of his foul,' Ifa. liii. 10, 11. All of theſe promif-
.
.
es were the price of his blood to him, the purchaſe of his
obedience and death: therefore called the new teſtament
io his blood. To whom could the reward be chiefly pro-
miſed, but to him who performing the condition, wrought
the work? Unto him therefore it was of debt, namely, in
virtue of the promiſe, which made it due to him upon
his
performing of the condition. The bleſſings of the cove-
Dant which came on the elect, are certainly to be confider-
ed as a reward to Chrift, as well as a free gift to them.
And confidering them in the firſt of theſe vivws, there is
no more abſurdity in the promiſe of the new heart's be-
ing made to Chrift, than in a phyſician's making a pro-
mife to a father to cure his lame child, when he hath given
him ſecurity for his fees; in which cafe, the child cannot
look on the promiſes made to himſelf at all, but feconda-
rily through his father, who was the party.contractor.
This is a point of confiderable weight, and ſerves both
to inform our mind, and direct our practice : for the fol.
lowing inferences from it are native.
(1.) The promiſes of the covenantare not made to the be-

J08 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head g.
liever's good works; but to Chriſt's works, and to the
working believer in him. Unto the believer they are ab-
folutely free, and not of debt ; and therefore are not made to
his work; for «to him that worketh, is the reward not
reckoned of grace but of debt,' Rom. iv. 4. There is
indeed a comely order of the promiſes, whereby the pro-
miſes of purity of heart to the elect goes before the pro.
mife of their feeing God in heaven; the promise of humi-
liation, before that of lifting up; thereupon it is declared
in the adminiſtration of the covenant, that the pure in
• heart ſhall ſee God; that they who humble themſelves
• ſhall be lifted up; and this godlineſs hath promiſe of the
> life that now is, and of that which is to come,' 1 Tim.
iv. 8. Bet the foundation of all theſe promiſes, whether of
things that are our duty, or our privilege, what they all
depend upon as their proper condition, is the obedience of
Chritt allenarly; they being all made to him in the firſt place,
the latter as well as the former.
(2.) The firſt grace whereby the dead elect are quick.
ened, and made to believe and unite with Chriſt, is convey-
ed to them in the channel of a promiſe, as well as the grace
following faith: Ezek. xxxvi. 27. • I will put my ſpirit
within you.' For although in their natural eſtate they
are not capable of a believing pleading of the promiſe;
nor have they, at that time, a perſonal faving intereſt in the
promiſes: yet the Lord Jeſus knoweth them that are his,
and for whom the promiſes were made to him; and having
the adminiſtration of the covenant in his own hand, he
eannot fail of ſeeing to the accompliſhing of them, in the
appointed time. Howbeit they, being dead in treſpaſſes
and fins cannot conſult their own intereſt; yet he having
the chief intereſt in the promiſes will not neglect his own
cauſe, but will ſee them exactly accompliſhed.
(3.) The way to be perſonally and ſavingly intereſted
in the promiſes, for time and eternity, is to unite with
Chrift by faith: • for all the promiſes of God in him are
yea, and in him Amen, 2 Cor. i. 20. Would ye fain
know how the great and precious promiſes may become
yours? Why, they are all his; they are all made to him.
Take him and they are yours: even as he who marries the
heireſs, hath a right to her portion and all the bills and
bonde wherein any of it is contained.

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. TOO
.
(4.) When through deadneſs and darkneſs of ſpirit,
whether ariſing from fome conſcience-waiting guilt, or 0-
therwiſe, your faith of the promite is failed; and you can-
not again faſten your grip upon it, becauſe you can ſee
no good in you: embrace Chriſt again, and the promiſe
in him, notwithſtanding of your feen and felt finfulneſs, and
utter unworthineſs; and by no means fland off from the
promiſe until you be in better caſe: but ſay with the
Pfalmift, Iniquities prevail againſt me ; as for our tranſgref-
fions, thou ſhalt purge them away, Pſal. Ixv. 3. For as the
goodneſs in you was not the ground of the promiſe; fo the
evil in you doth not overturn it, and make it of none ef.
fect. The foundation of the promiſe ftands fure in Chrift,
whatever alterations the frame and caſe of a believer's ſpirit
đo undergo. It is eſtabliſhed as the moon, (Pſalm lxxxix.
37.) which is ſtill the fame in itſelf
, notwithſtanding of the
variety of its appearance to our fight, one' while waxing,
at another time weaning.
(5.) The true way to plead the promiſes, is to come to
God in the name of Chriſt, and plead the fulfilling of them
to us for his fake : John xvi. 23. •Whatſoever ye ſhall
aſk the Father in my name, he will give it you.' Matth.
xxi. 22. • Believing, ye fhall receive.' Dan. ix. 17.0
s our God--cauſe thy face to ſhine upon thy fanétuary that
is defolate, for the Lord's fake. To aſk in Chrift's name
believing, is to preſent one's felf before the Lord, as a
member of Chrift, joined and cleaving unto him offered
unto us in the goſpel; and for the fake of the Head, to
implore the free favour of the promiſe, relying on his me-
rits for obtaining it. This is the import of that paſſage,
Gen. xii. 3. as it relates to Chriſt, In thee ſhall all fa- .
milies of the earth (to wit, that ſhall be bleſſed) be bleſ-
• fed ;' or rather, as the original word properly fignifies,
be made to kneel, namely, to receive the bleffing; all that
are bleſſed, being bleſſed in Chrift, Eph. i. 3. Compare
Philip. ii. 10. This is the method in which God dif.
penſeth the favours of his promife; 2 Sam. vii. 21. "For
*thy word's fake, and according to thine own heart, haft
• thou done all theſe great things.' Compare 1 Chron.
i
xvii. 19. • For thy ſervant's ſake, and according to thine
own beart, halt thou done all this greatneſs ;' i.Ge for
K

IIO
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
the fake of the Word, thy ſervant, the Meffias : for, as
both theſe paſſages are a narration of the very ſame thing,
there is no mander of difference at all between them in the
original, ſave that where the one hath thy word, the other
hath thy ſervant.
(6.) Believers may hereby ſtrengthen their faith of the
accompliſhment of the promiſes to them. Whatever eale
work ſome have, in maintaining their preſumptuous hopes
of the mercy of God to eternal life : while, not ſeeing thy
heinous nature of their fin, they build their hopes on ſome-
thing in themſelves, rather than upon the free promiſe of
the covenant in Chriſt Jeſus ; yet unto the ſerious godly,
no ſmall difficulty of believing doth ariſe, from the joint
view of the greatneſs and preciouſneſs of the promiſes, and
the greatneſs of their fins, and of their unworthineſs.
Hence they are ready to ſay, Can ever ſuch promiſes be
inade out to ſuch a one as I am ? And truly there is no-
thing in them that can furniſh an anſwer to this grave caſe.
But liere is a ſatisfying anſwer to it: The promiſes are
all of them made to Chriſt chiefly, even to him who pur-
chaſed them with his blood ; and juſtice requires that they
be performed to him, and being performed to him, they
muſt needs have their effect on all his members, for whom,
becauſe in themſelves unworthy, he merited them. So
the ſoul may fay, However unworthy I am, yet he is
{ worthy for whom God ſhould do this.'
2. The promiſes having their immediate effe&t on the e.
lect are made to themſelves ſecondarily, in and through
Chriſt. As he hath the fundamental and chief in-
tereſt in them, ſo they have a derived intereſt in
them through him. There was from eternity a legal u-
nion between Chriſt and them in the covenant; whereby
their debts became his, and the promiſes made to him be.
came theirs. As, upon one hand, the Lord laid on him
• the iniquity of us all,' .Ifa. liii. 6. fo on the other hand
grace was given in Chriſt Jeſus, before the world began,'
2 Tim. i. 9. In time there is a real myſtical union made
between him and them, upon his taking poffeffion of them
by his Spirit, and dwelling in them by faith. The former
conſtituted a right for them unto the promiſes, in Chrift
the head ; the latter vefls them with a right thereto, in

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
111
their own perſons, through him, as being a&ual members
of his body. In reſpect of the one, eternal life is ſaid to
be promiſed, and grace ſaid to be given before the world
began, Tit. i. 2. 2 Tim. i. 9. in refpe&t of the other, be-
lievers are called the heirs of the promiſe Heb. iv. 17. par-
takers of his promiſe in Chrift, Eph. iii. 6. and the promiſe
is given to them that believe, Gal. ii. 22.
Thus it appears that theſe promiſes are made to Chriſt's
fpiritual feed, as well as to himſelf; though primarily to
him as the repreſeutative, on whom the fulfilling the con-
dition was laid, and but ſecondarily to them as the repre-
ſented, who were to receive the benefit. And hence aril-
eth another difference, namely, that properly and frictly
Speaking, the promiſes were conditional to Chrilt, but they
are abſolute and free to us; even as the promiſe of life in
the firſt covenant, which was conditional to Adam would
have been abſolute to his natural ſeed, the condition once
being fulfilled. Thus Chriſt's merit, and the free grace of
God, meet together in the covenant : juffice is fully fatis-
fied, and grace runs freely in that channel; the promiſes
being all purchaſed at the full rate, but no part of the price
advanced by us. Hence we obtain precious faith, with all
other ſaving benefits, through the righteoufneſs of God and
our Saviour Jeſus Chrift; (or ráther, the righteoufneſs of
our God and Saviour Jeſus Chrift,) as the proper condi-
tion of them all, 2 Pet. i. 1. And in the mean time, God
blotted out our tranfgreffons for his own fake, Ifa. xliii. 25.
All things that pertain unto life and godlineſs, are given (or
gifted) unto us, 2 Pet. i. 3.
of the Promiſes peculiar to Chrifi.
AVING ſpoken of the promiſes in general, 'we
come now to take a more particular view of them:
and, firſt, of the promiſes peculiar to Chrift himſelf. Theſe
are many, but may be all reduced to three heads: te wit,
the promiſe of aſiſtance, of acceptance, and of reward of his
work.
Firſt, Our Lord Jeſus had a promiſe of aliſtance in his
work: Pſal. Ixxxix. 21. Mine arm ſwall ſtrengthen him.
Having undertaken the work of our redempcion, he had
his father's promiſe, that when it came to the ſetting to,
HA
I 2

112
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
a
a
he would ſtrengthen and uphold him in going through
with it: Ifa. xlii. 1,-4. And, in the faith of this covenant.
ed affittance, he went through the hardeft pieces thereof :
chap. 1 6. I gave my back to the fmiters, and my cheeks to
them that plucked off the hair : I hid not my face from flame
and ſpirting. Verſe 7. For the Lord God will help me.
,
Accordingly, in his heavineſs in the garden, there appeared
an igel unto him from heaven, ſtrengthening him, Luke xxii.
43. And this promiled affittance was the token of his
Father's good pleaſure in, and liking of the work while
it was a-doing
Secondly, He had a promiſe of the acceptance of his
work, when once done; of the acceptance thereof as a full
diſcharge and performance of the condition of the cove.
nant, entitling hiin to the promiſed reward. Hence, in
view of the ſure performance of his work, the acceptance
thereof, was, at his baptiſm, proclaimed by a voice from
heaven, ſaying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleaſed, Matth. iii. 17. And it was renewed at his tranſ-
,
figuration, a little before his paſſion, chap. xvii. 5. Un-
to this promiſe of acceptance belongs the promiſe of his
reſurrection, and of his juftification.
1. The promiſe of his reſurrection from the dead: Pfal.
xvi. 10. Thou ſhalt not leave my ſoul in hell; neither wilt
thou ſuffer thine holy. One to fee corruption ; which is expound-
ed of the reſurrection of Chriſt, Acts ii. 13. God, by
raiſing Chriſt from the dead, did, in effect, declare his ac-
ceptance of the work by him performed. It evidenceth
the debt to be fully cleared, that he who laid him up in
the priſon of the grave did bring him ont of it again ;
ſending his angels to roll arvay the ſtone from the door of it
and fo to diſmiſs him legally. For thus it was agreed in
the covenant, that as Chriſt ſhould give himſelf to the
death for the fatisfaction of juſtice; fo the Father ſhould
bring him again from the dead in reſpect of that ſatisfac-
tion made by his blood, Heb. xiii. 20.
2. The promiſe of his juſtification : Ifa. 1. 8. He is near
that juſtifieth me. The accompliſhment of which is obſerv.
ed by the apoſtle, 1 Tim. iii. 16. God manifeſted in the
fleſh, juſtified in the Spirit. Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt having
no perſonal fins to be pardoned, needed no perſonal juftifia

The promifory Part of the Covenani. 113
a
cation ; but as he was the ſurety of the elect, and had the
iniquities of them all laid on him, it was provided in the
covenant as jult, that the work he had undertaken being
performed, he ſhould have an official juſtification. Having
paid the debt, he had by promiſe a full and ample diſ-
charge thereof, under the hand and feal of Heaven. And
here lies the great ſecurity of the people againſt the law's
demand of ſatisfaction from them.
Laſtly, He had a promiſe of a glorious reward to be
conferred on him, as the proper merit of his work done.
There was a joy ſet before him in the promiſe, for which he
endured the croſs, deſpiſing the ſhame, Heb. xii. 2. Never
was there ſuch a work wrought; and never was there ſuch
a reward promiſed. Unto it there belongs a fivefold pro-
miſe:
1. The promiſe of a new kind of intereſt in God, as
his God and Father, Pfal. lxxxix. 26. He ſhall cry unto
me, Thou art my Father, and my God. Our Lord Jeſus
had God to his father, by eternal birth-right; but there
was a new relation conſtituted between God and Christ, az
the ſecond Adam, head of the covenant, founded on his
undertaking and fulfilling the covenant condition, whereby
he became heir of God as his heritage, according to that
of the apofle, Rom, viii. 17. Heirs of God, and joint leirs
with Chrifl: namely, with Christ as the primary heir; for,
by his obedience unto death, he purchaſed the enjoyment
of God, as a God and Father. I do not ſay, he purchaſ-
ed it for himſelf; the man Chriſt needed not to do that,
foraſmuch as he had it, in virtue of the perſonal union of
the two natures; but he purchaſed it for finners, who had
loſt all ſaving intereſt in God, but could not be happy
without it,
2. The promiſe of a glorious exaltation, to be the Fa-
ther's honorary ſervant, prime miniſter of heaven, as great
adminiſtrator of the covenant : Ifa. lii. 13.
* ſervant ſhall deal prudently, he ſhall be exalted and extol.
led, and be very high; chap. xlix. 8. I wil, give thee
' for a covenant of the people.' In fulfilling the condition
of the covenant, he took upon him the form of a bond.
ſervant, and humbled himſelf even unto the death of the
croſs ;' wherefore God allo, according to the promiſe of
Behold my
K 3

114 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 30-
9, 10.
a
Gen.
the covenant, hath highly exalted him to the prime miniſtry
of heaven, and given bim a name as great adminiftrator of
the covenant, which is above every name, that at the
s.name of Jeſus every knee ſhould bow,' Philip. ii. 7, 8,
The nature, vaft extent, and importance of this
promiſe, will afterwards be unfolded when we come to treat
of the adminifiration of the covenant, in virtue thereof, put
in the Mediator's hand.
3 3. The promiſe of a ſeed and offspring numerous as the
Itars of heaven: Ifa. liii. 10. He ſhall ſee his ſeed.
xv. 5. So shall thy feed be ; namely, as the ſtars of the ſky
in multitude, Heb. xi. 12. even the whole multitude of the
elect, all of them to live by his death and to bear his image
as a child doth that of his father. He conſented to ſuffer .
the pangs of death : but they were travailing pains, to iſ-
fue in a numerous birth. He was as a corn of wheat to
• fall into the ground, and die ;' but the promiſe ſecured
to him, on that condition, his bringing forth much fruit,
John xii. 24. It is in purſuance of the accompliſhment
of this promiſe the goſpel continues to be preached from
age to age; foraſmuch as, in virtue thereof, ' as many as
are ordained to eternal life ſhall believe.'
The promiſe of his inheriting all things, as primary
heir : Plalm lxxxix. 27. I will make him my firſt born.
So the apofle ſays, God hath appointed him heir of all things,
And Chrift himſelf declares his being put in
poſſeſſion accordingly, Matth. xi. 27. All things are deli-
vered unto me of my Father. Thus he hath, by promiſe,
ſuitable treaſures for the ſupporting of the dignity confer-
red on him. But of this alſo more afterwards.
5. Laſtly, The promiſe of viflory and dominion over all
his and his people's enemies : Pſalm Ixxxix. 23. I will
beat down his foes before his face. He was to encounter
with Satan, fin, and death, in the quarrel of the defigned
heirs of glory; and no ſooner was he engaged againſt them,
but the wicked world of men began a war with him too ;
but he had his Father's promiſe, for victory and dominion
over them all; that, howbeit he ſhould get the firſt fall,
and die in the battle, yet his death ſhould be the deſtruc-
tion of Satan's dominion, fin's power, and death's bands
over his people ; and that whoſover ſhould go about to
Heb. i. 27

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 715
fupport that tottering intereft, ſhould fall under him:
Pſalm cx. 1. • The Lord ſaid unto my Lord, Sit thou at
my right-hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot.
6. ftool.'
And thus far of the threefold promiſe peculiar to Chriſt
himſelf in the covenant..
TH
Of the Promiſe of eternal Life to the Ele&, confidered
in three Periods.
HE promiles common to the elect made in and thro
Chrift uoto them in the covenant, are alſo many.
A particular enumeration of them I intend not, though
every one of them is more precious than the gold of Ophir;
but it would be profitable for ferious Chriftians, as they
read through the Old and New Teſtament, to mark them
in their Bibles, for their ſpiritual treaſure, ſtored with ſuch
variety, as affords what is ſuitable for every caſe they can
be in. They are all comprehended in, and may be reduced
unto this one, to wit, the promiſe of eternal life: for which
the two following texts may be viewed.
Titus i. 2. In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot
lie, promiſed before the world began.
1 John ii. 25. And this is the promiſe that he hath promis
ſed us, ever eternal life.
In which words, three things for our purpoſe offer them-
felves to be obſerved. 1. The great and comprehenſive
promiſe of the covenant of grace, the ſum of all the pro-
miſes therein, to finners; namely, the promiſe of life eternal;
that is the order of the words in the original. The cove-
nant is a covenant of life, deſigned for reſtoring dead fin-
ners to life : and ſo the promiſe of it is a promiſe of life :
and that life is eternal. 2. The date of this promiſe, ba-
fore the world began. While as yet time was not, and the
foundation of the world was not laid, it was made, and e-
ternal life thereby ſecured to the elect: 3. The parties
concerned in it. The maker of the promiſe was God that
cannot lie : whole promiſe therefore muſt needs take effect.
And by ſpecial appropriation, it was the Father; it was
he that made it : verfe 24.. Ye alſo ſhall continue in the
Son, and in the Father. Verſe 25. And this is the pra-
.

116
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
« miſe that he hath promiſed us,' &c. The party it was
made to, is (i.) and chieffly, Jeſus Chriſt, the ſecond A.
dam, head of the covenant: for there is no neceſſity to re.
cede from the proper ſignification of the word here uſed,
which is promiſing, to a catachreftialone, to wit, purpoſing;
ſince the promiſes were made to Chrift, Gal. ii. 16. And
he really was before the world began; and conſequently then
capable of having a promiſe made to him. (2.) The elect
in him. He hath promiſed us, namely, us legally in him be-
fore the world began ; that is, the elect who apply and plead
the promiſe then, when they believe.
And hence ariſeth this truth, viz. “ The great and com-
“ prehenſive promiſe to Chrift's ſpiritual ſeed, in the cove-
“ nant, is the promiſe of life eternal, made from eternity
to Chrift, and to them in him.”
For opening of this promiſe of the covenant, we ſhall
view it (1.) More generally. (2.) More particularly.
I. In the general, it ſpeaks two things, to wit, all
true happineſs, and the everlaſtingneſs of that happineſs.
l'irfi, It comprehends, as the matter thereof, all true
happineſs. For life is uſed for happineſs in the holy lan-
guage, 1 Sam. xxv. 6. So John iv. 50. And it is fo uſed
in the ſtyle of both covenants: Rom. x. 5. The man that
doth theſe things, Jhall live (i. e. be happy) by them. Hab.
ii. 4. The juſt ſhall live (i. e. be happy) by his faith. The
damned have a life in hell that will laſt for ever; but
in the ſtyle of the Holy Ghoſt, they never ſee life, they
are deprived of eternal life; becauſe their life is not a happy
life but a miſerable one. It is evident from the writings
of the prophets and apoſtles, that the death threatened in
the covenant of works, comprehended all miſery in this
world, and in the world to come; and, conſequently, that
the life therein promiſed, comprehended all happineſs in
time and eternity. Forafmuch then as the life promiſed
in the covenant of grace, was deſigned for the retrieving the
loſs finnera luftained by the fall; it muſt needs in its com-
prehenfion, go as wide as the death which thereby they bet
came liable unto, From all which we conclude, that God,
in promifing life to the elect in Chrift, hath promiſed them
all happineſs; which accordingly goes under the name of

The promiſory Part of the Covenant. 117
life fimply in the ſcripture, 1 John v. 12. He that haih
the Son hath life. And thus the covenant-life extends to
all welfare of the whole man, and to all the means by which
it is compaffed.
2. The covenant-life extends to all welfare of the whole
man, ſoul and body; the latter as well as the former. And
therefore from the covenant our Lord proves the reſurrec-
tion of the body, againſt the Sadducees, Matth. xxii. 31,
32. Though the ſoul is the principal part, it is not the
only part, therein provided for. In virtue of the covenant,
the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body;'
as well as the foul is for him, and he for it, 1 Cor. vi. 13.
As the body had its ſhare in the death threatened in the firſt
covenant, ſo it hath, and ſhall have its ſhare in the life pro-
miſed in the ſecond. Since the price of the Redeemer's
blood was paid for the bodies of his people, in his fulfilling
the condition of the covenant : the life ſecured in the
promiſe, muſt extend to them, as well as to their ſouls.
2. It extends to all the means by which that welfare is
to be compaſſed, begun, advanced, and perfected, "Whe-
*ther Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or
death, or things preſent, or things to come; all are yours,
1 Cor. iii. 220 For the ſecuring of the benefit itfelf by
promiſe, ſecures all the means by which it is to be brought
about. Hence the covenant deſcends even to the bread
and the water, neceffary for the ſupport of natural life, Ifa.
xxxiii. 16.
Secondly, The promiſe comprehends the everlaſtingneſs
of that happineſs. It is not only life, that is promiſed, but
life eternal, life for evermore, Pſalm cxxxiii. 3. which from
the moment it is given, ſhall never be extinguiſhed, through
the ages of time and eternity. In the tyle of the ſcriptures
eternal life is not reſtricted to the ſtate of glory in heaven.
But the life communicated to a finner, in the firſt moment
of his union with Chriſt, is eternal: it is the eternal life
promiſed in the covenant, according to the ſcripture, John
iii
. 36. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlaſting life.
See chap v. 24. 1 John v. 11, 12.
Hence from the pro-
miſe of the covenant, The juſt ſhall live by faith, the apoſtle
proves the perſeverance of the faints, Heb. xi. 38. A plain.
evidence, that perſeverance in grace, in this our ſtate of ima

118 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
perfection, is a part of the eternal life promiſed in the cove.
nant, as well as heaven's happineſs. And thus the covenant.
life extends to that which now is and that which is to
come, 1 Tim. iv, 8.
1. It extends to the life that now is in the world. And
this is that eternal life begun in the ſeveral parts thereof, ,
with reſpect to both ſoul and body. If men meaſure hap.
pineſs by the ſmiles and frowns of common providence, no
man indeed can be counted happy before death. But the
facred oracles teach us to take our meaſures of it another
way, to wit, by a perſonal ſaving intereſt in the covenant;
and do pronounce them happy whoſe God is the Lord, what-
ever be between them and the grave, Pſal. cxliv. 5. So
there is promiſed in the covenant, happioeſs begun in this
life, both as to ſoul and body; the happineſs of the way to
the kingdom; ſalvation happily begun, and infallibly to be
carried op.
2. It extends to the life that is to come in the other world.
And that is the ſame eternal life conſummated and perfec-
ted, in reſpect both of foul and body, in heaven. There
the promiſe of the covenant is to receive its full accompliſh.
mert; of which believers now have the earneſt, which is
not only a part of the things promiſed, but an aſſurance of
the whole.
II. For a more particular view of the promiſe of eternal
life to the elect, it may be conſidered in three periods:
(1.) Before their union with Chrift; (2.) From their uni-
on with Chrift, until death; and (3.) From death, through
eternity. Of the operation of the promiſes, in the firft
and the laſt of theſe periods, we know but little; and in.
deed not much of it, in the middle period. For it is like
a river iſſuing from a hidden ſpring and running far under
ground; then riſing above ground, and running on, till it
go
forth into the ocean. The hidden ſpring from whence
the promiſe of eternal life to the elect iffueth forth, is God's
free grace, which was given to us in Chrif Jeſus before the
world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. It runs under ground, undir-
cernible even to the parties themſelves, till the moment of
their union with Chriſt in effectual calling; then rifing,
it runs on, as it were, above ground, in viſible itreams un-
til death; and thereafter it runs full and perſpicuous thro'
a

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 119
of eternity. We ſhall take a view of the great
lines of the promiſe, in theſe its ſeveral periods.
the ages
PERIO D I.
Before Union with Chriſt.
F we conſider the promiſe of eternal life to the elect, as
ſtanding in the covenant, and as accompliſhed to them,
and having its effect on them, before their union with Chrift,
we may perceive two great lines in it; namely, a promiſe of
their preſervation, and a promiſe of the Spirit. Of which in
order,
IF
1. The promiſe of preſervation.
The promiſe of eternal life to the elect, in the covenant,
comprehends a promiſe of their preſervation, till the happy
moment of their ſpiritual marriage with Jeſus Chrift, where.
in they ſhall be ſettled in a ſtate of grace : Ezek. xvi. 6.
And when I paſſed by thee, and ſaw thee polluted in
'thine own blood, I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy
blood, Live. Heb. I ſaid to thee, Live in thy blood ;
as the ſeveral approven verſions do read it. In this illuſ-
trious paſſage of ſcripture is ſliewed, under the ſimilitude
of an expoſed or out-caft infant, the natural ftate and
wretched condition in which God found Ifrael, and finds
all the elect; the former being a type of the latter. There
is a twofold paffing by this wretched out-caft, and theſe are
two very diftant times, intimated by the Holy Ghoſt. The
firft on the day ſhe was born and caſt out, veř. 4, 5,6. The
ſecond, after ſhe was grown, and become marriageable; at
what time ſhe was actually married, verſe 7, 8. The for-
mer refers to the time of the ele&t's coming into the world,
in their natural ſtate, not only as born into it, but as begin-
ning to act in it as rational creatures; the latter, to the time
prefixed in the eternal purpoſe, when by mcans of the law
in the hands of the ſpirit of bondage, their breaſts, as it
were, are faſhioned, in the work ofconviction ; upon which
enſues their ſpiritual marriage with Chrift. But how is
the out-calt preſerved in the interval, that ſhe periſheth not
in her wretched condition? Why; though no hand was
laid upon her, yea, as a word was ſpoken which ſecured her

120
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
life in a cale naturally deadly. At the firſt pafling by her,
a
in the day ſhe was born and caſt out, God ſaid to her, Live
in thy blood: that is, “ Notwithſtanding that thou art ly-
ing in the open field, in thy blood, thy navel not dreſſed,
“ ſo that, according to the courſe of nature, thy blood and
6 fpirits muſt quickly fail, and this thy birth day muſt be
" thy dying day; yet I ſay unto thee, Live : thou ſhalt
is not die in that condition, but grow up in it, being pre-
• ſerved till the happy moment of the deligned marriage."
And this is the promiſe of the elect's preſervation in their
natural ftate: And it hath two great branches ; one re-
fpecting their natural life; another reſpecting their ſpiritu-
al death. The
Firſt Is a promiſe of the continuation of their natural
life, till ſuch time as they be made partakers of life in Chrift
Jeſus. God has ſaid it; they ſhall live though in the
blood of their natural ftate. So it is not poſſible they
thould die before that time, whatever dangers they are
brought into ; even though a thouſand ſhould fall at their
fide, and ten thouſand at their right haud ; for, by the
promiſe of the covenant, there is an unſeen guard about
them, to defend them. It is in virtue hereof, that all a.
long during the time they are in that flate, they are pre-
ſerved whether in the womb, or coming out of it, or in all
the dangers of infancy, childhood, youth, or whatſoever
age they arrive at therein. This is it that, ſo long as they
are unconverte« , doth ſo often bring them back from the
gates of death ; returning from them in ſafety, when ei-
ther by diſeaſes, or other accidents, they are paſt hope in
their own eyes, and in the eyes of friends and phyſicians,
Though the elect thief was, in his natural ftate, nailed to
the croſs ; yet death had no power to come at him, ſo as
to ſeparate his ſoul from his body, till ſuch time as he was
once united to Chriſt by faith, and made partaker of a
new life in him, The
Second Is a promiſe of keeping the grave-ſtone from off
them in their ſpiritual death. The grave ſtove is the fin
againit the Holy Ghoſt, the unpardonable fin ; which, on
whomſoever it is laid, makes their caſe, from that moment
irrecoverable, that henceforth they can never riſe from fpi-
ritual death to life; Mark iii. 29. He that ſhall blafpheme
a

The promiffory Part of the Covenant.
I 21
againſt the Holy Ghoſt, bath Never forgiveneſs. But al-
though the elect in their natural ſtate, being dead in fin as
well as others, inay, through the activity of reigning and
raging lufts, fo rot in their graves, as to be moſt abomina.
ble in the eyes of God and all good men : yet, becauſe of
the promiſe of the covenant, it is not poflible that that
grave ſtone ſhould be laid on them. There is an inviſible
guard ſet on their ſouls, as well as on their bodies: and ſo
it is infallibly prevented, as may be learned from that ex-
preſſion of our Saviour, Matth. xxiv. 24. Infomuch, that
(if it were poffible) they fball deceive the very eleat. While
they are Satan's captives, he may drive them to a prodi.
gious pitch of wickedneſs. So did he with Manalleh, and
Paul: but, as far as he had carried them, he could not cara
ry them forward that ftep.
This promiſe of the ele&'s preſervation, as it is with the
relt founded on the obedience and death of Chrift, where-
by eternal life was purchaſed for them, and conſequently
theſe benefits in particular, failing which they will be ru-
ined for ever: fo it is a-kin to, and feems to be grafted u.
pon the promiſe of affiftance made to Chriſt in the covenant;
by which a divine ſupport was inſured to him, during all
the time the fins of the elect, and the wrath of God for
them, ſhould lie upon him. And at this rate, the caſe of
the Head, and of the members, was jointly provided for
in the covenant.
II. The Promiſe of the Spirit.
The promiſe of eternal life to the elect, comprehends al-
{o a promiſe of the Spirit of life to be communicated to
them and each one of them, at the nick of time prefixed
in their caſes reſpectively, in the eternal council : that is,
the time appointed to he the time of love, the dawning of
the day of grace to them, however long and dark their
night may be. This promiſe is found, Ila. xliv. 3. I will
pour my Spirit upon thy ſeed, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my
Spirit within you. The ele&t of God being, even as the
reſt of mankind, dead in fin, through the breach of the firſt
covenant, could not be recovered, but through a communi.
cation of the Spirit of life to them ; but that Spirit they
could not have from an un-atoped God. Wherefore, in
L
a
a

1 22
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
the covenant, Chrift undertook to fulfil all righteouſneſs in
their name, thereby to purchaſe the Spirit for them : upon
which was made the promiſe of the Spirit, the leading fruit
of Chriſt's purchaſe ; called therefore the Father's promiſe
by way of eminency, Luke xxiv. 49. Ja token hereof the
great outpouring of the Spirit was at Chriſt's afcenfion:
when he, as our great High Prieſt, carried in the blood of
his facrifice into the moſt holy place not made with hands,
Acts i. For as the fire which was ſet to the incenſe on the
golden altar, the altar of incenſe, was brought from off the
brazen altar, the altar of burnt offering, in the court of the
temple, fo the Spirit which caufeth dead finners to live, il-
ſueth from the croſs of Chriſt, who ſuffereth without the
gate.
Now, of the promiſe of the Spirit there are two chief
branches ; namely, the promiſe of ſpiritual moral life, and
the promiſe of faith.
1. The promiſe of ſpiritual moral life, in virtue whereof
the ſoul morally dead in fin, is raiſed to life again, through
the Spirit of life communicated unto it from heaven.
This is the beginning, the very firſt of the eternal life it felf
promiſed in the covenant. It is the lighting of the facred
lamp of ſpiritual life in the ſoul, which can never be ex.
tinguiſhed again, but burns for evermore thereafter. This
promiſe we have, Ifa. xxvi. 19. Thy dead men ſhall live.
And it belongs to the promiſe of the Spirit ; as appears
from Ezek. xxxyii. 14. And ſhall put my Spirit in you, and
,
The effe & of it is the quickening of the dead ſoul, by
the Spirit of Chriſt paſſively received: Eph. ii. s.
5.
W ben
we were dead in fins (God, ver. 4.) hath quickened us.
This is the fame with the renewing in effe&tual calling,
whereby we are enabled to embrace Jeſus Chrift, mention-
ed in our Shorter Catechiſm on that queſtion. And it is
fitly called by lome divines, the first regeneration, agreea-
ble to the ſtyle of the holy ſcripture: John i. 12. • But
• as many as received him, to them gave he power to be-
come the fons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: ver. 13. Which were born not of blood, nor of
• the will of the fleſh, nor of the will of man, but of God.'
Sinners in their natural ttate lie dead, lifeleſs, and moveleſs;
ye ſhall live.
6

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant 123
they can no more believe in Chrift, por repent, than a dead
man can ſpeak or walk : but, in virtue of the promiſe, the
Spirit of life from Chriſt Jeſus, at the time appointed, en.
ters into the dead ſoul, and quickens it ; ſo that it is no
more morally dead, but alive, having new ſpiritual powers
put into it, that were loft by Adam's fall.
2. The other chief branch of the promiſe of the Spirit,
is the promiſe of faith : to wit, that Chriſt's ſpiritual feed
ſhall believe in him, come unto him, and receive him by
faith: Pſalm cx. 3. · Thy people ſhall be willing in the
' day of thy power ;' and Pfalm xxii. 31. • They ſhall
come.' God hath promiſed, that upon the ſhedding of
the blood of his Son, for the ſatisfaction of juſtice, there
fhall ſpring up in the earth, after that coſtly watering, a
plentiful ſeed to the ſatisfying of his ſoul,' Iſai liii. 10.
And therefore whoever they be that believe not, all thoſe
who were repreſented in the covenant, ſhall infallibly be
brought to believe as our Lord himſelf, upon the credit of
this promiſe, doth declare, John vi: 37. “All that the Fa-
ther giveth me, ihall come to me. Now, this alta belongs
to the promiſe of the Spirit ; who is therefore called the
Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 13. as being the principal effici-
ent cauſe thereof, Zech. xii, 10.
The effea of this promiſe is actual believing, produced
by the quickening Spirit in the ſoul, immediately out of
the fpiritual life given to it by the communication of bin-
felf thereto : John v. 25. The dead ſhall hear the voice
• of the Son of God:' compared with chap. i. 12, 13.
2 Cor. iv. 13. As receiving Chrift paffively, the finner that
was fpiritually dead is quickened; fo being quickened, he
receives Chriſt actively. Chriſt comes into the dead ſoul
by bis Spirit; and ſo he is paffively received ; even as one
having a power to raiſe the dead, coming into a houſe,
where there is none but a dead man; none to open the
door to him. none to deſire him to come in, nor to wel.
come him. But Chrift being thus received, or come in,
the dead foul is quickened, and by faith embraceth him ;
even as the reſtorer of the dead man to life, would immen
diately be embraced by him, and receive a thouſand wel.
comes from him, who had heard his voice and lived. When
Chriſt in the womb of his mother, entered into the houſe
а.
L 2

124 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3:
of Zacharias, and the ſaluted Eliſabeth, the mother of Johm
the Baptift, be, the Babe, in Eliſabeth's womb, leaped as
at the entrance of life; fo doth the foul, in a&tual believing,
at Chriſt's coming into it by his Spirit. As God breath-
ed into the firſt man the breath of life, and he became a living
Soul, who was before but a lifeleſs piece of fair earth; that
is, God put a ſpirit, a foul, into his body, which imme-
diately ſhewed itſelf in the man's breathing at his noſtrils;
fo Jeſus Chrift, in the time of loves, puts his Spirit into the
dead ſoul, which immediately flews himſelf alive, by be.
lieving, receiving, and embracing him, known and diſcerned
in his tranſcendent glory. And thus the union bet wixt
Chriſt and the foul is completed ; Chrift firſt apprehending:
the foul by bis Spirit; and then the ſoul thus apprehended
and quickesed; apprehending him again in the promiſe of
the gofpel by faith.
Now, the pro!niſe of the Spirit, in both branches thereo
of, is grafted upon the promiſe of a reſurrection from the
dead, made to Chrift; and it is ſo interwoven therewith,
that there is no ſeparating of them. The promiſe of his
refurrection, like the oil on Aaron's head, runs down to
the ſkirts of his garments, in the promiſe of quickening,
his members too. Herein the ſcripture is very plain
Iſa. xxvi. 19. • Thy dead men ſhall live, together with my
• dead body fall they ariſe.' Eph. ii. 5. ' Even when we
w were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with
* Chrift. Our Lord Jeſus, in the eternal covenant, became
the head of a dead body, to wit, of the body of elect fin-
ners, dead in fin; and that to the end he might reſtore it
to lite; and bring legally united with that body, that ſo
death might have acceſs to ſpread itfelf from it unto him
in due time, he had the promiſe of a reſurrection, both for
himſelf and his members, made unto him. The appointed
time being come, death drew together its whole forces, and
made an attack upon the head of the body, which alone re-
mained alive, li ftung him to the heart upon the croſs,
. It
and laid him toe in the duſt of death; and ſo it had them
all dead togetber, head and members. Thus the condition
of the covenant was fulfilled. Now, the promiſe comes
next, in its turn, to be fulfilled: Particularly, the promiſe
of a reſurrection : namely, that death having exhauſted all

The promiſfory Part of the Covenant. 125
ts force and vigour on the head, he ſhould be raiſed
again from the dead: and that as death had ſpread itſelf
from the members, into the head, ſo bfe, in its turn ſhould
ſpread itſelf from the head into the members, they, together
with his dead body, arifing. It was in virtue hereof,
,
. ,
that the ſpirit or ſoul that animated Chriſt's body, and
which he yielded up upon the croſs, (Matth. xxvii. 5o.)
ſhewed by his breathing out his laft there, (Luke xxiii
.
46. Gr.) was returned again into his blefled body; where-
upon he came forth out of the grave. And it is in virtue of
the ſame that the Spirit of life returns into the dead fonls
of the elect again; upon which they live and believe. The
time of the return of the Spirit both into the head, and into
the members, was prefixed in the covenant, reſpectively: ſo
that as it was not poflible Chrift ſhould be held in the
grave
after three days; even ſo it is not poſſible, that his ele&t ſhould
be held in the bonds of ſpiritual death, after the time pre-
fixed for their delivery, Hof. vi. 2. • After two days will
he revive us, in the third day he will raiſe its up, and we
• ſhall live in his fight.'..'
And thus the promiſe of eternal life to the elect, works
in this dark period of their days; which dark period ends
here. It appears now, and runs above ground ever after,
PERIOD II.
From the Union with Chriſt until Death.
CO
Onſidering the promiſe of eternal life to the ele&, as
it is accompliſhed to, and hath its effect on them, from
their union with Chrift until death; the great lines to be
perceived therein, are the promiſes, 1. Of juflification 2.
Of a new and ſaving covenant-relation to God. 3. Of ſanc-
tification. 4. Of perſeverance. And, 5. Of temporal benefits:
Of which in order.
1. The Promiſe of Fuflification.
The promiſe of eternal life to the ele&t comprehends the
promiſe of juſtification, to be conferred on them, and each
one of them, being united to Chrift thro' the Spirit. This
is found, Ifa. lii. 11. By his knowledge ſhall my
* righteous fervant jullify many.' Chap. xlv. 25. In 1
L 3

126 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace.
3.
.
. Head 3« the Lord ſhall all the ſeed of Iſrael be juſtified. It is
the leading promiſe of this period : and the effect of the
accompliſhment thereof, is, that the foul legally dead
under the ſentence of the law, or curſe of the broken co-
venant of works, is cauſed to live again accordingly; as
it is written, •The juft ſhall live by faith,' Rom. i.
•
17. And this is the beginning of that life which
is received from Chriſt by faith, and is mentioned, John
v, 40. 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.'
Chap. vi. 57. - He that eateth me, even he ſhall live by me.”
There is a life received from Chriſt before faith, whereby
one is enabled to believe ; of which we have already ſpok.
en: and there is a life received from Chrift through faith,
according to Joho xx. 31. •That believing ye might
• have life through his name.' And this laſt is, according
to the ſcripture, eternal life too :- Chap. V. 24. «He that
« beareth my word; and believeth on him that fent me
• hath everlafting life, and ſhall not come into condemna-
• tion, but is paiſed from death unto life.'
The eleet of God, lying under the breach of the firſt
covenant, were dead in law, as being under the curfe.
They could not be reſtored to life in the eye of the law,
but upon the fulfilling of the righteouſneſs of the law;
the which they not being able to do for themſelves, Chrift,
in the covenant, undertook to do it for them: and there-
upon was, made the promiſe of their juſtification. This,
promiſe taking effect upon their believing, the curſe is
removed, and they are actually and perſonally juſtified.
Thus they are reſtored to life in the eye of the law: which
kind of life, received by faith, is everlaſting ; foraſmuch
as, according to the covenant, the curſe can never return
upon them, for ſhorter or longer time: Ifa. liv. 9. • As
6
I have ſworn that the waters of Noah ſhould no more
* go over the earth; ſo have, I ſworn that I will not be
& wroth with thee,
Of the promiſe of juſtification there are two branches,
namely, the promiſe of pardon, and of acceptance.
1. The promiſe of pardon of fis, whereby the guilt of
eternal wrath is done away, Heb. viii. 12. Their fins, and
• their iniquities will I remember no more.' The fins of
the elęêt being, in the eternal covenant, imputed to, and

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 127
laid on Chriſt; who becoming legally one with them,
transferred their debt on himſelf, and undertook to pay
the fame: a promiſe was thereupon made of pardon to
them, and each one of them. Now, as ſoon as they are
myſtically and really united to him by faith, by means of
that union they have communion with him in his righteouſ-
neſs: whereupon his perfect ſatisfaction is imputed to
them; and, upon the account of it alone, and not any deed
of theirs whatſoever, the free promiſe is accompliſhed, and
the pardon actually beſtowed on them, according to the
eternal agreement, Eph. i. 7. Io whom we have redemp-
.
tion through his blood, the forgiveneſs of fins, according
s.to the riches of his grace.
Here is life from the dead; a pardon put into the hand
of the condemned man, difarming the law of its condemn,
ing power, and death of its fting, as to him ; cauſing him
to lift up his head from off the block, and go away with
acclamations of praiſe of the King's mercy, and his Son's
merit.. And it is eternal life : for all his lins paſt, preſent,
and to come are pardoned, as to the guilt of eter-
nal wrath ; a formal remiffion of theſe of the two former
kinds being granted, and a not imputing of theſe of the
latter fort, as to that guilt, being ſecured; as the apoſtle
teacheth, Rom. iv. 7. Bleſſed are they whoſe iniquties
are forgiven, and whoſe fins are covered. ver. 8. Bleffed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin.' And
God will never revoke his pardons. Chap. xi. 29. For
s the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.'
2. The other branch of the promiſe of juftification, is
the promiſe of acceptance of their perſons as righteous in
the fight of God; according to that, Iſa. xlii. 21. The
Lord is well pleoſed for his righteouſneſs fake. Compared
with Matth. iii. 17. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleaſed; and Eph. i. 6. He hath made us accepted in the
beloved. A holy righteous God, whoſe judgment is accord-
ing to truth, cannot accept fioners as righteous, without a
righteouſneſs, even a perfect righteouſneſs. They that are
not truly righteous in law, can never paſs for righteous, but
for unrighteous ones, in the view of his pierciog eye: For
in thy fight, ſays the Pfalmift, Pſal. cxliii. 2. fball no man liv,
ing be juſtified; to wit, by the deeds of the law, or inheritrigh-

128
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace Head 3.
teouſneſs, which is imperfect, as the apoſtle expounds it,
Rom. iii. 20. But our Lord Jeſus having in the cove-
nant undertaken to følfl all righteouſneſs for them, who
of themſelves, could fulfil no righteouſnefs; a promiſe was
thereupon made, to accept them as righteous upon the ac-
count of his ſurety-righteouſneſs, which becomes truly
theirs through faith, and that by a double right. (1.) By
a right of free gift received : inaſmuch as Chriſt's righte-
ouſneſs being made over, in the goſpel, of Heaven's free
gift to finners, the gift is by faith actually claimed and re-
ceived ; whence it is called the gift of righteoufneſs, (Rom.
v. 17.) revealed unto faith, (Chap. i. 17.) namely, to be
believed on, and ſo received. (2.) By right of communion
with Chriſt: inafmuch as finners being united with him
by faith, have thereby communion, or a common intereſt
with him in his righteoufncfs, Philip. iii. 9. • And be
• found in him, not having mine own righteouſneſs, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
• Chrift. Upon theſe grounds, the holineſs of Chriſt's
nature, the righteouſneſs of his life, and the fatisfaction
made by his death and ſufferings, being the conſtituent
parts of that righteouſneſs, are, according to the truth,
imputed to the believer, or legally reckoned his : and, u-
pon
the account thereof preciſely, he is accepted of God
as righteous, being made the righteouſnefs of God in
* him. 2 Cor. v. 27. the righteouſnefs of God being up-
on all that believe, Rom. iii, 22:
Here is life to the foul, righteouſneſs unto juſtifica-
. tion of life,' Rom. v. 18. an everlaſting righteouſneſs,
Dan. ix. 24. a garment that never waxeth old, is never
rent, nay, nor fullied ; but always continues in its ori-
ginal luftre, from the moment that it is put on. Where-
fore the life muft needs be eternal, .grace muſt needs
reign through that righteouſneſs unto eternal life,' Rom.
v. 21. for being once put on, it is never put off again for
one moment, in time nor eternity.
Now, the promiſe of juſtification, in both branches
thereof, is grafted upon the promiſe of juſtification made to
Chriſt. The condition of the covenant being fulfilled, the
head is juftified, according to the promiſe ; and then the
members in him. First, the Mediator gets up his diſcharge

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
129
for the whole debt; and then they pleading it by faith for
their own behoof, are diſcharged in their own perſons.
II. The promiſe of a new and ſaving Covenant-relation to
God.
The promiſe of eternal life to the elect, doth alſo com-
prehend the promiſe of a new and ſaving covenant-rela-
tion to God, which they, and each one of them, being
juſtified, ſhall be brought into : Hof. ii. 23. • I will ſay
' to them which are not my people, Thou art my people ;
"and they ſhall ſay, Thou art my God.' Dying both
morally and legally, through the breach of the firſt cove-
nant, they fall under a relative death too; whereby the
blefled relation between God and them was diſſolved :
and it could not be conſtituted again, while they lay under
the condemnatory ſentence of the law. But upon Chriſt's
undertaking in the covenant, to bring in an everlaſting
righteouſneſs
, the price of the redemption of all ſaving be.
nefits, this promiſe was made. Wherefore, they being
come to Chriſt by faith, united with him, and juftified
through his righteouſneſs, which they partake of in him ;
God meets him there, even in Chriſt the appointed meet-
ing place : and there, with the ſafety of his honour, he
takes them by the hand, and joins them again in a faving
relation. Thus they have a relative life, according to
that, Pſalm xxx. 5. In his favour is life. The which life
is eternal: foraſmuch as the relation is for ever indiffolu.
ble; the bond of the ſecond covenant being ſo much fur.
er than the bond of the firſt, as the ſecond Adam's un.
dertaking was furer than the firſt Adam’s.
Now of this promiſe there are three chief branches ;
namely, the promiſe of reconciliation, of adoption, and
of God's being their God.
1. The promiſe of reconciliation between God and
them : Ezek. xxxvii. 26. I will make a covenant of
peace with them; it ſhall be an everlaſting covenant.!
They were by fin in a ſtate of enmity with God: on their
part, there was a real enmity againſt God; on God's part,
a legal enmity againſt them, ſuch as a judge hath againſt
a malefactor, whom notwithſtanding, he may dearly love.
But Jeſus Chriſt having undertaken, in the covenant, to

130 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
expiate their guilt, by the facrifice of himſelf, the Father
made a promiſe of peace and reconciliation with them
thereupon. Hence we are ſaid to be reconciled to God by
the death of his Son, Rom. v. 10. inaſmuch as by his death
and ſufferings he purchaſed our reconciliation which was
promiſed on theſe terms.
Now, this promiſe is accompliſhed to the juſtified finner :
being pardoned, he is brought into a ſtate of peace with
God, as faith the apoftle, Rom. v. i. . Being juftified by
• faith, we have peace with God.' God lays down his
legal enmity againſt him, nerer to be taken up again.
And more than that, he takes him into a bond of friend.
fhip; fo that he is not only at peace with God, but is the
friend of God: James ii. 23. * Abram believed God, and
it was imputed unto him for righteouſneſs: and he
was called the friend of God.'
This promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe of acceptance
and juſtification made to Chriſt. Für bis facrifice being
accepted as well-pleaſing. to God, and he diſcharged of
the debt he became furety for, the reconciliation, as well
as the pardon, of thoſe united to him by faith, natively
follows thereupon : 2 Cor. v. 19. God was in Chrift,
. "
I reconciling the world unto himſelf, not imputing their
treſpaſſes' unto them.' Eph. i. iv. · He hath made us ac-
'cepted in the beloved. Ver. 7. !Io whom we have re.
• demption through his blood, the forgiveneſs of fins.'
2. Another branch of his promiſe, is the promiſe of
their adoption into the family of God: Hof. i. 10. • It
• ſhall be ſaid unto them, Ye are the foos of the living
• God.' And this is more than the former; as it is
more to be one's fon, than to be his friend. We have be.
fore declared, how all mankind was, by the firft covenant,
conftituted God's hired ſervants : and by the breach of
the covenant, bond ſervants under the curſe : and how
Chrift transferred that ſtate of ſervitude off his ſpiritual
ſeed on himſelf. Now, upon confideration of his taking
on him the form of a bond-fervant for them, the promiſe
of their adoption into the family of God was made. He
was made under the law, to redeem them that were
& under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
•fone,' Gal. iv. 4, 5.
a

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
131
And being juftified by faith, and reconciled to God, it
is accomplifhed to them: foraſmuch as then Chrift's fer-
vice is imputed to them, and a way is opened withal for
their admiſſion into the family of God, through their
actual reconciliation to him: Rom. v. 1. • Being juſtifi.
fed by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord
• Jeſus Chrift. Ver. 2. By whom alſo we have acceſs by
* faith into his grace wherein we ſtand.' John i. 12.
* As many as received him, to them gave he power to be-
come the fons of God.' Then are they taken as chil-
dren into the family of Heaven : God becomes their fa-
ther in Chrift: And they his fons and daughters, to abide
for ever in his houſe, John viii. 35. And ſo they have a
right to all the privileges of that high relation.
Now, this promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe made to
Chriſt of a new kind of intereft in God as his Father :
according to that, John XX. 17. “ I afcend unto my Fa-
«
ther, and your Father.' For by the Spirit of adoption,
we call God our Father, in the right of Jeſus Chriſt our
elder brother, fpiritual huſband, and head.
3. The latt branch is the promiſe of God's being their
God: Heb. viii. 10. I will be their God. This is more
than reconciliation and adoption : it is the height of the
relation to God, which a finful creature could be advanced
xunto. They were by nature without God, Eph. ii. 12.
but foraſmuch as the Son of God did, in the covenant un-
dertake to give himfelf for them, in their nature perfe&tly
to fatisfy the law, in his holy birth, righteous life, and ex-
quifite death; a raniom of infinite value, quite beyond all
created things whatſoever, graces, pardons, heavens, there
was made upon that conſideration a promiſe of God's giv-
ing himſelf to them, as the adequate reward of that ſervice;
which being performed by the Mediator, this reward was
purchaſed for them. Hence, God faith to Abraham, Gen.
xv. I I am thy exceeding great reward.
Now to the believer being juftified, reconciled, and a-
dopted into the family of God, this heritage falls, in ac-
compliſhment of this promiſe, Rom. viii. 17. And if chil-
dren, then heirs ; heirs of God, Gal. iv. 7. And if a ſon,
then an heir of God through Chrift: God himſelf being the
heritage. He becomes their God: they have a right to

132
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
him, and are poſſeſſed of him, as their own property: a
property which the thought of men and angels cannot ful-
ly reach the contents of. Not only are all the works and
creatures of God in the heavens, earth, and ſeas, theirs,
i Cor. iii. 22. •all are yours;' but himſelf is theirs;
which is more than all that, as the bridegroom is more
than all his marriage-robes, or his large poffeffions. All
his attributes are theirs; his infinite wiſdom to dire&t them,
his power to afford them protection, his juſtice to make
all the benefits purchaſed by Chrift for them forthcoming
to them, his holineſs to transform them into the ſame i.
mage, his mercy to pity and ſuccour them, his grace to
deal bountifully with them, his faithfulneſs to fulfil all the
promiſes to them in their time, and all-fufficiency to ren-
der them completely happy. He is theirs in all his rela-
tions: their Shepherd, Proviſor, Protector, King, Huſ.
band, Head, and whatſoever may contribute to their hap-
pineſs. All the perſons of the glorious Trinity are theirs ;
the Father is theirs, the Son is theirs, and the Holy Spirit
is theirs : Ifa. liv. 5. For thy maker is thine huſband, (the
Lord of hoſts is his name): Heb. Thy Makers are thine
huſbands; JEHOVAH SABAOTH is his name.
This rich promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe made to
Chriſt of a new kind of intereſt in God as his God: John
XX. 17. I aſcend to my God and your God. God being
the Mediator's God by purchaſe, he becomes our God in
him. Chriſt having performed the condition of the cove-
nant, falls heir to the great heritage ; and we fall to it al-
ſo in him, being heirs with God, and joint heirs with Chriſ,
Rom. viii. 17
III. The promiſe of San&ification.
In the promiſe of eternal life to the elect, is compre.
hended in like manner the promiſe of their ſanctification:
Ezek, xi. 19. I will take the ftony heart out of their fleſh,
and will give them an heart of fleſh: verſe 20. That they
may walk in my flatutes. See Joel iji. 17, 21. Heb. viii.
10. Through the breach of the firft covenant, they loſt
the image of God: their faculties were ſo depraved, that
they could neither do, ſpeak, nor think any thing truly good
and acceptable to God; they were by nature altogether

*** The promiffory Part of the Covenant. 133
unholy, unclean, lothſome, and abominable, in their nature,
heart and life. And it was quite beyond their power to
make themſelves holy again : for mending of their nature
could not effect it; it behoved to be renewed, Eph. iv. 23.
And the curſe of the law lying upon them, extinguiſhed
all faving relation between God and them ; and fo block-
ed up all ſaving communication with Heaven : for it bar-
red, in point of juſtice, all fan&tifying influences from
thence ; thefe being the greateft benefit they were capa-
ble of, as aſſimilating the creature unto God himſelf, or
rendering it like him. The curfe fixed a gulph betwix &
God and them, ſo that ſanctifying influences could not
paſs from him unto them; more than their holy defires
and prayers could paſs from them unto him. So the fale
len angels always were, and the damned now are, beyond
all poffibility of fan&tification, or of receiving fanctifying
influences from Heaven; there being no remedy to re-
move the curſe, neither from the one nor from the other.
And in this caſe all Adam's pofterity had lain før ever,
had not Jeſus Chriſt, as the head of the elect, undertaken
in the ſecond covenant to remove that bar, to fill
up
the
gulph, and to found a new faving relation between God
and them, through his own obedience and death. But
upon that undertaking of the Mediator, the Father did by
promiſe inſure their fan&tification, that Chriſt's people ſhould
be willing in the day of his power, in the beauties of holineſs,
Pfal. cx. 3. and that a ſeed ſhould ſerve him, Pfal. xxii. 30.
And this promiſe, the promiſe of ſanctification, is indeed
the chief promiſe of the covenant made to Chriſt for them:
among the reſt of that kind, it ſhines like the moon a-
mong the leffer ftars. San&tification is the very chief
fubordinate end of the covenant of grace, ftanding therein
next to the glory of God, which is the chief and ultimate
end thereof. The promiſe of it, is the centre of all the reit
of theſe promiſes. All the foregoing promiſes, the promiſe
of preſervation, the Spirit, the firſt regeneration or quicken-
ing of the dead foul, faith, juftification, the new faving re-
lation to God, reconciliation, adoption, and enjoyment of
God as our God, do tend unto it as their common centre,
and ſtand related to it as means to their end. They are all
.
accompliſhed to finners, on deſign to make them holy,
M

134 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
6
of
And all the ſubſequent promiſes, even the promiſe of glori.
fication itſelf are but the ſame promiſe of ſanctification en-
larged and extended : they are but as ſo many rays and
beams of light, ſhooting forth from it as the centre of them
all.
This appears from the ſcriptural deſcriptions of the co-
venant, in the promiſſory part thereof reſpeing the elect:
Luke i.
73.
• The oath which he ſware to our father A.
• braham, ver. 74. That he would grant unto us, that
we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
• might ſerve him without fear, ver. 75. In holineſs and
$ righteouſneſs before him, all the days of our life.' Here
is the oath, or covenant ſworn to Abraham as a type
Chrift; wherein his feed's ſerving the Lord in holineſs, is
held forth as the chief thing ſworn unto the Mediator by
the Father; and their deliverance from their enemies, as
the means for that end. See Heb. viii. 10, 11, 12, where
God's writing his law in their heart, is ſet on the front as
the firſt thing in the divine intention, thaugh the laſt in
execution, as appears by comparing the 1 oth and 12th
verſes. This matter is alſo evident from the nature of
the thing. For the great thing Satan aimed at in ſedu-
cing our firſt parents, was the ruin of the image of God
in them, that fo mankind might be no more like God, but
like himſelf; and the myſtery of God, for the recovery
of finners is then finiſhed, when holineſs is brought in
them to perfection in heaven, and not till then.
From all which, one may plainly perceive, that the
fan&tification of all that ſhall ſee heaven, is ſecured in the
covenant, upon infallible grounds, beyond all poſſibility of
failure: and that the unholy have no ſaving part nor lot
in the covenant; and that the leſs holy any man is, the
leſs is the covenant-promiſe accompliſhed io him. For
the fancufication of finners is the great deſign of that con-
trivance ; it is that which the Father and the Son, look-
ing therein to them, had chiefly in their view : and the
promiſe thereof is the capital promiſe of the covenant,
reſpecting them : being as it were written in great lettere.
Now, at the time appoivted for every one in the eter-
nal council, this promiſe is accompliſhed. The finoer be.
ing juſtified by faith, and taken into a ſaving relation to

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 135
God, being reconciled, adopted, and made an heir of God
through Chrift, is ſanctified. The bar being removed, the
gulph filled up as to him, his ſaving intereſt in, and a re-
lation to a holy God being eſtabliſhed; the communicaa
tion between heaven and the finner is opened, and fan&i.
fying influences flow amain, to the fan&ifying of him
throughout.
This is, by ſome divines, called the ſecond regeneration,
agreeable to the ſcripture : Tit, iii. 5. · He ſaved us by
• the waſhing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghoſt ;' compared with Eph. v. 26. • That he might
• ſan&tify and cleanſe it with the waſhing of water.? 2 Cor.
v. 27. · If any man be in Chriſt, he is a new creature ;
' namely being created in Chriſt Jeſus unto good works,' as
the apoſtle himſelf explains it, Eph. ii. 10. And as in
regeneration, taken ftri&tly for the quickening the dead
foul, and called the firſt regeneration, new vital powers are
given ; ſo in regeneration, taken largely for the forming
of the new creature in all its parts and diſtinct members,
which is called the ſecond regeneration, there are new
qualities and habits of grace infuſed; and it is the ſame
with the ſecond renewing mentioned in our Shorter Cate-
chiſm, on the head of fanétification, “Whereby we are re-
"newed in the whole man, after the image of God."
The matter lies here. The finner being by faith unit-
ed to Chriſt, through the communication of the quicken.
ing Spirit from Chrift unto him, and thereupon juftified,
reconciled, adopted, and made an heir of God; there is.
a meaſure of every grace, even the ſeeds of all ſaving
graces, derived from, and communicated out of the all-
fulneſs of grace in the man Chriſt the head, unto the fin.
ner as a member of his, by the fame Spirit dwelling in the
head and members. Hereby the man is not only a ſpiritu
ally living creature, but an all-new creature, fan&tified
wholly or throughout, renewed in the whole man, af-
ter the image of God. For the immediate effect of
that communication of grace from Chriſt, muſt be the
ſealing of the perſon with the image of Chrift; foraſmuch
as he receives grace for grace in Chrift, as the wax doth
point for point in the ſeal. So that the reſtored image ni
God is expreſſed on us immediately from Chrift the ſecond
M 2

136 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
Adam, who is the image of the inviable God; even as Eve
was made after God's image, being made after Adam's,
according to Gen. ii. 18. I will make him an help meet for
him; marg. as before him, that is, in his own likeneſs, as
if he ſat for the picture. Compare 1 Cor. xi. 7.
i • He
(to wit the man) is the image and glory of God; but
• the woman is the glory of the man; ver. 8. For the man
ó is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.' And
2 Cor. viii. 23. Our brethren are the meſſengers of the
• churches, and the glory of Chrift.' And thus our unit-
ing with Chriſt, through the Spirit, by faith, iſſues in our
becoming one ſpirit, that is, of the fame fpiritual holy na-
ture with him; as really as Eve was one fleſh with A-
dam, being formed of him, of his fileth and of his bones,
Gen. ii, 23. to which the apoſtle alludes, in the matter of
the myſtical union between Chriſt and believers, Eph. v.
30. For ye are members of his body, of his fleſh, and of
« his bones.
This is the ſcripture account of the matter : according
to which, the ſanctifieation of a finner hath a ſpecial rela-
tion to Jeſus Chriſt and his Spirit ; depends withal on our
relative litate in the divine favour : and ſo is no leſs a myſ-
tery than our juſtification. As the depravation of human
nature hath always been ſo manifeft, that it could not e-
ſcape obſervation in the world; ſo, in all ages, men have
been aiming to diſcover and compaſs the cure thereof, in
a right uſe they apprehended they could make of their ra-
tional faculties. The flue whereof hath always been, at
beft, but an outward fhew and femblance of fanctification,
going under the name of moral virtue, having no ſpecial
relation to Jeſus Chriſt and his indwelling Spirit: but ſuch
as it is, made the foundation of men's relative ſtate in the
favour of God. And fince the world by their wiſdom,
knew not God; it is not at all ftrange, the produce of their
wiſdom in the matter of fanctification, or aſſimilation to
his image, lies ſo wide of the true fan&tification accept-
able to him, diſcovered in his word. Truly it is there
only we can learn the myſtery of the fanctification of a
finner. And there it is revealed, that that great work
is wrought by the Spirit on the ſouls of men in a fate
of union with Jeſus Chrift, and after believing, Eph. i.

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
137
13. ' In whom alſo after that ye believed, ye were ſealed
with that holy Spirit of promiſe.' It neceſſarily depends
on our union with Chrift, in that we are fan&ified in Chriſt
Jeſus, as members of his body, 2 Cor. i. 2. created in
Chrif Jeſus unto good works. And faith is the inſtrumen-
tal cauſe of our fanctification, feeing we are ſanctified by
faith, Aets xxi. 18. for thereby it is, that of his fulneſs
we receive grace for grace, (John i. 16.) the which is
communicated to us by his Spirit, who glorifies 'bim, by
reforming us after his image, by means of that communi-
cation of grace from Chrift unto us : Jokin xvi. 14. • He
ſhall glorify me: for he, ſhall receive of mine, and ſhall
ſhew it unto you. So beholding as in a glaſs the glory
6.
of the Lord (Chrift,) we are changed into the ſame image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord,'
2 Cor. iii, 18. Thus one being in Chriſt, is made a new
creature : foraſmuch as he is ſuch a ſtock as changes the
graft into its own nature : « Therefore if any man be in
Chrift, he is a new creature, chap. v. 17. For as many:
• of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on
* Chrift,' Gal. iii. 27.
It dependeth alſo upon our juftification and reconcilia-
tion with God; inaſmuch as the blood of Chriſt, with
which we are fan&tified, according to the ſcripture, Rev.
i. 5. 1 Pet. i. 2. 1 John i. 7. is effe&tive of our fanctifica-
tion, as it is the meritorious cauſe thereof: and ſo the
fan&tifying virtue of that precious blood, proceeds from its
atoning virtue; it fan&tifies us, becauſe it juſtifies and re-
conciles us to God; Heb. xi. 14. “How much more ſhall
. the blood of Chriſt, who through the eternal Spirit of-
« fered himſelf without ſpot to God, purge your confci-
*ence from dead works to ſerve the living God?' Where..
fore, ſaith the apofle, i Theff. v. 23. • And the very God,
' of peace fan&tify you.' In like manner, it preſuppoſeth
our adoption ; inaſmuch as it is upon our being adopted
into the family of God, that we receive the Spirit of bis
Son, conforming-18 to his image as our elder brother, which
is the very thing wherein our fanctification doth confift:
For whom he did foreknow, he alſo did predeſtinate to
* be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
• the firq boro among many brethren, Rom. viii.
294
M 3

138 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
( And becauſe ye are fons, Gad hath fent forth the Spirit
• of his own Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal. iv. 6. " We are changed into the ſame image, even
s as by the Spirit of the Lord,' 2 Cor. iii. 18. And it
tands in the ſame relation to God's becoming our God.
Ezek. xvi. 8. I ſware unto thee, and entered into a cove.
pant with thee, faith the Lord God, and thou becameſt
& mine. Verſe 9. Then waſhed I thee with water : yea,
. I thoroughly waſhed away thy blood from thee, and I
6 anointed thee with oil.'
But although in this work of fan&tification, there is com-
municated out of the all-fulneſs of grace in Chrift, a mea-
fure, and that a predominant meaſure of every grace ; yet
it is not a full meaſure of any grace. Hence it comes to
paſs, that howbeit we are thereby renewed in the whole
man, yet we are ſtill unrenewed in the whole man too: to wit
in reſpect of two general parts, thence called the renewed
part, and the unrenewed part. For this communication
of grace, being of grace for grace in Chrift, we are there- .
by renewed in every particular part indeed: but the mea-
fure of none of theſe graces being full in any ſoul while here,
,
we are not wholly renewed in any ſuch part, but there are
remains of corruption ftill indwelling in every ſuch part,
in the mind, will, and affections, and in the body by way
of communication with the unrenewed part. Thus, two
contrary principles, to wit, grace and corruption, are in
the fan&ified; bei, together in ſuch fort, that in every
particular part where the one is, the other is there alſo by
it ; even as in the twilight, light and darkneſs are in eve-
ry part of the hemiſphere. All which the ſcripture doth
abundantly declare. For what we have of this gracious
work upon us, while here, is but in part ; it is not perfe&,
,
1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10. Though there is a new man pat on,
there is an old man to be put off, Eph. iv. 22, 24. There
is fleſh as well as ſpirit in the beſt, Gal. v. 17, whọ there.
fore do look forth but as the morning, Cant. vi. 10. or,
as the word properly fignifies, as the dawning ; yet as the
dawning differs from dark night, they differ thereby from
the unfanctified, in whom there is no, light, Ila. viii. 20.
Heb. no dawning. See Rom. vii. 14-24. Philip.
11. 21.

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
139
Howbeit, foraſmuch as it is a predominant meaſure of
every grace that is thus communicated ; this work of fanc-
tification doth iſſue, in a ſtate of death unto fin, and a ftatę
of life unto righteouſneſs.
1. It iſſueth in a ſtate of death unto fin, or in mortifica.
a
tion. For by means of that commusication of grace from
Chriſt the head, though it is not full, the old man of fin
gets his deadly wound. The reigning power of the whole
body of fin is deſtroyed : inaſmuch as a reigning principle
of grace is thereby fer up in the believer ; and that · his
feed remaineth in him ; and he cannot fin, becauſe he is
born of God, i John iii. 9. Sin fhall not have dominion
' over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.'
And the total pollution, or defilement, through fin, is by
the fame means purged off; inaſmuch as the reſtored image
of God makes one really and perſonally pure and clean in
the fight of God, as far as it goes : Tit. ii. 5. • He ſaved
us by the waſhing of regeneration, and renewing of the
• Holy Ghoft. Compare Col. iii. 10. And have put
on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
" the image of him that created him.' And thus one is
put into a ſtate of death, in reſpect of his unrenewed part,
Col. ii. 3. For ye are dead: Rom. vi. 11. dead indeed un-
to fen. The which itate of death is ſuch as a crucified man
is in, who being nailed to the croſs, ſhall never come down
till be have breathed out his laft ; Gal. vi. 14. • The
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Rom.
vi. 6. • Our old man is crucified with him.'
2. It iſſueth alſo in a ftate of lite unto righteouſneſs, or
in vivification. For by means of the fame communication
of grace from Chrift the bead, one is endued with infuſed
habits of grace, the immediate principles of gracious ac.
tions: the law is written in his heart ; and his beart is
circumciſed to love the Lord. And thus he is put into a
ftate of life unto righteouſneſs, in reſpect of his renewed
part; being dead indeed unto fin, but alive unto God through
Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, Rom. vi. 11. So faith the apoftle
of himſelf, Gal ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrift: Never.
theleſs I live. And this ſtate of life is fuch, as a man is
in for the common actions of life, which is not only quick-
ened, but riſen and come forth of the grave : Col. ii. 12.
the

140
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
а
re are rifen with him through the faith of the operation of
God. Rom. vi. 4. That like as Chriſt was raiſed up by the
glory of the Father, even ſo we alſo ſhould walk in newneſs of
life. And it is an eternal life ; for the grace communicat-
ed from Chrit to the believer, for that effect, ſhall be in
him a well of water ſpringing up into everlaſting life, John
iv. 14.
Now, this death unto fig, and life unto righteouſneſs,
ſpring from our communion with Chriſt in his death and
reſurrection. Theſe lait have in them a power and virtue
to render his myftical members conformable to him in
them. They have a power and virtue, to cauſe in them
a dying unto fin, as Chriſt died for fin, a violent death,
lingering, and painful, yet voluntary; and a riſing from
fin to a new manner of life, continued during their abode
in this world, and perfected in glory ; even as he roſe
from the dead to a new manuer of life, continued till hia
afcenfion : Philip. ii. 10. " That I may know him,
! and the power of his reſurrection, and the fellowſhip of
• his ſufferings, being made conformable unto his death.'
Rom. vi. 4. Therefore we are buried with him by bap-
•
• tiſm unto death : that like as Chriſt was raiſed up by.
& the glory of the Father, even ſo we alſo ſhould walk in
. newneſs of life. Ver. 5. For if we have been planted to:
.gether in the likeneſs of his death ; we hall be alſo
& in the likeneſs of his reſurrection, Since there is
in Adam's fin and death a malignant virtue, conform-
ing his natural offspring unto him therein, to their de
filement; why ſhould it be thought ftrange, that there
ſhould be fuch a benign virtue in the death and reſurrec-
tion of Chriſt the ſecond Adam, conforming his myftical
members unto him therein, to their fanctification ? For as
in Adam all die, even fo in Chrif ſball all be made alivegs
.
i Cor. xv. 22. The death and reſurrection of Chriſt have
this virtue, infomuch as he died and roſe again as a public
perſon, and merited this conformation of his myftical mem--
bers to his image, Rom. vi. 4,-—-12. Eph. ii. 5, 6.
And they have this effect, as they are applied to us by the
Spirit. For the caſe of our juſtification and fan&tification,
is much like that of the delivering one who is a priſoner
for debt. When the ſurety's payment of the debt is le-
gally applied to the priſoner, by the judge ſuſtaining it as

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 141
clearing his debt : in the moment of that application, the
priſoner is legally free; he is no more a priſoner in point
of right, though fill in the priſon, until that one ſent by
the judge, apply it to bim really by opening the priſon.
decrs to him, and ſetting him at liberty. Even ſo the
death of Chrift, and his reſurrection conſidered as the e
vidence of his complete ſatisfaction, being legally applied
by God the Judge, to a finner, upon his believing ; they
have an immediate effect on him, conftituting him in a
happy relative ſtate, in juftification, and a new relation to
God as his Friend, Father, and God : ſo that he is there-
by freed, even from the domision and pollution of fin, in
point of right, as well as he is in fact freed from the guilt
of it: he is by that application legally dead unto (in and
alire unto God: Rom. vi. 10. • For in that he (to wit,
Chrift) died, be died unto fin once; but in that he liveth
« he liveth untoGod. Ver. 11. Likewiſe reckon yeallo your-
ſelves to be dead indeed unto fin; but alive unto God
through Jeſus Chrift our Lord.' Now, the curſe which
tood as a legal bar to fan&tifying influences, in reſpect
whereof the Arength of fin is the law, 1 Cor. xv. 56. being
thus quite removed by the legal application of the death
and refurrection of Chrift to the believer; the Spirit doth
really apply the ſame death and reſurrection to him, c«»n-
forming him perſonally thereto, through the communica-
tion of
grace to him out of the fulneſs of grace in Chrift
the head ; without which there cannot be any ſuch con-
formation, according to the fated method of grace reveal-
ed in the ſcripture. And thus they have a mediate effect
on him, conftituting him really and perſonally holy, in
fanctification; Rom. viii. 2. For the law of the Spirit
of life, in Chriſt Jeſus, hath made me free from the law
of fin and death. Col. ii. 12. • Buried with him in bap-
'tiſm, wherein alſo ye are rifen with him.' 1 Cor. xi. 13.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.'
John xv. 4. * As the branch cannot bear fruit of itſelf, ex-
cept it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye a.
bide in me. There was a double ſprinkling of the blood
of the facrifices, called the blood of the covenant, Exod.
xxiv. Firft, it was ſprinkled on the altar for atonement
and reconciliation with God for Ifrael, ver. 6. and next

142 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
it was ſprinkled on the people, for their purification, ver.
8. its purifying virtue flowing from its atoning virtue.
Accordingly, there is a double application or ſprinkling
of the blood of Chriſt, thereby fignified : one, for our
juſtification and reconciliation with God; mentioned Heb.
xii. 22. re are come ver. 24.--to the blood of
Sprinkling, that ſpeaketh better things than that of Abel, name.
ly, in that it ſpeaks for mercy and pardon, whereas Abel's
ſpoke for vengeance : and then another, for our fanctifi-
cation ; mentioned i Pet. i. 2. • Through fan&tification
of the Spirit unto obedience, and ſprinkling of the blood
of Jeſus Chrift.' And this is the only true favētification
of a finner, having a ſpecial relation to Jeſus Chriſt and his
Spirit.
Now, the branches of the promiſe of fan&ification are
manifold : for it fpreads as wide as the commandments of
the holy law, which, in the ſtation it hath in the goſpel.
covenant, are all turned into promiſes. Thus, whereas the
command is, Know the Lord; the promiſe is, They ſhall
all know me, faith the Lord, Jer. xxxi. 34. The command
, .
is, Come unto me, Matth. xi. 28. and it is promiſed, They
fball come, Pfal. xxii. 31. The command is, Love the Lord,
Pfal. xxxi. 23. it is promiſed, The Lord will circumciſe
thine heart to love the Lord, Deut. xxx. 6. It is the com-
mand, Fear God, 1 Pet. ii. 17. and it is promiſed, I will
put my fear in their hearts, Jer. xxxii. 40. We are com-
manded to be meek, humble, and lowly, Matth. xi. 29. and
it is promiſed, Ifa. xi. 6. The wolf fball dwell with the
lamb-and a young child ſhall lead them. And thus it is in all
a
other caſes, the whole commandments of the law in this
ftation being inlaid with the goſpel-promiſes, as appears
from Heb. viii. 10. I will put my laws into their minds,
6 and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a
• God, and they ſhall be to me a people.'
But the chief branches are theſe two; to wit, the pro-
miſe of repentance, and the promiſe of actual grace
and
Arength for all holy obedience. Sa
1. One chief branch of the promiſe of ſanctification, is
the promiſe of repentance. Not that legal repentance
which goes before Saving faith, being common to the elect
and reprobate ; but that evangelical repentance, which is

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
143
ye re-
deſcribed in our Catechiſm, the feeds of which are ſaid,
in the Larger Catechiſm, to be put into the heart in ſanc.
tification, and ſo follows faving faith and juſtification, in
the order of nature; Ezek. xxxvi. 31. • Then ſhall
* member your own evil ways, and your doings that were
• not good, and ſhall lothe yourſelves in your own fight
• for your iniquities.' Pſal. xxii. 27. "All the ends of the
' world ſhall remember and turn unto the Lord.' Zech. xii.
'10. They ſhall look upon me whom they have pierced,
and they ſhall mourn for him.' The whole ſpiritual
ſeed were, by means of the breach of the firſt covenant,
loft ſheep, even as others. Adam left them as ſo many
waifs and ſtrays, wandering on the mountains of vanity,
ready to become a prey to the roaring lion, who goes a-
bout there, ſeeking whom he may devour : Iſa. liii. 6.
• All we like ſheep have gone aftray: we have turned eve-
& ry one to his own way. All of them had loſt the way,
and none of them could find it again. They had gone a-
:
way from God, and could not return. They had turned
to him the back and not the face, and had become ſo in-
flexible, they could not turn about to him and to their du.
ty. They had lost their eyes and could not diſcern the
way to return : to do good they had no knowledge, Jer. iv.
22. They had loſt the power of their limbs, and could no
more return, though they had known the way, than the
Ethiopian can change his ſkin, or the leopard his ſpots, chap.
xiii. 23. And they had withal loft heart to return; God
being to them an unatoned Cod, his face ſet again them,
they could not bear to approach him. So they never
could have turned, although they had been able ; but
each of them would have ſaid, There is no hope. No, for
I have loved ſtrangers, and after them will I go, Jer. ii. 25.
Wherefore, had not the Mediator interpoſed, they had
wandered endleſsly: had not Jeſus Chriſt taken the deſpe-
rate caſe in hand, there had never been a returning finner
of Adam's family, a true penitent, a heart kindly ſoftened
in forrow for fin, nor turning in hatred againſt fin as fin,
more than there is among the fallen angels. But upon
conſideration of the ſecond Adam's walking with God,
the whole way of obedience to the law, which they went
off from; having withal laid on him the iniquities of them

144 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace, Head
3.
all; there was made a promiſe of giving them repentance,
that he ſhould gather together in one, the children of God that
were ſcattered abroad, John. xi. 52. In performance of
which promiſe, after his afcenfion into heaven, it was found,
that God had alſo to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life,
Acts xi. 18.
Now, when one is juſtified by faith, and new related to
God, as his Friend, Father, and God, he is fanétified,
and brought to true and evangelical repentance according
to this promife: Being come to Chrift by faith, he comes
back unto God by him in repentance, Heb. vii. 25.
Whence it is called repentance toward God, which is the
end whereunto faith toward our Lord Jeſus Chriſt is the
means, A&s xx. 21. Then, and not till then, it is, that
the heart is fet a-going in true goſpel-repentance, pleaſing
to God and acceptable in his fight : according to the ſcrip-
ture: Ezek. xvi. 62. • And I will eſtabliſh my covenant
with thee : ver. 63. That thou mayeft remember and be
(confounded, and never open thy mouth any more becauſe
of thy ſhame, when I am pacified towards thee. Chap.
*xx. 22. and ye ſhall know that I am the Lord, when I
e ſhall bring you into the land of Iſrael. ver. 43. And there
6 < fhall ye remember your ways, -and ye ſhall lothe your-
« felves. Chap. xxxvi. 25. Then will I ſprinkle clean
& water upon you, and ye ſhall be clean.verſe 26. A
"new heart alſo will I give you,ver. 28.-And ye
-
<hall be my people, and I will be your God. ver. 31.
« Then ſhall ye remember your own evil ways,--and ſhall
• lothe yourſelves. For then it is, that the love of God to
the ſoul, which lay hid before, doth ſhine forth more or
leſs clear; and being diſcerned by faith, accordingly warmsthe
heart of a finner with love to God again, according to that,
John iv. 19. We love him; becauſe he forft loved us. And that
love melts into repentance for fin, as in the woman who,
being forgiven much, loved much; and fhewed her love,
by her waſhing our Saviour's feet with tears, Luke vii. 37,
38, 47. The hard heart is then laid on the ſoft bed of
the love and free grace of God in Chrift; and the word
of the law inlaid with the goſpel, falls on it ſaying, “ Break,
«e for the Lord is gracious." Joel ii. 13. Rent your heart,
-and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 145
tears.
merciful;- and of great kindneſs. And thus, like a hammer,
breaketh the rock in pieces. The party, being as is before
declared, renewed ia the whole man, put into a ftate of
death unto fin, and life upto righteouſneſs, the new nature
vents itſelf in an ingenuous and thorough turning from fin
unto God, in heart and life. By believing, the finner re-
turns unto God as a portion wherein to reft : in repenting,
he returns unto God as a Lord and Maſter whom be is to
obey. He turns from fin unto God, coming back as a
runaway ſervant to his mafter, returning to his place and
duty in the family. And he returns with bluſhing and
He is filled with forrow and ſhame for offending a
good and gracious God. His heart is turned againſt fin,
in hatred of it: he hates it not only as a hurtful thing, that
would ruin him ; but as a filthy and lothſome thing that
defiles him. He lothes it as the abominable thing that
God hates ; as the deformity of the ſoul,, the very reverſe
of the glorious holineſs of God expreſſed in his law. He
lothes himſelf for it; calls himſelf fool and beaft, for his
entertaining it: fmites on his breaſt, as if he would bruiſe
that breaſt it was bred in ; and ſmites on his thigh, as if
he would break the legs that carried him in the way of it,
Luke xv. 20, 21. and xviii. 13. Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. And
he returns with full purpoſe of and endeavour after new
obedience; with a beart inclined to keep God's itatutes
always even unto the end, Pſal. cxix. 33. and filled with
carefulneſs in that point and vehement defire of it, and
ztal for it, 2 Cor. vii. II.
2. The other chief branch of the promiſe of fan&tifi.
cation is the promiſe of actual grace and frength for all
holy obedience ; whereby one may be enabled acceptably
to perform obedience, in all and every a&t of mortification
or dying unto on, and of living unto righteoufneſs; to do
every duty that is required of bim, and to bear whatſoe-
ver affliction is laid upon him, Pfalm xxi. 30. A feed ſhall
ferve him. Zech. x. VI 2. And I will ſtrengthen them in the
Lord, and they shall walk up and down in his name. Hof.
xiy.
ways of the Lord are riglit, and the juſt fball
walk in them. Exek. xxxvi. 27. And I will cauſe you to
walk in my ſtatutes, and ye ſhall keep my judgments, and de
them. And Deut. xxx. the root promiſe of ſanctificativa
N
9. The

146
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
in circumciſing of the heart to love the Lord, is in the
fortt place propofed, verfe 6. and then follow both the
branches thereof together, to wit, the promiſe of repente
ance, and of actual grace for new obedience, verſe 6.
And thou ſhalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do
oll bis commandiments. God planted Adam a noble vine,
made him as a greeu tree full of ſap, for bringing forth all
fruits of holinels: but, breaking the firſt covenant, he and
all mankind in him withered and died under the curſe;
upon which enſued an abſolute barrenneſe, that no fruit of
holineſs could be expected from them more. But the ſe.
fe-
cond Adam having engaged to ſatisfy the law, by bearing
the curſe, there was thereupon made a promiſe of raiſing
them up again to walk in newneſs of life. And it is
performed in their habitual ſanctification wrought in them
immediately upon their union with Chrift: for, though
ſandlification doth in the order of nature follow juftification,
and the new relation to God, as a Friend, Father, and
God; yet, in reſpect of time, it is together and at once
with them: in the ſame moment that a finner is juftified,
he is alſo fanctified. But even when we are habitually
fan&ified, through the habits of grace infuſed into us by
the Spirit, we are not of ourſelves, that is to fay, merely
upon
that ſtock, without new communications of actual
grace by the ſame Spirit, able to bring forth any fruit of
holineſs; even of our gracious felves we can do nothing,
as our Saviour teacheth, John xv. 4, 5. And the apofile
profeffeth, in his own name, and in the name of all other
gracious perſons, 2 Cor. iii. 4. And ſuch traft have we
through Chrif unto Godward, ver. 5, Not that we are ſuf-
ficient of ourſelves to think any thing as of ourſelves ; but our
Sufficiency is of God. For (faith he, Phillip. ij. 13.) it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do. And this
is no more frange in the diſpenſation of grace, than that, in
nature, freſh feed fown in good ground, yet cannot ſpring
up, and bring forth fruit, without warming and moiſten-
ing influences from the heavens; or, that we have a pow-
er of natural motion, and yet cannot actually inove a fin-
ger,
without a cominon providential influence of the Spi.
rit of God, in (or by) whom we live, and move, A&ts xvi.
28. Wherefore the promiſe is extended, as we have faid,

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant.
147
unto adual grace and ſtrength for the acts of holy obedi-
ence; and is ſo made forthcoming to believers in their actu-
al and progreffive fanctification.
And thus ſuch a ſufficient proviſion and allowarce of
grace is made in the covenant for believers, as that it is
poſſible for them, even in this life, to perform obedience
to the law of Chriſt, the ten commandments, the eternal
rule of righteouſoeſs, in all the parts thereof acceptably :
ſo that there is no corruption ſo ſtrong, but one may get
it acceptably mortifed ; nor does the Lerd require any
duty ſo difficult, but one may get it acceptably done; nor is
there any trial or affli&ion fo heavy but one may get them ac-
ceptably borne. If it had not been fo, our Lord would not have
made doing whatſoever he commands, the ditiinguiſhing
mark of his friends, John xv. 14. The apoſtle doth indeed
deny that we are fufficient of ourſelves; but withal he teach-
eth that there is a fufficiency for us of God, 2 Cor.iii.5. So
the Lord himſelf tauglit him, in his own caſe, chap. xii. 9.
My grace is ſufficient for thee. Without it were fo, Chriſt's
yoke could not be eaſy, nor his burden light, Matth. vi.
30. Nay, they would be like the yoke and burden of the
law as a covenant of works, grievous to be borne, chap.
xxxii. 4. But his commandments are not grievous, 1 John v.
3. It was no vain boafling the apoſtle uſed, when he ſaid,
I can do all things through Chrijl, which frengtheneth me,
Philip. iv. 13. Nor was Epaphras out, in fuppofing that
the Coloffian believers might fland complete in all the will of
God, Col. iv, 12. David had God's own teftimony, as-
to fact in that matter, Afts xii. 22. I have found
David, a man after mire own heart, which ſhall fulfil
all my will."
This bears na prejudice to the doctrine of the imperfec.
tien of the obedience of the ſaints in this life, maintained
by orthodox divines agaiof the Papifts and other Perfec-
tionills; which, as it is abundantly evident from the ho.
ly feriptures, hath alſo a concurring teflimony to the truth
thereof in the breafts of all the ſerious godly, to whom ic
is given by the Spirit to diſcern the holineſs of God, the
fpirituality of the law, and the corruption of their own
But I am perfuaded, that through the ſleight of
Satan, that doctrine is, as ſeveral other precious truths are,
a ftone of Aumbling to many, through their not adverting
a
nature.
N 2

148 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head
3.
inen
to the proviſion and allowance of grace made in this promiſe
of the covenant, and that by this means many a poor
fin-
ver is ſnared and ruined, and the hands of many ſaints
weakened in the practice of holineſs, to the great diſad-
vantage of the cauſe of holineſs in the world.
To break that fnare, and ſee this matter in a clear light,
there are three things carefully to be diſtinguiſhed.
1. Diſtinguiſh between performing obedience, in all the
parts thereof, and in all the degrees of theſe parts. The
latter indeed no man can, at any rate, do in this life, James
iii. 2. Ecclef. vii. 20. But the former every true believer
may do, yea, and actually doth, ſo far as theſe parts are
,
known to him, as appears from the text above alledged.
In confounding of theſe there lies a fnare. « The beſt of
es men,” lay crafty fioners, “ do in many things come
“fhort of the obedience required of them : and but fo do
66 we.” Now, that the ſaints do come ſhort of the de-
grees of every part of obedience required of them, is very
true : but that they come fhurt of any of the parts them-
telves known to them, which is the caſe of the crafty fin-
ser feeking ſhelter for his fin here is falfe. And herein
the former do really diftinguiſh themſelves from the latter;
as David ſhewed himſelf of another make than Saul, by,
kis fulfilling all God's will, in the ſeveral parts thereof,
which Saul did not, Acts xiii. 22. It is here as in the
caſe of a family, conſiſting of pliable children, and refrac-
tory ſervants.
The matter of the family preſcribes ſeveral
pieces of work to be done by them all; and his grown
children, who have perfect ſkill of their buGineſs do them
all exactly according to his mind: and thus glorified ſaints
obey; the younger children, who are but learning to work,
,
d»), out of regard to their fatter's command, indeed put
band to every one of them, but they can do none of them
exactly : even ſo it is with the faints on earth: but re-
fractory ſervants put band to ſome of them, but quite ne-
glect others of them: and this is the manner of the wick-
ed and ſlothful ſervant, who ſeeks ſhelter here for his ſloth,
and his partiality in obedience.
2. Diftinguiſh between performing obedience perfe Aly,
and performing it acceptably. No man can perform obe-
dience perfectly in this life, Philip.. iii. 12, But every

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 149
true believer performs obedience acceptably: As x. 35.
• He that feareth him, and worketh righteouſneſs, is ac-
cepted with him.' In confounding of theſe there is a
ſnare. The crafty Anner faith, « There is none that
" performeth obedience perfectly : and I am ſure I do
“ many things, though indeed not all.” Now, that the
true believers do not perform obedience perfe&tly, is very
true; but that they do not perform it acceptably, which
is the cafe of the crafty finner, as not univerſal, and there.
fore not fincere, in his obedience, is altogether falfe. They
who are malters, know very well how to make this diflinc-
tion in their domeſtic affairs. If a child, or pliable ſer-
vant, ſhew a real good will to obey their orders, they will
accept of their work, though it is not done, in every point,
as they would have it: ſo, if there be forft a willing mind,
diſcovered in fincere endeavours, it is accepted of God for
the ſake of Chrift, according to that a man bath, 2 Cer. viii.
12. But if a fervant fhall quite neglect to put hand to a
thing, which he is peremptorily ordered to do, becauſe he
cannot do it every way ſo as the maſter would have it done ;
this is conſtrued to be a contempt of the maſter's authority.
And what other account can men imagine will be made in
heaven of their conduct, in inſtances of plain and unque.
ftionable duty, which they quite negleét; and of fin, that
they indulge themſelves in?
3. Diftiuguiſh between ability in ourſelves for perform-
ing obedience in all the parts thereof acceptably, and a-
bility for it in Chriſt to be fetclied in by faith. Neither
faints nor finners have the former, 2 Cor. iii, 5. but all
true believers have the latter: they have ſuch ability in
Christ their head, Col. ii. 10. Te are compleat in bim. Phi
lip. iv. 13. I can do all things, through Chriſt which firengthe
eneth me. And it is in the goſpel offered to all, ſo that
whofoever will, may bave it: Matib.xi. 28. Come unto me, all
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rel.
Verſe 29. Take my yoke upon you. If a difereet maſter com-
mand his fervant to go and do a particular piece of work,
it will not excuſe the ſervant's neglect thereof, that he
wanted infruments neceſſary for it; becaufe he will reck.
on, that his bidding him do the work, did ſuppoſe his al.
lowing him inſtrumeats, without which it could not be
N 33

150 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
ard
done: and that tlre fervant ought to have called for them
But bere lies a ruicing ſnare to many.
6. We can do no.
" thing of ourſelves," ſay they :- and hereupon the flug.
gard puts his hand in his boſom, and Joes nothing ; but,
having laid his head on his ſoft pillow, he fileeps to deata
on the bed of floth and carnal eaſe. Othat inen would
open their eyes and ſee through this piece of raining de-
ceit! No man ſhall be able to excuſe himſelf hereby, for
the performance of holy obedience in all the parts thereof.
Nay, this his conduct will bring him under a double guilt;
one, of negleding what it was his duty to do ; another of
deſpiſing the grace offered him, to enable him thereto :-
and ſo he will be condemned, not becauſe he could not o-
bey, but becauſe he would not. God hath never been a
hard maſter to mankind, reaping where he did not fow; but
hath always made a ſuitable allowance of grace aod Atrength
to them for his work. In the covenant of works, only
perfe&t obedience could be accepted at the hands of the
covenant people : and there was an allowance of
grace
#rength conform, made to them in it. God made man
upright, able to obey the law in perfection. And the law
judly. in fifts for perfection of obedience-fill, upon the
ground of that proviſion which was made for it, though
it is now left ; ſeeing that it was loſt by man's own fault...
In the covenant of grace, which is adapted to our fallen
ftate, finoere - obedience may be accepted, not withitand-
ing of imperfections attending it. And accordingly, in it:
zhere is made a proviſion and allowance of ſuch a fufficiency
of grace and trength, as thereby every piece of obedience
required of the covenant people, may be done even in this
life; though not as it ſhould be done, yet ſo as it may be-
accepted: accepted I ſay, not for his own fake indeed,
nor for the worker's fake neither ; but for Chrilt’s faks,
in whoſe name it is required to be done and offered to
God as a ſpiritual facrifice, acceptable to God by Jeſus Chrift,
1 Pet. ii. 5. This is evident from the forecited paſages, 2
Cor. iii. 5. and xii. 9. Philip. iv. 13, But witbal, this
Jufficiency of grace, and ſtrength for that effc&, is not lodge
ed in the covenant people, themſelves; but in Chrift their
head, in whom they have it, 26, the branches have a ſuffici:
ercy of ſap, and juice in the vine, for their bringing forth

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 151
fruit in the ſeafon : [fa. xlv. 24. Surely fball one ſay, in
the Lord have I righteouſneſs and frength. 2 Tim. ii
. i:
Thou therefore, my ſon, be ſtrong in the grace that is in Chrift
Jeſus. And it is fetched into the ſoul by faith, believing
the promiſe : Jer. xvii
. 5. Blefjed is the man that truſteth in
the Lord. Verſe 8. For he ſhall be as a tree planted by the
waters. Pſal. xxviii. 7. My heart truſteth in him, and I
am helped. And ſo every command of Chriſt in this co-
venant, ſuppoſeth an allowance of grace and Atrength, fuffi-
cient for the performing of it in an acceptable mauner. Ac-
cordingly, the declaration of grace
ftands on the front of
the ten commandments, Exod. xx. 2. I am the Lord thy
Godverſe 3. Thou fbalt have no other gods before me,
&c. If the law came to us without the goſpel, we might
have ſome excuſe for not doing what we are commanded :
yet not ſo ſtrong, but that it would be overthrown, as in
the caſe of Pagans, Rom. ii. 12. But fice, with the
commands of the law requiring obedience, the goſpel alſo
comes, to us, ſhewing how we may be enabled to obey them
acceptably, and offering us that ability in Christ Jeſus ; we
are inexcuſable in that matter : the plea of the wicked
and Nothful ſervant is rejected ; and he is condemned, not
only for not giving obedience, but for refuſing grace and
ftrength offered him, to enable him thereto..
Wherefore, let us firmly believe this promiſe of the go-
ſpel-covenant, that we may give obedience to the com-
mands of the law : for where there is no hope of perform-
ing acceptably what is required, there can be no ſuitable
endeavour after it. If the heart is hopeleſs in the matter,
the hands will certainly hang down: and the iffue mult
needs be, either a ceaſing from the duty altogether, or elſe
a very faint performance thereof, unacceptable to God.
But the faith of this promiſe will remove the cover of loth,
animate to every good work, and bring in grace and
ftrength for all holy obedience : Having therefore theſe pro-
miſes, dearly beloved, let us cleanſe ourſelves from all filthineſs
of the fleſh and ſpirit, perfeâing holineſs in the fear of God,
2. Cor. vii. 1.
Since God hath not given to the church the command
of ſanctification to be obeyed, without the promiſe of
fandifcation to be believed ; but he that, hath ſaid,. Wafle
a
.

,152 The Paris of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
a
ge, make you clean, hath faid alfo, I will ſprinkle clean was
,
ter upon you, and ye shall be clean; no man hath ground to
ta
imagine, that he doth ſo much as endeavour to comply with
the true deſign of the command of fan&ification, who doth
not firſt believe and embrace the promiſe of fan&tification;
but falls to work with the nitre and ſoap of his own faith-
leſs endeavours, to waſh himſelf clean. Such a one mif-
takes the true intent and import of the command of fanc-
tification as it ſtands in his Bible; and that as far as the
command of a diſcreet maſter would be miſtaken by a fool.
iſh ſervant, who being bid to go and dig a parcel of ground,
fhould thereupon fall a digging it with his nails, never
looking after a ſpade, mattock, or any other inſtrument :
proper to dig with.
Now, the promiſe of ſanctification, with its ſeveral
branches, is gratfed upon the promiſe of a reſurrection
made to Chrift. For the condition of the covenant being
fulfilled, he, as the head, was, according to the promiſe,
• brought again from the dead, and lives unto God, death
. having no more dominion over him:' and in virt de hereof
again, his members are brought to é repentance from dead
• works, and unto newneſs of life. Hence we are faid to
be begotten again, by the reſurrection of Jeſus Chrift
• from the dead,’ı Pet. i. 3. • foraſmuch as we are raiſed
' with him (Col.iii. 1.) nito pewnefsoflife ( Rom.vi.4, 5:)
according to the promiſe, lía. xxvi. 19. «Thy dead men
« ſhall live, together with my dead body ſhall they ariſe.
The earth ſhall caſt out the dead ; namely, in the firft place,
the head Chriſt Jeſus the firft-born from the deal, Col. i. 8.
and then his myſtical members after him in their order.
Compare Hoſ. vi. 2. ' In the third day he will raiſe us up,
6 and we ſhall live in his light.'
Thus far of the promile of fan&ification. Follows,
IV. The promiſe of Perſeverance in Grace.
The promiſe of eternal life doth, in like manner, com-
prehend the promiſe of perſeverance in grace, to be con-
ferred on all the covenant people, being juftified, new re-
lated to God, and fanctified ; ſo that being once brought
into the ſtate of grace, they ſhall never fall away from it
totally nor finally. This promiſe we have, Jer. xxxii. 40.
6

The promiſory Part of the Covenant. 153
a
• And I will make an everlaſting covenant with them,
o that I will not turn away from them, to do them good,
but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they ſhall not
. '
depart from me. Here they are ſecured on both ſides;
that God will never caft them off, and that they ſhall ne-
ver defert him. And that this benefit is included in the
promiſe of eternal life, is clear from the apoſtle's ad-
ducing this laſt to prove it, Heb. %. 38. Now the juſt
skall live by faith. Such is the malice of Satan, and the
advantage he hath againſt the faints in this life ; fo mani-
fold are the ſnares for them in the preſent evil world;
fuch a tender bud of heaven is the implanted grace of
God in them; and fo corrupt, fickle, and inconitant are
the hearts of the belt, while here: that if their perſever.
ance had not been ſecured by promiſe in the covenant,
but made the condition of the covenant, and left to the
management of their own free-will, they would have had
but a forry reftoration of it into the fate of grace; much
as if they had got a ſpark of fire to keep alive in the
midſt of an ocean. At that rate they might all have pe-
riſhed ; and Jeſus Chrift, notwithſtanding of the ſhedding
of his blood for them, might have eternally remained a
head without members, a king without ſubjects : But the
glory of Chrift, and the falvation of his redeemed, were
not left at {uch uncertainty. That perſeverance which
the firſt Adam failed of, and was made the condition of
the ſecond covenant, the ſecond Adam did undertake in
their name: and hereupon was made the promiſe of their
perſeverance. And he having accordingly perſevered un-
to the end, in obedience to the law for them, being obedi-
ent even to the death, it was purchaſed for them. Thus,
Chriſt's perfeverance in obedience to the law, till the con-
dition of the covenant was perfe&tly fulfilled, is the ground
in law upon which the perſeverance of the ſaints is infalli-
bly fecured, in virtue of the faithfulneſs of God in the
promile.
Now this promiſe begins to be performed to them as
foon as they are united unto Chrift; and it goes on all a-
long unto their death, that they enter into glory : yea,
frictly ſpeaking, death is not the laſt, but a middle term
of their perſeverance ; after which it proceeds far more
a

154 The Paris of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
illuſtriouſly than before. Upon their union with the fe-
cond Adam, being favingly intereted in his obedience,
which he perſevered in unto the end, they are confirmed
that they can no more fall away: even as the firſt Adam's
Datural feed would have been confirmed, upon his having
completed the courſe of his probationary obedience, and
fulfilling the condition of the covenant of works. The
myſtical members of Chriſt do then obtain the former, as
the reward of his continued obedience ; as in the other
fuppoſed event, Adam's natural feed would have obtained
the latter, as the reward of his continued obedience.
The promiſe of the perſeverance of the ſaints, ſeems to
be grafted upon the promiſe of affiftance made to Chriſt
in his work. The Father promiſed to him, that he
would uphold him, fo as he ſhould not fail, Ifa. xlii. 1, 4.
The which promiſe being made to him as a public perfon,
,
carries along with it the preſervation, and ſupport of his
members, in all their temptations, trials, and dangers of
periſhing ; enſuring the ſafe conduct, as of the head, fo
of the myſtical members, through this world, till they be
out of the reach of danger,
Now, of the promiſe of perſeverance there are two
chief branche3.
1. A promiſe of continued influences of grace to be
from time to time conferred on them, being once brought
into a ſtate of grace : Ifa. xxvii. 3. I will water it every
moment. Their ſtock of inherent grace would foon fail,
if they were left to live upon it, without ſupply coming
io from another hand : of itſelf it would wither away and
die out, if it were not fed, Luke xxii. 32. John xv. 6.
Innocent Adam had a larger ſtock of inherent grace
thaa
any one of the ſaints in this life, and yet he loſt it. But
the grace of God in believers cannot be fo loft: for in
virtue of the promiſe, there are continued influences ſex
cured for them; namely, preſerving influences, whereby
grace given, is kept from dying out, that as they are fanca
tified in God the Father, ſo they are preſerved in Jeſus Chriſt
,
Jude 1. exciting influences, whereby the grace preſerved
beginning to languiſh, or being brought low by the pre-
vailing of corruption and temptation, is flirred up and put
in exerciſe again; and ſtrengthening influences, whereby

The promiffory Part of the Covenant. 155
Col. ii. 19
a
the grace excited is increaſed, and gathers more frength,
to the overtopping of corruption, and repelling of temp-
tation: Hof. xiv. 7. They ſhall revive as the corn, and
grow as the vine. Accordingly, their faith is never fuf.
fered to fail totally, but is preſerved, excited, and ſtrength.
ened ; and all the other graces with it, and by it. And
this is brought to paſs through the communication of new
fupplies of grace to them, by the Spirit, from Cbrift their
head, « from all which the body having nouriſhment mi-
* niſtered, (namely, through the fupply of the Spirit,
· Philip. i. 19.) increaſed with the increafe of God,"
.
2. The other chief branch of this promiſe is a promiſe of
pardon, continued pardon for the fins of their daily walk:
whereby emergent differences betwixt God and them, come
to be done away from time to time, ſo that a total rupture is
prevented : Jer. xxxiii. 8. “I will pardon all their iniqui-
* ties.' Howbeit the juſtified have, as to their ſtate, no
need of a new formal pardon, but only by a manifeftatina
of their former pardon; fince the pardon given in joftifi-
cation, is never revoked, though by means of their after
fins they may loſe fight of it: yet as to their daily walk,
they have great need of a formal pardon ; foraſmuch as
they are daily contracting new guilt : John xiii. 10. He
that is wafbed, needeth not, fave to waſh his feet. For how-
beit no fins of the joftified can bring thern any more un-
der the guilt of eternal wrath ; nevertheleſs they do bring
the guilt of the fatherly anger, Pfal. lxxxix. 30, 31, 32.
And therefore they need to pray every day, Our Father,
* forgive us our debts.?
This pardon is given them, upon their renewed acting of
faith in Jeſus Chrift, and of repentance towards God; yet
not for their believing and repenting, but for Chriit's ſake,
even as the firſt pardon is given, 1 John ii. 1, 2. and i. 7.
Applying the blood of Chrift afreſh to their fouls, they are
now moved to repentance, turning from their fous with ha-
tred of them, forrow, fhame, and felf. loathing for them.
Looking by faith on him whom they have pierced, they
mourn in renewed repentance ; and ſo receive this pardon.
For although repentance doth not go before, but follows
after the pardon of fun in justification; yet not only faith
a

156
The Parts of the Covenant of Graca. Head 3.
but repentance alſo, goes before the pardon given to thoſe
already juftified: 1 John i. 7. . If we walk in the light,
1
e as he is in the light, we have fellowſhip one with another,
6 and the blood of Jeſus Chriſt bis Son cleanſeth us from
• all fin. Verſe 9. If we confeſs our fins, he is faithful, and
juſt to forgive us our fins, and to cleanſe us.' Therefore
we are ordered to pray thus, · Our Father forgive us our
• debts, as we forgive our debtors,' Matth. vi. 9, 12, to
teach all the children of God, that if they would have their
Father's forgiveneſs, they muſt in the firſt place forgive o-
thers; which is yet more clearly intimated, Luke xi. 4.
* And forgive us our fins; for we alſo forgive every one
6 • that is indebted to us.' But the matter is not fo ftated,
with reſpect to the pardon of fin in juftification ; but that
pardon is the ſpring of our forgiving others, Matth. xviii.
32, 33. For our hearty and acceptable forgiving of others,
proceeds from true Chriftian love to our peighbour ; and
that flows from love to God; the which is kindled in our
hearts by God'e pardoning grace to us, Lụke vii. 47. Eph.
iv. 32. The reaſon of the difference lies here, The unjuiti-
fied finner is under the guilt of revenging wrath, which
ſeeks not the amendment, but the deſtruction of the guil-
ty: wherefore till once it is removed, there can be no true
evangelical repentance, no acceptable amendment, in the
finner; theſe being really a reſtoration of him to life, in-
compatible with a legal deſtination of him to deſtruction.
But the juſtified ſaint is only under the guilt of fatherly an-
ger, which ſeeks not the deſtruction, but the recovery and
amendment of the guilty: and therefore it is not removed
until he repent, turning from his fin unto God, in an ac-
ceptable manner; and that is the very amendment God
ſeeketh in fhewing his anger againſt him, as in the caſe of
David and of Peter.
And thus are the faints cauſed to perſevere in grace, both
real and relative. The promiſe of continued influences ſe-
cures not only the prefervation, but the renewed exerciſe
of their grace, particularly of their faith and repentance :
and the promiſe of continued pardon to them, believing and
repenting, fecures the removal of the guilt of fatherly an-
ger. The Spirit of Chriit ever dwells in them, and ſo con-
tinues an inviolable bond of their union with him; aud

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 157
dwelling in them, he recovers them when they are fallen,
ftirs up the holy fire of grace lying hid with the aſhes of
corruption. Then the withered hand of faith is again
ſtretched out ; and the man believes the promiſe of the
par-
don of guilt of eternal wrath, as to all his fins; this melts
his heart in kindly repentance; and ſo he believes the pro-
miſe of continued pardon, as to fatherly anger, with reſpect
to the fins the cauſes of God's preſent controverſy with
him, and obtains pardon accordingly. By theſe means,
matters are always kept from coming to a total rup-
ture.
V. The Promiſe of Temporal Benefits.
In the fifth and laſt place, the promiſe of eternal life to
the elect, confidered in this period, comprehends a promiſe
of temporal benefits to be conferred on them, and every one
of them, being united to Chrift; and that in ſuch meaſure,
as God fees meet for his own glory and their good. This
promiſe ſtands embodied with the ſpiritual promiſes in the
covenant, Ezek. xxxvi. 29. • I will alſo ſave you from all
your uncleanneſſes, and I will call for the corn and increaſe
it.' Hof.ii. 22. The earth ſhall bear the corn, and the wine,
. and the oil, and they ſhall bear Jezreel.' Indeed this
is not the principal thing contained in the promiſſory part
of the covenant; but it is a neceſſary addition thereto:
as the preſent ftate of the ſaints, while in this world, doth
require, Matth. vi. 33. And thus godlineſs, as the apoſtle
obſerves, 1 Tim. iv. 8. • hath promiſe of the life that now
* is, and of that which is to come.'
When God took man into the firſt covenant, he made
proviſion in it for his temporal as well as for his ſpiritual
and eternal welfare. He gave him a right to, and domini-
on over the creatures in the earth, ſea, and air ;, giving and
granting unto him full power foberly to ufe them, and to
diſpoſe of them, for God's glory and his own comfort ;
and this lordſhip to be holden of him as fovereigo lord of
all, firm and irreverGble, by the tenor of that covenant, as
long as he ſhould continue in his obedience; but to be for-
feited to all intents and purpoſes, in caſe he ſhould by
tranfgreffion break the covenant, Gen. i. 28. and ii. 16,
17. But man continued not in this honour : be brake

158 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
God's covenant, and fo fell from that his right to, and
dominion over the creatures. By his tranſgreſſion he for-
feited life itfelf; and confequently loſt his covenant right
to all the means and comforts of life. And in this condition,
are all natural men, with reſpect to theſe things. They
have no covenant-right to the means and comforts of life,
whatever portion of them they are poffeffed of. All the
right that they have to them, is a mere providential, pre.
carious right ; ſuch as a condemned man hath to his food,
during the time his execution is delayed at the pleaſure of
the prince. This is a moſt uncertain and uncomfortable
holding ; nevertheleſs it ſo far avails, that they are not,
properly ſpeaking, violent poffeffors of temporal benefits;
having juſt the ſame right to them as to their forfeited life,
while it is left them by the diſpofal of providence, Where-
fore the worſt of men may lawfully eat and drink, and take
the benefit of other neceffaries of life, whatever Satan may
ſuggeſt to the contrary in the hour of temptation ; yea,
they ought to do it, and they fin againſt God egregioufly
if they do it not : becauſe he hath ſaid, Thou ſhalt not kill
.
But the fecond Adam having undertaken to bear the
curſe, and to give perfect obedience to the law, in the
name of his fpiritual feed ; there was thereupon made a
promiſe of reſtoring to them the forfeited life, with all the
means thereof: and particularly, a promiſe of the good
things requiſite for the ſupport and comfort of their tema.
poral life in this world, till at death they be carried home
to heaven. And the performance of this promiſe to them,
is begun immediately upon their uniting with Chrift:
then their covenant-relation to the firſt Adam is found to
be lawfully diffolved ; the forfeiture is taken of; aod a
new covenant right to the creatures is given them: 1 Cor.
iii. 22, 23. All are yours ; and ye are Chriſt's. And it
goes on all along till death; fo much of this their ftock
being from time to time put into their hands, as the great
Adminiſtrator fees needful for them. And whether that
be little or much, they do from that moment poffefs it by
a new title: it is theirs by covenant.
Now, this promile is grafted upon the promiſe made to
Chriſt of his inheriting all things. For they that are his
are joint heirs with him, Rom. viii. 17. to inherit all

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 159
things too, through him, Rev, xxi. 7. The eſtate and
honour which the firſt Adam loft for himſelf and family,
by his diſobedience in breaking of the firſt covenant, was,
in the ſecond covenant, made over by prorniſe to Chriſt the
fecond Adam, for him and his, upon the condition of his
obedience. The which obedience being performed, the
whole ancient eſtate of the family was recovered, together
with the honours thereunto belonging. The ancient do- .
minion was reſtored, in the perſon of Chriſt as ſecond A-
dam: and all his myftical members partake thereof in him.
This the Pfalmift teacheth, Píalm viii. 4. What is man, that
thou art mindful of him ? and the ſon of man, that thou viſit-
eft him ? Verfe 5. For thou haſi made him a little lower
5
than the angels, and haft crowned him with glory and honour,
Verſe 6. Thou madeſt him to have dominion over the works
of thy hands : thou haſt put all things under his feet : Verſe
7. All ſheep end oxen, yea, and the beaſis of the
field: Verſe
8. The fowl of the air, and the fifb of the ſea, and whatſoever
pafſeth ihrough the paths of the ſeas. Though there is here
a manifeſt view to the firft Adam, and all mankind in him,
as they were happily and honourably ſtated at their crea-
tion ; yet we are infallibly aſſured by the apoſtle, that this
paſſage is meant of Chrift the ſecond Adam, Heb. ii. 6, 7,
8, 9. and his myſtical members in him, verſe 6. Accord.
ingly, Abraham had the promiſe, that he ſhould be heir of
the world, and he had it through the righteouſneſs of
faith, i, e. the righteouſneſs which faith apprehends, Rom.
iv. 13. Now, Abraham was a type of Chriſt, and the fa.
ther of the faithfal, who are all bleſſed as he was. There
fore this promiſe was primarily to Chriſt, through the
righteouſneſs by him wrought, fecondarily to his mem-
bers, through the fame righteoufneſs apprehended by
faith.
This promiſe of temporal benefits, carries believers' poſ-
ſeſſion of the ſame, as far as their need in that kind doth
, go, Phillip. iv. 19. Of which need, not they themſelves, ,
but the Father is the fit judge, Matth. vi. 32. Accord-
ingly, there are two chief branches of the promiſe, name.
ly, a promife of provifion, and a promiſe of protection.
1. A promiſe of proviſion of good things neceſſary for
this life : upon which they may confidently truſt God for
02

160
The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
<
6
them, whatever ftraits they are at any time reduced to:
Pſal. xxxiv. 10. • The young lions do lack and fuffer hun-
ger: but they that ſeek the Lord ſhall not want any
good thing. Their meat and drink are ſecured for
'
them in the covenant: the which being perceived by faith,
cinnot miſs to give them a particular reliſh, however mean
their fare be, as to quantity or quality ; Iſa. xxxiii. 16.
• Bread ſhall be given him, his water ſhall be ſure. They
fh 11 be fed, though they be not feated : Pſalm xxxvii. 3.
Verily thou ſhalt be fed.' They ſhall have enough, they
Ahall be ſatisfied, Joel ii. 26. And even days of famine
fhill not marr that their ſatisfaction ; Pſalm xxxvii. 19.
• In the days of famine they ſhall be ſatisfied.' And as
fl:ep for their refreſhment is neceſſary too, the promiſe
bears it alſo : Prov. iii. 24. • Thou ſhalt lie down, and
thy ſleep ſhall be ſweet.' They need cloathing, and pro-
viſion is made as to it: Matth. vi. 30. •If God ſo clothe
• the graſs of the field shall he not much more clothe
you, Oye of little faith ?' Having made them, by cove-
nant, a new grant of life and of a body, which is more
than meat and cloathing, he will not refuſe them theſe lef-
fer things neceſſary for the ſupport of the greater : verſe
25. ' Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment ?' Thus our fallen firſt parents, having believed
and embraced the promiſe of life, had, with the new grant
of life, food and raiment provided for them, as is particular-
ly taken notice of, Gen. iii. 15, 18, 21. A bleſſing alſo
on their labours is promiſed, and ſucceſs in tbeir lawful cal-
lings and affairs, Iſa. Ixv. 21, 22, 23. In a word, the
covenant bears, that God will with-hold no good thing
• from them that live uprightly,' Pſalm lxxxiv. 11.
2. There is alſo a promiſe of protection from the evil
things that concern this life: Pſalm xci. 10. There ſhall
• no evil befal thee. Verſe 11. For he ſhall give his an-
gels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.' To.
gether with the bread and the water provided by the cove-
nant for them to live on, the munition of rocks are fecured
to them for a place of defence, where they may fafely enjoy
them, Iſa. xxxiii. 16. The fame Lord who is a fun to nou.
riſh them, will be a ſhield to protect them, Pſalm lxxxiv.
ii. He will be a wall of fire round about them, to che.
<
8
a
11

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 161
6
cii. 3, 4.
riſh them, and to keep off, fcare, and fright away
their enemies, Zech. ii. 5. The covenant yields a broad
covert for the ſafety of believers: Pſalm xci. 4. “He ſhall
cover thee with his feathers. The covert of the cove-
nant is ſtretched out over their bodies; over their health, to
preſerve it, while it is neceſſary for God's honour and their
own good, Prov. iii. 7. • Fear the Lord, and depart from
evil. Verſe 8. It fhall be health to thy navel, and marrow to
• thy bones ;' over their lives, as long as God has any fer-
vice for them in this world: ſo in fickneſs they are carefully
ſeen to, Pſalm xli. 3. “Thou wilt make all his bed in ficke
o neſs:' their diſeaſes healed and they recovered, Pſalm
And they are delivered from enemies that
ſeek their life, Pſalm xli. 2. Yea, when death rides in
triumpk, having made havock on all fides of them, as by
ſword or peftilence, they are found fafe under the covert
of the covenant, Pſalm xci. 6, 7. This covert is ftretched
over their names, credit and reputation; Job v. 21. • Thou
• fhalt be hid from the ſcourge of the tongue :' either the
tongues
of virulent men ſhall not reach them; or they
fhall not be able to make the dirt to ſtick on them; or
elfe if they ſhall be permitted to make it ſtick for a while,
the covert of the covenant fhall wipe all off at length, and
their righteouſneſs ſhall be brought forth as the light, and
their judgment as the noon-day, Pſalm xxxvii. 6. It is
ftretched over their houſes and dwelling-places: Pſalm xci.
10. Neither ſhall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. I:
goes round about their fubftance, making a hedge about
all that they have, Job i, 10. Yea, and there is a lap of it
to caft over their widows and children, when they are dead
and gone : Jer. xlix. 11. Leave thy father leſs children,
will preſerve them alive, and let thy widorus truſt in me.
Thus far of the promiſe of eternal life, confidered in the
ſecond period, to wit, from union with Chrift, until death.
PERIOD III.
From death, through eternity.
T remains, that we confider the promiſe of eternal life
to the elect, as it is accompliſhed to, and hath its ef-
feet
upon them, from their death all along through eter.
IT
O 3

162 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
nity. And ſo the great lines of it are two; to wit, a
promiſe of victory over death, and a promiſe of everlaſting
life in heaven. And theſe things I ſhall touch more
briefly, having handled them at large elſewhere.
1. The promiſe of Vigory over Death.
The promiſe of eternal life comprehends a promife of
victory over death, to be conferred on all and every one
of the ſpiritual feed, in the encounter with that laſt enemy:
Iſa. xxv. 8. He will ſwallow up death in vi&ory, and the
Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. After the
weariſome march, and the reiterated fight of faith they
have in their paſſage through the wilderneſs of this world,
they have to paſs the Jordan of death, and to fight the
laſt battle with that enemy. But the vi&tory is ſecured
on their ſide by promife; of which there are two chief
branches, to wit, a promiſe of difarming death, and a pro-
miſe of deſtroying it.
1. There is a promiſe of diſarming death to the dying
believer ; ſo that it ſhall at no rate be able to reach him a
ruinating Aroke: Hof. xii. 14. 'O death, I will be thy
plague ;' namely, by taking the fting quite away. I Cor.
xv. 55. When fin entered the world, death followed : and
fin furniſhed death with an envenomed fting, where with to
kill the finner, both foul and body at once : the holy law,
with its curſe, fixed the fting in death's hand; having
frft fo pointed it, that it could not miſs of doing execu-
tion. But Chrift the ſecond Adam, having undertaken to
bear the curſe, and to die in the room and fead of his
people there was thereupon made a promiſe of diſarming
death to them, fince the Surety ſuffering the pains of
death armed with its ſting, the principal behoved to be li-
berate from fuffering the ſame over again. And thus
the covenant fecures believers from death's harm. Yea,
it ſo alters the nature thereof, that it makes it a quite new
rbing to them from wbat it was originally. Hence death
is found in the inventory of the ſaints treaſure, 1 Cor. iii.
22. Whether life, or death, or things preſent, or things
* to come ; all are yours.' Not only is life theirs by the
covenant, but death is theirs too by the ſame tenor. And
indeed as it is new framed by the covenant, it is of essel-

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 163
lent uſe to them, bringing them into a ſtate of perfection
and everlaſting reft, Heb. xii. 23. Rev. xiv. 13.
.
This promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe of victory
made to Chrift, as appears from the forecited Iſa. xxv. 8.
He encountered death armed with its fting, on purpoſe to
diſarm it to his people: he received the fting thereof in-
to his own foul and body, that they might be delivered
from it. Wherefore the promiſe of victory over death
made to him, ſecures the diſarming of it to them. And as
the promiſe makes them ſafe, in the encounter with that
laft
enemy: fo the lively faith of it may deliver from fear
in the caſe.
2. There is a promiſe of deſtroying death to the dead
believer, by a glorious reſurrection at the laſt day : Ho-
fea xiii. 14. O grave, I will be thy deſtruction. When
,
death entered into the world by fin, then came the grave,
as death's attendant to keep faſt his priſoners for him, till
the general judgment; and thus the grave ferves death,
in the caſe of all who die in a ſtate of enmity with God.
But Chriſt, the ſecond Adam, having in the ſecond cove.
nant engaged to go, in the room and ſtead of his people,
death’s priſoner, into the grave, and there to lie till their
debt ſhould be fully paid ; there was made thereupon a
promiſe of a glorious reſurrection to his members, where.
by they ſhall be put out of the reach of death for good and
all, at the laſt day: for “then ſhall be brought to paſs the
• ſaying that is written, Death is ſwallowed up in victory, '
1 Cor. xv. 54, and then ſhall they triumphantly fing, · 0
· death, where is thy fting ? Ograve, where is thy vičtery?"
verſe 55. And thus the covenant fecures the forming a-
new of their diffolved bodies, the return of their departed
fouls into them, and their coming forth of their graves
glorious, immortal, and incorruptible. In the faith of
which, the faints may with comfort conſider the grave
as but a retiring place, from whence, after a while they
fhall come forth with unſpeakable joy.
This promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe of a refur.
rection made to Chrift, Ifa. xxvi. 19. · Thy dead men
• ſhall live, together with my dead body ſhall they ariſe'.
The promiſe of a refurre&tion being made to him as a
public perfon, it muft take place alſo in his myftical mem-

164 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
in
bers, whoſe federal head he was. Hence the Pfalmift
ſays, his fleſh fall refl in hope, namely, in the grave,
hope of a glorious refurrection, becauſe the holy one Jeſus
was not to fee corruption, Pſalm xvi. 9, 10. with Acts xiii.
35. thereby teaching, that Chriſt's reſurrection would
infare his glorious reſurrection, as a member of the my-
ftical body by faith. And indeed there is ſuch a con.
nection between Chrift's reſurrection and the happy re.
ſurrection of the ſaints, that they ſtand and fall together :
I Cor. xv. 16. For if the dead riſe not, then is not
6 Chrift raiſed.
II. The promiſe of Everlaſting Life in Heaven.
The promiſe of eternal life doth, in the laft place, cor-
prehend a promiſe of everlafling life in heaven, to be con-
ferred on all and every one of the fpiritual feed after death:
Dan. xii. 2. “And many of them that fleep in the duft
* of the earth fhall awake, ſome to everlaſting life.' This
was more ſparingly revealed under the Old Teftament
than under the New, 2 Tim. i. 10. yet was it, even then,
ſo clearly revealed, that all the holy patriarchs lived and
died in the faith of it, Heb. xi. 133-16. The fathers be-
fore Abraham faw it in the promiſe of the feed of the wo.
mar, which was to bruiſe the ſerpent's head; and from A.
braham they faw it in the promiſe of Canaan. But now
by the gofpel this life and immortality are ſet in a full
light. By the breach of the firft covenant that life was
forfeited, the heavenly paradiſe loft to Adam and all man-
kind: in token whereof he was turned out of the earthly
paradiſe. But the ſecond Adam having, in the ſecond
covenant, undertaken the redemption of the forfeited in.
heritance, there was a new promiſe of it made in favour
of his feed; and they are inveſted with an indefeaſible
right thereto, in the firſt moment of their union with
Chrift by faith ; howbeit they are not inſtantly put in
poffeffion thereof. And when they do come to the poffef-
fion, it is not given them all at once, but at two different
periods, in different meafures; according to the two chief
branches of the promiſe thereof, namely, a promiſe of
,
tranſporting their fouls into heaven at death, and a pro-
miſe of tranſporting them foul and body thither at the
laſt day.

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 165
1. There is a promiſe of tranſporting their fouls, ſepa-
rate from their bodies into heaven, there to behold and enjoy
the face of God. And it is accompliſhed to them immedi-
ately after their death. It was moſt plainly declared and
applied by our Saviour to the penitent thief on the croſs,
Luke xxiii. 43. • To-day ſhalt thou be with me in para.
diſe.' But it was in the faith of it, that the covenant
was to David, even in the face of death, all his ſalvation,
and all his defire, 2 Sam, xxiv. 5. and that Paul had a de-
a
fire to depart, knowing that he was to be with Chriſt
upon his departure, Philip. i. 23. And it is in the faith of
the ſame, that the whole church militant doth groan ear-
' neſtly, deliring to be cloathed upon with the houſe which
• is from heaven, that is, the heavenly glory,' 2 Cor. v.
2. Indeed the curſe of the firit covenant did, upon the
breaking of that covenant fall to their lot, as well as to the
relt of mankind : and that curſe would natively have iſſued
in cutting them alunder as covenant-breakers, and appoint-
ing them their portion with the hypocrites ; but that be-
ing executed to the full on Chriſt their head, to the parting
aſunder of his holy ſoul and body, it can operate no more.
on them. Wherefore, howbeit others die in virtue of the
curſe, ſeparating their fouls and bodies, the one to the place
of torment, the other to the grave, till the laſt day ; yet
they do not fo die. Being redeemed from the curſe, Gal.
iii. 13. they ſhall never ſee ſuch death, John viii
. 51. But
they die in conformity to Chriſt their head, being predeſ.
tinate to be conformed to his image, (Rom. viii. 29.) who
is the firſt-born from the dead, Col. i. 18. and the firſt fruits
of them that ſleep, which every man is to follow in his own
order, 1 Cor. xv. 20, 23. That, as in the caſe of the head,
ſo in the caſe of the members, as death came on by fin, fin
may go off by death. In virtue of their communion with
Chrift in his death, the union betwixt their ſouls and mor-
tal bodies is diffolved: their fouls diſmiſſed in
peace
into
the heavenly glory, there to remain till ſuch time as their
bodies, laid down in the gravě, come, in virtue of their com
munion with Chriſt in his reſurrection, to put on incorrup-
tion and immortality.
This promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe of acceptance
made to Chrift, when he fhould make his foul an offering

166 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
2
for fin. In confidence of which acceptance, dying on the
croſs he commended his ſpirit, or ſoul, into the hands of
his Father, Luke xxiii. 46. and told the penitent thief, he
was to be that very day in paradiſe, though then it was
towards the evening of it, ver. 43. The words in which he
commended his ſoul to his Father, were David's, Pfal. xxx.
5. Into thine hand I commit my ſpirit; thereby intimating,
that the reception of the fouls of his dying people into the
hands of the Father, depends on the reception of his foul
into them. For his foul was, in virtue of the covenant, ſo
received, as a publie ſoul, repreſenting the fouls of the whole
feed; whence David, ſpeaking of Chriſt, faith, • Thou
wilt not leave my fonl in hell,' Pfal. xvi. 10. with Acts
i.31. Wherefore, in the promiſe of receiving Chriſt'e ſoul,
was comprehended a promiſe of receiving the ſouls of all
his myſtical members.
2. There is a promiſe of tranſporting them, foul and
body, into heaven, there to be ever with the Lord; which
is to be accompliſhed unto them at the laſt day : Dan. xii.
3. • And many of them that ſleep in the duſt of the earth
* fhall awake, fome to everlaſting life, and fome to ſhame
and everlaſting contempt, verſe 3. And they that be wiſe,
• fhall ſhine as the brightneis of the firmament; and they
" that turn many unto righteoufneſs, (or rather they that
• do righteouſly, of the many) as the ſtars for ever and e.
& ver.' Whereas the many mentioned, verſe 2. and com-
prehending all, are there divided into two forts, in reſpect
of their future ftate in the event of the reſurrection: the
happy part being the firft fort of them, is deffgned, verfe 3.
from their preſent ſtate in this life, the wiſe, and they that
do righteouſly; that is, in New Teftament language, the
righteous, Matth. xiii. 43. and they that have done good,
John v. 29. in oppoſition to the fooliſh, and they that have
done evil. Thoſe having come forth, unto the reſurrection
of life, John v. 29. * fhall ſhine as the brightneſs of the
• firmament, and as the ſtars for ever and ever : yea, they
* ſliall ſhine forth as the ſun, in the kingdom of their Fa-
ther,' Matth. xiii. 43. This is the higheſt pioacle of the
faints' hopes; wherein they, in their whole man, ſhall have
the whole of eternal life in its perfections. Man had a
conditional promiſe hereof, in the covenant of works : buc

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 167
the condition being broken, the benefit promiſed was loft:
heaven's gates were ſhut againſt Adam and all his natural
feed. Howbeit, Chriſt the ſecond Adam, having under-
taken to fulfil the condition of the ſecond covenant, which
was ſtated from an exact confideration of the demands that
the broken firſt covenant had on his ſpiritual feed: there
was a new promiſe of it made in their favour; and it ab.
lolute. And to his fulfilling of that condition, both the
making and performing of this promiſe are owing allenarly.
None other's works but his could ever have availed to re-
duce the forfeiture, and purchaſe a new right: and his
works do it ſo effe&tually, that they ſecure the putting all
his ſeed in actual poffeffion of the purchaſed inheritance;
ſo that they • ſhall reign in life by one, Jeſus Chriſt,' Rom,
V. 17
This is the promiſe of the covenant, which is the laſt
of all in performing : as being the conſummation of all
the reft, not to be accompliſhed until the myſtery of God
be finiſhed. The Old Teftament ſaints died in the faith
of it ; and it is not as yet performed to them: nay, the
New Teſtament ſaints have died and fill muſt die, in the
faith of it : not having it performed to them neither, till it
be at once accompliſhed to the whole ſeed together, at the
end of the world. Thus this promiſe remains to be an un-
ſeen object of faith to the church militant; and to the
church triumphant too, whoſe fieſh muſt reft in hope till
that day, Plal. xvi. 9. But becauſe the term prefixed for
performing thereof, is, in the depth of fovereign wiſdom,
for reaſons becoming the divine perfections, ſet at ſuch a
diſtance; there have been fome ſignal pledges given of it,
to confirm the church's faith in the caſe. Such was the
tranflating of Enoch, ſoul and body, into heaven, in the
patriarchal period; Elias, in the time of the law; and our
bleſſed Saviour in the time of the goſpel.
This promiſe is grafted upon the promiſe of a glorious
exaltation made to Chrift; by which was ſecured to him
his afcenfon, in ſoul and body, into heaven, and entering
into his glory: Luke xxiv. 26. “Ought not Chriſt to have
' ſuffered thefe things, and to enter into his glory ? Both
theſe were neceſſary in reſpect of the covenant: his ſuffer-
ing was neceſſary, in reſpect of the condition thereof, which

168 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
behoved to be fulfilled by him ; and his entering into his
glory was neceſſary, in reſpect of the promiſe thereof, which
behoved to be fulfilled unto him. Now, Chriſt aſcended
and entered into glory as a public perfon, as a forerunner
entering for us, Heb. vi. 20. ; and therefore the promiſe,
in virtue of which he aſcended and entered into it, com.
prehends the aſcenſion and glory of all his myſtical mem-
bers, who are therefore faid to ' ſit together in heavenly
• places, in Chriſt Jeſus, Eph. ii. 6. And then, and not
till then, will the promiſe be perfectly fulfilled to him,
when all the myftical members are perſonally there, toge-
ther with their head; when the whole feed, perfectly re-
covered from death, fhall reign there, together with him
in life, for evermore.
And this ſhall ſuffice to have been ſaid here of the
pro-
miſe of eternal life, in the laſt period thereof.
Inference from the promiſe of Eternal Life.
Thus we have opened the promiſe of eternal life to the
elect, with the effects thereof on them, in its ſeveral peri-
ods; to wit, before their union with Chriſt; and then,
from their union with Chrift until death ; and finally, from
their death, through eternity : the whole ſpringing out of
the promiſes peculiar to Chriſt himſelf. For as theſe laſt
were fulfilled, in preſerving the root of Jeffe, notwithſtand-
ing of the various changes that family did undergo, in which
it was often in hazard of extinction, until ſuch time as
Chriſt ſprang out of it, as a root out of a dry ground, Ifa.
xi. I, 10. and liii. 2. and then, in carrying him up,
and
carrying him through in his work, notwithſtanding of the
load of imputed ſin that lay upon him, and the oppoſition
he met with from the world, and the powers of hell enga-
ged againſt him, Ifa. xlix. 8. and l. 7, 8, 9. and finally in
raiſing him from the dead, taking him up into heaven, and
,
glorifying him there for ever and ever, i Tim. ii. 16. E-
ven fo the promiſe of eternal life to the elect, included
therein, is fulfilled, in preſerving them in their unconverted
ftate, till ſuch time as they are united to Chrift by faith:
and then, in carrying them up, and carrying them through,
in favour and communion with God, during the whole time
of their continuance in this world, notwithſtanding all the
.

The promiſſory Part of the Covenant. 169
<
oppoſition from the devil, the world, and the Aef: and
lally, in railing them up at the laſt day, and receiving
them, ſoul and body, into heaven, there to be ever with
the Lord.
And now, from the whole of what hath been ſaid on
that point, we deduce the following Inference, to wit,
• That all the benefits of the covenant of grace beſtowed,
or to be beſtowed on finners, are the fure mercies of Da-
* vid,' Ifa. lv. 3. This may be taken up in theſe three
things following.
1. They are all of them mercies, pure mercies, without
reſpect to any worthineſs in the receivers. They are all
free-grace gifts ; for the covenant is to us a covenant of
grace, from the firft to the laſt : Eph. ii. 7. • That in the
ages to come, he might ſhew the exceeding riches of his
grace, in his kindneſs towards us, through Chrift Jefus.
• Věr. 8. For by grace are ye ſaved, through faith; and
that not of yourſelves : it is the gift of God.' The re-
ceiving of believers into glory, is, after all their working,
as much of free grace, as the quickening of them, when
being dead in fin, they could do no good work at all.
They have their faith and their works, their grace and
their glory, their temporal and their eternal good things,
all of them equally of free grace : for they are all ſecured
to them in, and flow from the promiſe of the covenant
made before the world began; and are founded on a ground
which they had no manner of hand in the laying of.
2. They all are the mercies of David, that is, of Jeſus
Chriſt the Son of David. His obedience and death are
the alone channel wherein the free grace of the covenant
runs, bringing along with it all thote mercies, Eph. ii. 7,
It is to the holineſs of his nature, the righteouſneſs of his
life, and the ſatisfaction made by his death, they are all
owing ; for upon theſe alone, and upon nothing in us,
whether before or after converfion, is the promiſe of eter-
nal life founded. Our believing through grace, while o-
thers continue in unbelief; our ſeeing God in glory, while
others are caft into utter darkneſs; the bread we eat, and
the water we drink, in this life, together with the hidden
manna we ſhall eat of, and the rivers of pleaſures we ſhall
P

170 The Parts of the Covenant of Grace. Head 3.
drink of, in heaven, are all equally the purchaſe of our
Redeemer's blood.
3. Laflly, They are all of them fure mercies. What
of them the faints have already got, they could not have
miſſed of; and what of them they have not as yet received,
is as ſure as if they had it in hand, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. • David
• perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over
• Ifrael ;' and that upon this ground, · for his kingdom
* was lift up on high,' i Chron. xiv. 2. Now, Saul's king.
dom was lift up on high too; and yet he loſt it. But Da.
vid had his kingdom by the covenant; Saul, not ſo: hence
the former, ſeeing the promiſe begin to be aecompliſhed,
rightly concluded, that it ſhould hold on till it was fully
performed: notwithſtanding that the latter fell from his
excellency. Uncovenanted mercies are tottering mercies;
but the covenant mercies are ſure. The former
may
Aow
plentifully for a while, and yet at length be quite dried
ир
for ever ; but the ſpring of the latter being once opened,
wil Aow for evermore without interruption. The propile
is infallibly fure, and cannot miſcarry : it is ſure from the
nature of God who made it; even from his infallible truth,
and from his juſtice too in reſpect of Chriſt, 2 Theff. 1. 6, 7.
Thus far of the ſecond part of the covenant, namely,
The promiſſory part.
No proper Penalty of the Covenant of Grace.
A penalty is no effential part of a proper covenant.
It
is but accidental oply, arifing not from the nature of a co-
venant, but from the nature of the covenanters, who being
fallible, may break either the condition, or the promife;
in which caſe a penalty is annexed, to ſecure the perform-
ance of the condition on the one ſide, and of the promile
on the other. Wherefore, ſince the party contracting on
man's fide, on whom it lay to perform the condition of this
covenant, was infallible ; as was the party contracting on
Heaven's fide, on whom it lay to perform the promiſe of
it ; there was no place at all for a penalty thereof, proper.
ly ſo called ; as there was none in the firſt covenant, but
pon one ſide. In the ſecond covenant, the Father and
che Son abſolutely truſted each the other. Upon the cie-
dit of the Son, the Father received all the Old Teſtament

No proper Penalty of the Covenant of Grace.
171
faints into heaven, before the price of their redemption was
paid ; and upon the credit of the Father, the Son, above
ſeventeen hundred years ago, paid the fall price of the re.
demption of the elect, while valt multitudes of them were
not as yet born into the world, and many of them are not
ever to this day.
It is true, the parties contracted for, are fallible: but
then the performing of the condition of this covenant, a9
fuch, doth in no cafe lie upon them : Chrif having taken
it entirely on himſelf, and accordingly performed it alrea.
dy. Wbile they continue in their natural ſtate, without
Chrift, they are perſonally in the covenant of works, not
in the covenant of grace. And being once become be-
lievers in Chrilt, the promiſe of the covenant of grace ſtands
always entire to them, notwithſtanding of all their failures;
and muſt needs ſtand fo, in virtue of the coidition of the
covenant already pe formed, and judicially fuſtained, as
performed by Jeſus Chriſt for them. And though they
are fallible in reſpect of their actions, as long as they are
in this world; yet from the moment of their union withs
Chrilt by faith, they are not fallible in reſpect of their late:
they can no more fall out of their ſtate of grace, than the
faints in heaven can. Hence, even in their caſe, there is
no place for the curſe or eternal wrath, the only penalty
by which they ſhould loſe their right to the promiſe of the
covenant. They are indeed liable to God's fatherly anger
and chaſtiſements for their fins; but forafmuch as by theſe
there is no interciſion of their right to the promiſe, and
that they are not vindi&tive, but medicinal ; they cannot
be accounted a proper penalty of the covenant of grace,
however they may be improperly ſo called : but do daily
belong to the promiffory part, and adminiftration of the
covenant, Pſalm lxxxix. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. Ifa. xxvii, 9.
Heb. xii. 5, 6, 7. Where the condition of a covenant is
fully performed, and legally ſuſtained as ſuch, in favour of
the party who is to receive the benefit promiſed, it is evi-
dent there can be no more place for a proper penalty of
the covenant on that fide; and ſo it is here in the caſe of
believers.
And thus we have diſpatched the third head, namely,
The parts of the covenant.
.
P 2

172
The Adminiſtration of the Cove of Grace. Head 4.
IT
H E A D IV.
The Adminiſtration of the Covenant of Grace.
T remains now to conſider the adminiſtration of the co-
venant. And fince the ſalvation of finners doth entirely
depend on this covenant; and that all the diſpenſations of
God toward them, for carrying on and compleating that
gracious deſign, are regulated according to it; and ſince
withal it is in itſelf the deepeft fecret, being a compact
entered into bet wist the Father and the Son, before the
world began: it is altogether neceſſary, that there be an
adminiftration of it, whereby it may be rendered effectual
to the end for which it was made, And hereof we will
have a view, by conldering, I. The party on whom the
adminiftration of the covenant is devolved: 2. The object
of the adminiſtration; 3. The ends of it; and 4.
The na-
ture of it. Of all which in order.
I. Chriſt the Adminiſtrator of the Covenant.
UCH is the nature of the thing, the weight and im-
portance of this adminiſtration, that none who was.
not fit to be a party-contractor in the covenant, could be
mear to be intruſted therewith. Wherefore the admini- .
fi ration of the covenant was devolved upon no mere man
or angel, but on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt the ſecond Adama
and he hath it by the covenant itſelf as a reward of his work,
It was therein made over to him by promiſe : particularly,
by the promiſe of a glorious exaltation, to be the Father's
honorary fervant, prime miniſter of Heaven, mentioned be
fore, and now to be more fully and diſtinctly unfolded. It
was for this cauſe the lafi Adam was made a quickening Spi.
rit, as faith the text, 1 Cor. x945. with which we shall
compare the promiſe.
Ifa. xlix. 8. I will give thee for a covenant of the
people.
Theſe are the Father's words to Chriſt the ſecond A.
dam, the great furety-ſervant, chofer to make reparation
of the injury done to the honour of God by the ſpiritual
Ifrael, ver. 3, the light of the Gentiles, ver. 6. which is none
Suo

Chriſl the Adminiſtrator of the Covenant. 173
a
other but he, Luke ii. 32. A&s xiii. 47. whoſe appearing
Acts
in the world made the acceptable time, the day of ſalvation,
as in the preceding part of this 8th verſe, compared with
2 Cor. vi. 2. And they are a promiſe made to him of a
reward of his work, in fulfilling of the condition of the co-
venant by his obedience and death: for they are immediate
ly ſubjoined to the promiſe of affiftance therein; I will
preferve thee, (namely, in the courſe of thy obedience, do-
ing and dying, ſo that thou ſhalt not be utterly fwallowed
up of death, but ſwim through thele deepeſt waters ſafe
aſhore,) and give thee for a covenant of the people; or ſimply,
f people. Not that Chriſt was never given for a covenant
of the people till he aroſe from the dead ; nay, he was fa
given, immediately after the fall, Gen. iii. 15. but that it
was always upon the view, and in confideratiou of his obe-
dience and death he was ſo given ; and that he was at
his reſurrection and afcenfion folemnly invefled with that
office
This giving, according to the ſcripture phraſeology,
imports a divine conſtitution or fettlement. So it is ſaid,
verſe 6. I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that
thou mayeſt be my ſalvation unto the end of the earth; i.e.
I will conſtitute or fet thee for a light ; even as God
fet (Heb. gave) the ſun and moon in the firmament of
the heaven, to give light upon the earth. Gen. i. 17.
Thus the people making or appointing a captain, are faid
to give a head or captain, Numb. xiv. 4. Neh. ix. 17.-
Wherefore to give Chrift for a covenant of the people, is to
confiitute or make him the covenant; whereby the people,
any people, Jews or Gentiles, become God's people, and
receive all the benefits of that covenant-relation to God.
This then ſpeaks Jeſus Christ to be the ordinance of God
for the reconciliation of fmners to God, and their
ing of all the benefits of the covenant ; even as the fun is
the ordinance of heaven for light to the world, unto
whofe light all have free acceſs: though in the mean time
it doth not enlighten the blind, nor thoſe who will needs.
live in darkneſs, becauſe they hate the light. This ho:
nour was fecured to him in the promiſſory part of the cos-
venant, in conſideration of his fulfilling the conditionary,
part thereof.
partak.
P 3

174 The Adminiflration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4
Now, that Chriſt is by the authority of Heaven conftia
tute or made the covenant, imports theſe two things: (1.)
He is cooltitute adminiſtrator of the covenant: as he had
the burden of purchaſing the promiſed benefits, ſo he hath
the honour of diſtributing and conferring them on finners.
This meaning of the phraſe appears from the following
words, declaring the end of this conſtitution, to eſtabliſh
* the earth, to cauſe to inherit the deſolate heritages: verſe
"9. That thou mayeſt fay to the prifoners, go forth.'
See chap, xlii. 6, 7 (2.) The whole of the covenant is in
him ; ſo that he that hath Chriſt, hath the covenant, the
whole of the covenant; he that hath not Chrift, hath no
faving part ner lot in it. This is the native import of
this unuſual phraſe, occurring only here and chap. xlii.
6. and is confirmed by the following words, to eſtabliſh
the earth.' A covenant is an eſtabliſhing thing. When
the firt covenant was broken,, the foundations of the
earth were, fo to ſpeak, looſened, that it could no more
fand firm, until Chriſt was given for a covenant to efta.
bliſh it again : he bore up the pillars thereof in virtue of
the new covenant in himſelf. And if his adminiſtration
of the covenant were once at an end on the earth, the
earth ſhall ſtand no longer, but be reduced to aſhes. The
ſaying concerning the facramental cup, This cup is the new
teflament in my blood, i Cor. xi. 25. is ſomewhat a kin to
1
the expreſſion in the text, and ſerves to confirm the ſenſe
given of it, For it ſurely bears, (1.) That the facramental
cup is the miniftration of the new teſtament to believing-
receivers ; ſo that receiving the one in faith, they rea
ceive the other too. (2.) That the new teltament is in
Chrill's blood; ſo that their communion of the benefits
of the teftament is by their communion of the blood of Chriſt,
1 Cor. x. 16.
Now, from theſe texts compared, it appears, " That
6th&adminiſtration of the covenant of grace is devolved on
@
Jeſus Chriſt, the ſecond Adam, for that end made a
6. quickening Spirit, having the whole of the covenant in
6 him.'
This conftitution, lodging the adminiftration of the co-
vegant in the perſon of the Mediator, Chriſt Jeſus, is at
once ſuited to the glory of God, the caſe of finners, and
the honour of Chriſt himſelf.

Chriſt the Adminiſtrator of the Covenant, 175
1. It is ſuited to the glory of God the offended party.
In the face of Jeſus, the adminiftrator, ſhines forth the
glory of the God of the covenant, 2 Cor. iv. 6. His fpot-
leſs holineſs, and tremendous juſtice, appear there; toge-
ther with his matchleſs love, freeft grace, and tendereft
mercy. God is in Chrift reconciling the world to himſelf,
with the ſafety of his glory, giving forth his peace and
pardons freely, without any merit of the receivers, and yet
not without ſufficient fatisfaion to his juſtice, and com-
penſation of his injured honour: as from a throne of
grace, eſtabliſhed upon juſtice ſatisfied, and judgment ful-
ly executed, the firm baſis thereof,
2. It is ſuited to the caſe of finners, the offending party.
In Chrift, the adminiſtrator of the covenant, they have to
do with a God, whoſe rays of majeſty, that the guilty
are not able to behold, are vailed with the robe of a ſpot-
leſs humanity. An inviting ſweetneſs appears in the face
of the adminiſtrator, full of grace and truih, John i. 14.
In him they may ſee their ſalvation fo dear to the God
that made them, that he himſelf would put on their na-
ture, to eftabliſh by his own blood a ccvenant of peace be-
tween Heaven and them. He is true man, of the ſame
family of Adam with themſelves ; unto whom therefore
they may confidently draw near, joining themſelves to
him as the head of the covenant : and withal, he is the
true God, undoubtedly able to make the covenant effectu.
al for their ſalvation, notwithſtanding of all their unwor-
thineſs.
3. It is fuited to the honour of Chriſt himſelf, the peace-
maker, who hath it as the reward of his work. Jofeph,
being ſold for a bond-fervant, behaved himſelf with all
meekneſs, patience, and faithfulneſs, in that low character;
the which was afterwards, by all-ruling Providence, abun-
dantly rewarded with honour, in his being advanced to be
the prime miniſter of the kingdom of Egypt, having the
adminiftration of the whole kingdom committed to him,
Pfal. cv. 17, -22. Herein he was a type of Chriſt. The
Lord Jeſus did voluntarily ſubmit himſelf to the loweſt
ſtep of reproach and diſgrace, taking upon him the form
of a bond-fervant, and humbling himſelf in that form,
even unto the death of the crofs; and that to perform the

176 The Adminiflration of the Cov. of Grace. Head
4.
condition of the covenant, for the glory of God, and the
ſalvation of his people: and therefore he was exalted to
the higheſt pinnacle of honour, beiog advanced to the
prime miniſtry of heaven, having the adminiftration of
the covenant put into his hand, ruling over all under his
Father, whereby is given him a name, which is above every
name, whether of men or angels, all things being put under
his feet, Phill. ii 7, 8, 9. Eph. i. 20, 21, 22, 23. In re-
fpect hereof, he is often called the Father's fervant, namely,
his honorary ſervant: and his honour in that character is
often promiſed to be made very great, Ifa. xlix. 6. and lii.
13, 14, 15, Zech. iii. 8. with vi. 12, 13.
And foraſmuch as the everlaſting covenant will con-
tinue to be the ground and rule of God's diſpenſation to-
wards his people for evermore, by the conſtitution lodging
the adminiſtration of the covenant in the perſon of Chriſt,
he is to enjoy that honour and dignity for ever and ever ;
• For unto the Son be faith, Thy throne, O God, is for
• ever and ever,' Heb. i. 8. Even of his kingdom, which
is given him, that is, his mediatory kingdom and ádmi.
niftration, there ſhall be no end, Luke i. 32, 33. The
time comes, indeed, wherein he will deliver up the kingdom
to God, even the Father ; preſenting to him at the laſt
day, the whole church, and every member thereof,
brought by his adminiſtration, according to his commif-
fion, into a ftate of perfe&ion. And then cometh the
end, 1 Cor. xv. 24. namely, the end of the world, but not
the end of his adminiftration : for, being conſtitute admi-
niftrator of the covenant, there was given him domini
on and glory, and a kingdom; and his dominion is an
• everlaſting dominion, which ſhall not paſs away (as the
• world fhall, 1 Cor. vii. 31.) and his kingdom that
« which ſhall not be deſtroyed,' (as all the four monarchies
have been, Dan. vii. 14.
And thus we have ſeen Chriſt to be the party on whom
the adminiſtration of the covenant is devolved.
II. Sinners of Mankind the Object of the Adminiſtration of
the Covenant.
The objet of the adminiſtration of the covenant, is
finners of mankind, indefinitely; that is to ſay, Chriſt is

Chriſt the Adminiſtrator of the Covenant.
177
empowered, by commiffion from his Father, to adminiſtrate
the covenant of grace to any of all mankind, the Inners of
the family of Adam without exception : he is authoriſed
to receive them into the covenant, and to confer on them
all the benefits thereof to their eternal falvation, according
to the fettled order of the covenant. The elegion of par-
ticular perſons is a ſecret, not to be diſcovered in the admi.
niſtration of the covenant, according to the eſtabliſhed or-
der thereof, till ſuch time as the finner have received the
covenant, by coming perfonally into it. And the extent
of the adminiſtration is not founded on election, but on the
fufficiency of Chriſt's obedience and death for the ſalvation
of all ; neither is it regulated thereby, but by the fulneſs
of power in heaven and earth given to Jeſus Chriſt, as a re-
ward of his becoming obedient even unto the death.
For confirming of this truth, let the following things be
conſidered :
1. The grant which the Father hath made of Chriſt
crucified, as his ordinance for the ſalvation of loft ligners
of mankind. In the caſe of the Iſraelites in the wilder-
neſs, bitten by fiery ſerpents, God inſtituted an ordinance
for their cure, namely, a brazen ſerpent lifted up upon a
pole ; and made a grant thereof to whoſoever would uſe it
for that purpoſe, by looking to it. No bošly whatſoever
that needed healing was excepted: the grant was conceiv.
ed in the moſt ample terms, Numb. xxi. 8. It ſhall come to
paſs, that
every one that is billen, when he looketh upon it,
Shall live. So all mankind, being bitten by the old ſer-
pent, the devil, and fin, as his deadly poiſon, left in them,
God hath appointed Jeſus Christ the ordinance of heaven
for their ſalvation. There is a word of divine appointment
paſſed upon a crucified Chriſt, making and conſtituting bim
the ordinance of God for falvation of finners; and God
hath made a grant of him as ſuch, to whoſoever of Adain's
loit race will make uſe of him for that purpoſe, by believ-
ing on him; in the which grant none of the world of man.
kind is excepted. All this is clear from John iii. 14, 15,
16. • And as Moſes lifted up the ſerpent in the wilderneſs,
• even ſo muft the Son of man be lifted up, that whoſoever
fo
« believeth on him, ſhould not periſh, but have eternal life.
& For God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only be

178
The Adminiſtration of the Coo of Grace. Head 4.
6
6
It
1, 2.
gotten Son, that whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not
• periſh, but have everlaſting life.' Now, the adminitra-
tion of the covenant being fettled, in purſuance of this
grant therein made, for a reward of the Mediator's obedi-
ence, the object of the former can be no leſs extenfive than
that of the latter.
2. The Mediator's commiſſion for the adminiftration,
is conceived in the moſt ample terms and he is clothed
with moft ample powers, with relation to that bufineſs.
carries his adminiftering the covenant, not only to the meek,
the poor, the broken-hearted ; but to the captives, blind,
bruifed, priſoners, bond men, aad broken nien, who have
fold their inheritance and themſelves, and can have no hope
of relief but by a jubilee, Luke iv. 18, 19. with la. lxi.
What fort of Ginners of mankind can one imagine,
that will not fall under fome of theſe denominations? Chrift
indeed is given for a covenant of people ; not of this or
that people, but of people indefinitely. All power is given
him in heaven and in earth, Matth. xxviii. 1. So there
are none in earth excepted from his adminiſtering the co•
venant to them. He is empowered to ſave the guilty law
condemned world, by adminiſering it to them; · For God
« fent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
• but that the world through him might be ſaved.' John
iii, 17. foraſmuch as he is the ordinance of God for tak-
ing away the fin of the world, Chap. i. 29. tho'many to
whom he offers the covenant, do refuſe it, and ſo are not
faved eventually. Accordingly, from this folneſs of
pow.
er he iſſues forth the general offer of the goſpel: wherein
all without exception are declared welcome to come and
fuck of the full breaſts of the divine confolations in the co-
venant: Matth. xi. 27. 'All things are delivered unto me
• of my Father. Ver. 28. Come unto me, all ye that la-
6
• bour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reſt.
Chap. xxviii. 18. All power is given unto me in heaven
6 and in earth. Ver. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all
6 nations.' Mark, xvi. 15; • Preach the goſpel to every
,.
creature.'
3. He executes his commiſſion in an unhampered man.
ner, adminiftering the covenant to any finners of mankind:
Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, men, I call, and my voice is to the
0

Sinners of Mankind the Object of the Covenant. 179
man.
fons of men. The obje& of his adminiftration is not this
.
t
or that party of mankind, under this or the other denomi.
nation: but men, any men, ſons of men indefinitely. So
the goſpel, in which he adminifters the covenant, is good
tidings to all people, Luke ii. 10. a feat made unto all
people, Iſa. xxv. 6. though many, not reliſhing the tid.
ings, never taite of the leaft. Accordingly, he commil-
fioned his apoftles for that effe&, in terms than which none
can imagine more extenſive, Mark xvi, 15. Go ye into all
the world, and preach the goſpel to every creature. The
Jews called man the creature, as being God's creature by
way of eminence ; fo by every creature is meant erery
There are in the world, ſome men, who by reaſon
of their monſtrous wickedneſs, are like devils ; there are
other men, who, by reafon of their favageneſs, ſeem to dif-
fer little from brutes : but our Lord faith here in effect,
“ Be what they will, if ye can but know them to be men,
“ aſk no queſtions about them on this head, what ſort of
" men they are: being men, preach the goſpel to them,
offer them the covenant; and if they receive it, give them
" the ſeals thereof; my Father made them, I will ſave
" them."
4. If we enquire, who they are to whom Chrift ftands
related as a Saviour? or whole Saviour he is, according to
the fcripture? we find, that conſidered as an actual Savi.
our faving actually and eventually, he is indeed only Saviour
of the body, Eph. v. 23. but conſidered as an official Sa.
viour, a Saviour by office, he is the Saviour of the world,
1 John iv. 14. John iv. 42. Tbus one having a comuniſ- .
fion to be the phybcian of a ſociety, is the phyſician of
the whole ſociety, by office; and ſo ftaads related to every
man of them, as his plıylician: howbeit, he is not actually
a healer to any of thein, but ſuch as employ him. Tho'
fome of that ſociety ſhould not employ him at all, but on
every occafion call another phyfician; yet he is fill their
phyſician by office : though they ſhould die of their diſ-
cale, being averſe from calling him : yet fill it is true,
that he was their phyſician, they might have called him
and had his remedies ; and it was purely their own faults,
that they were not healed by hin. Even fo our Lord
Jeſus Chrift hath Heaven's. patent, conftituting him the
a

180 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
a
Saviour of the world: by the authority of liis Father he
is inveſted with that office : and wherefoever the goſpel
comes,
his patent for that effect is intimated, 1 John iv. 14.
And we have ſeen and do teftify, that the Father fent the Son
to be the Saviour of the world. Wherefore, none of us fhall
periſh for want of a Saviour. Jeſus Chriſt is the Saviour
of the world; he is your Saviour, and my Saviour, be
your caſe what it will: and God, in and by him, is the
Saviour of all men, ſpecially thoſe that believe, 1 Tim. iv. 10.
Hence Chriſt's ſalvation is the common ſalvation, Jude 3.
and the goſpel is the grace of God that bringeth ſalvation
to all men, Tit. ii. II. marg. Chrift then lands related
as a Saviour by office to the world of mankiod: he is their
Saviour: and he is ſo related to every one of them, as fin-
ners, loft finners of that fociety, 1 Tim. i. 15. Chriſt Je-
fus came into the world to ſave finners. Luke xix. 10. The
Son of man is come to ſeek and to ſave that which is loft.
Let no mao ſay, “ Alas! I have nothing to do with Chriſt,
“ nor he with me: for I am a finner, and a loft finer.”
that very ground there is a relation between him
and
you. Since you are a finner of mankind, Chriſt is
your Saviour ; for he is by office Saviour of the family
whereof you are a branch. If you will employ another
than him, or pine away in your diſeaſe, rather than put
yourſelf in his hand, ye do it upon your peril; but know
aſſuredly, that you have a Saviour of your own, chofen of
God for you, whether you employ him or not.
He is by
his Father's appointment the phyſician of fouls ; ye are
the fick ; and the leſs fenfible ye are, the more dangerouſ-
ly fick : there is a valuable relation then betwixt Chriſt
and you, as ſuch, Matth. ix, 11, 12.
He is the great
burden-bearer, that gives reft to them that labour and are
heavy lader, Matth. xi. 28. Pfal. li. 22. Ye labour, fpend.
ing your labour for that which ſatisfieth not: and are
laden with iniquity, even heavy laden, and nothing the leſs
fo, that ye are not duly ſenſible thereof; there is a relation
then betwixt Chriſt and you on that very ſcore. Now, if
Chrift ftands related to the world of mankind finners, as
their Saviour, then they are the object of his adminiſtration
of the covenant.
5. Laſtly, If it were not ſo, then there would be ſome
Nay, upg
a

Sinners of Mankind the Objea of the Covenant. 18L
excepted perſons of the world of mankind-finners, for whom
there is no warrant, more than for devils, to take hold of
the covenant, by believing in Chrift; contrary to the con-
ftant voice of the goſpel, John iii. 16. Mark xvi. 15.
For ſurely they have no warrant to take hold of the cove-
pant, to whom the adminiſtrator is not impowered to give
it, Which of the world of mankind-finners can theſe ac.
cepted perſons be ? Not Pagans and other infidels, who
hear not the goſpel ; for howbeit, in the depth of fove.
reign wiſdom, that warraot is not intimated to them ; yet
it doth really extend to them as included under that gene-
ral term, Whofoever, John iii. 16. And if it did not ex-
tend to them, the covenant could not lawfully be preached
and offered to them by miniſters of the goſpel; more than
a courier could lawfully go and proclaim and offer the
king's indemnity to thoſe who have no concern in it, but
are excepted out of it. The minifterial goſpel offer is un-
doubtedly null and void, as far as it exceeds the bounds of
the object of Chriſt's adminiſtration of the covenant : as
being, in ſo far, from one or more having no power to
make it. Neither are any who hear the goſpel accepted:
for the not taking hold of the covenant by faith in Chriſt,
is the great fin and condemnation of all who, having the
goſpel, do fo entertain it, Prov. viii. 36. John iii. 19,
Mark xvi. 16. But it could not be the fin of ſuch per-
.
ſons; becauſe it can never be one's fin, not to do a thing
which he had no warrant from God to do. Much leſs are
the non-ele&t excepted: for at that rate, not only ſhould
their miſbelief be none of their fin; but the elect themſelves
could never believe, till ſuch time as their election were in
the firſt place revealed to them, which is contrary to the
ftated method of grace : for none can believe in Chriſt,
till once they ſee their warrant; foraſmuch as that warrant
is the ground of faith.
Wherefore we conclude, that finners of mankind inde-
finitely are the obje&t of Chrif's adıniniſtration of the co-
venant ; that he is impowered to adminifter it to you, and
every one of you, whatever you are or have been : and .
you
muft either take hold of the covenant for life and
ſalvation, or periſh as deſpiſers of it, ſince ye have heard the
goſpel.
Q
that

(82 of the Adminiſtration of the Covenant. Head 4.
III. The Ends of the Adminiſtration of the Covenant.
The ends of the adminiſtration of the covenant, which
make the bufineſs of the adminiſtrator as ſuch, are theſe
three: to wit, (1.) The bringing of finners into the co-
venant; (2.) The management of them therein, accord-
ing to it, in this world; and (3.) The completing of their
happineſs, according to it, in the other world.
1. The bringing of finners perſonally and ſavingly in-
to the covenant, Ifa. xlix. 5. And now, ſaith the Lord that
formed me in the womb to be his ſervant, to bring Jacob again
to him, though Ifrael be not gathered, yet ſhall I be glorious
in the eyes of the Lord. Though the covenant was con-
.
cluded from eternity when we could neither confent nor
diſſent; yet, by the conftitution thereof, it is provided,
that, even to the end of time, any finner of the race of
Adam, who ſhall believe, his receiviog and embracing the
covenant by faith, ſhall be as good and valid to enter him
into it, as if he had perſonally ſubſcribed it at the mak-
ing thereof, John iii. 16. Thus it is left open to mankind-
fioners, that they may come into it, taking place therein
under Chriſt the head ; and fo become perſonally confede-
rate with Heaven, to their eternal ſalvation. And there is
room enough within the compaſs of the infinite name of the
ſecond Adam, for all of us to fubfcribe our little names.
Wherefore, notwithſtanding of all that have already ſub-
ſcribed, in that name, ſaying, I am the Lord's, i.e. the
Lord Chriſt's, Ifa. xliv. 5. fince Eve firſt fet down her
niame there, by believing the promiſe firſt, whereby the
then commenced, and actually was the mother of all living,
Gen. iii. 20. yet the voice of the goſpel ftill is, and will
be even to the end, And yet there is room, Luke xiv. 22.
For typifying of which, Noah's ark was, by the appoint-
ment of Heaven, made all little rooms, Gen. vi. 15. call.
ed in the margin there, nells. Now the Mediator is au-
thoriſed to treat with fioners, rebels to God, and fubjeéts
to Satan's kingdom, to bring them over to Heaven's fide
again ; and for that effect to adminifter the covenant unto
then, to propoſe it to them, and gather them into the
bond thereof. Wherefore, having gone forth on that er-
raad, he teftifies his earneftneſs in the work, Matth. xxiii.

Chriſt the Adminiſtrator of the Covenanf. 183
37. "How often would I have gathered thy children !'
and declares himſelf the door of the ſheep, John X. ],
9.
2. The management of them in the covenant, according
to it, during their continuance in this world. When fin-
nere are, by the Mediator's adminiſtration, brought with-
in the bond of the covenant, they are not henceforth truſted
with the management of themſelves and their ftock : but
their ſtock being lodged with him, they are put under his
hand as their folemn manager, the chief Shepberd and Bi-
shop of fouls, unto whoſe overfight the ſtrays once returned
are committed, 1 Pet. ii. 25. Whatever they need, they
muſt receive from him : he is to diſpenfe all the benefits
of the covenant, of whatever kind, unto them. Are they
to be juſtified ? he is to paſs the ſentence, thy fios be for-
given thee, Matth ix. 2, 6. Are they to be brought in-
.
to a new ſaving relation to God? he is to give thein pow-
er to become the fons of God, John i. 12. Are they to
be ſanctified ? he is to waſh, fanétify, and cleanſe them,
John xhi. 8. Eph. V. 26. and to give them repentance, as
well as forgiveneſs of fins, Acts v. 31.- Are they to be
cauſed to perſevere ? he is to keep them, and to account
for each one of them to his Father, John, xvii. 12. Are
they to be ſeen to in all their temporal concerns ? the
care of them all lies upon him, i Pet. v. 7. He is our
Joſeph, who hath all the ſtores of the covenant in his hand:
and of him God hath ſaid, as Pharaoh faid to bis family.
ing people, crying unto him for bread, Go to Joſeph,
Gen. xli. 55. Moreover, they muſt receive all their or-
.
ders from him, touching their duty in all points. They
muſt receive the law at his mouth; ſince it is by him God
fpeaks unto them, according to the conſtitution of the co-
venant ; for which cauſe God hath given a ſolemn charge
to all the covenant-people, faying, . This is my beloved
. • Son, in whom I am well pleaſed : hear ye him,' Matth.
.
3. and laftly, The completing of their happineſs, ac-
cording to the covenant, in the other world : Eph. v. 278
. That he might preſent it to himſelf a glorious church,
s not having ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing.' It is
the comfort of believers, that Jeſus Chriſt adminifters the
xvii. 5:
Q2

184 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
covenant in this world : fo that whatever part thereof they
may be driven to, they can never be driven to any part
into which his adminiſtration doth not extend. Howbeit,
the molt glorious part of his adminiſtration takes its place
in the other world : for it is in heaven that the promiſes
of the covenant have their perfe&t accompliſhment: the
which makes heaven home to believers. 16 O! but the
paffage betwixt the two worlds is a dark, dangerous
“ and gloomy one! Who can without horror think of the
“ Jordan of death, and the dark ſome region of the
grave!” But withal, God's covenant people ſhould re.
member, that the Lord hath buſineſs in that paffage, as
well as on either fide of it. The line of the covenant is
drawn through it, making a path by which the redeemed
Lafely paſs. So there alſo is the ſcene of Chrift's admini.
ftration of the covenant; he hath the keys of hell and of
death, Rev. i. 18. It is great weakneſs to think that he
i
doth only, as it were, ſtand on the other ſide of the river,
directing the believer in his paſſage, and ready to receive
him when come alhore : nay, it lies on him, as adminiſtrator
of the covenant, even to go into the water with the paffen-
ger, to take bim by the arm, and going between him and
the ſtream, to break the force thereof unto him, and to
bring him ſafe alhore: Pſalm xxiii. 4. Though I walk
• through the valley of the ſhadow of death, I will fear
' no evil; for thou art with me.' In the Iſraelites' paf.
fing over to Canaan, the ark went firft into Jordan, and
was laft in coming out, being there till all the people were
paffed clean over, Joſh. chap. iii. 4. The ark being a
aype of Chriſt, as Canaan was of heaven, this teacbeth us,
that our Lord Jeſus will have buſineſs in the paſſage be-
tween the two worlds, as long as there is one of his people
to paſs that way; and that his adminiſtration there will
never be at an end, until the laſt man within the bond of
the covenant is ſafely landed on the other ſide. This done,
he is to adminifter the covenant to them there alſo, com:
pleting their happineſs by a perfect accompliſhment of all
ihe promiſes thereof upto them. As Jeſus is the author,
fo he is the finiſher of our faith, Heb. xii. 2. In which
text there is an allofion to the races famous among the are
cient Greeks, wherein there was one that opened the race, raa

Cbrif the Adminiſtrator of the Covenant. 185
sit; and went on the head of all the reſt ; another who was
ſet on a throne at the end of the race, and gave the prize to
ſuch as won it. In the ſpiritual race, Chrift acts both theſe
parts. As performer of the condition of the covenant, in
the courſe of his obedience, wherein he endured the croſs,
deſpiſing the ſhame, he is the author of our faith, or the
chief leader, expreſsly called the forerunner; chap. vi. 20.
in bringing many fons unto glory, going on their bead as
captain or chief leader, chap. ii. To. Then as adminiſtrator
of the covenant, he is the finiſher of our faith, or the per-
fecter that gives the crown to the runners, and is, fet down
at the right hand of the throne of God. And thus it is bis
buſinefs to put the crown of glory on the heads of thoſe
whom, by his grace he bath made conquerors. From his
hand Paul expecteth it, 2 Tim. iy. 8. Henceforth there is
berid -up for me a-crown of righteouſneſs, which the Lord the
righteous Judge (to wit, Chriſt the Judge of the world')
ſball give me at ihat day. To him it belongs to grant to
the overcomers to fit with him on his throne, Rev. iii. 21.
And therefore I cannot belp thinking, that the text, Matth.
xx. 23. may ſafely be read without the ſupplement, To ſit
on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, but for
whom it is prepared of my Father. So the particle but is
uſed exceptively, a Cor. ii. 5. for fave, Mark ix. 8. The
fulneſs of power given to the Mediator comprehends all
power
in heaven as well as in earth: accordingly, he pre,
pares the place for his ſeveral people in his Faiher's houſe,
having the whole at his diſpoſal as adminiftrator of the có.
penant. And he is to adminifter the covenant to them,
not only at their firſt entrance into the regions of bliſs, but
all along through the ages of eternity, being to remain the
eternal bond of union and mean of communication betwixta
God and the faints for ever, Heb. vii, 25. Rev. vi. 17.
And theſe are the ends of the adminiftration of the co--
venant. Follows,
IV, The Nature of the Adminiftration of the Covenants.
The nature of this adminiſtration offers itſelf
to oor view;,
in the relations Chrif hath to the covenant as he is admi.
niftrator thereof. We have already ſeen, how that Chrift
became the Mediator of the covenant, both ſubftantial
and official ; and have obſerved that his official mediation
Q3

286
The Adininiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4
runs through the whole of the covenant : and we have
taken notice of a threefold relation of his unto it, namely,
his being, iſt, The Kinfuan-redeemer in it. 2d, The
Surety of it. And, 3d, The Prieſt, the facrificing prieſt
of it; the which parts of his mediation, reſpecting the
condition of the covenant, do belong to the making of it.
We ſhall now conſider his other relations thereto, bearing
thoſe parts of his mediation, which reſpecting the promiſes
of the covenant, do belong to the adminiſtration of it. And:
they are theſe five : 1. He is the Truſtee of the covenani,
2. The Teſtator of the covenant. 3. The Prophet of
the covenant. 4. The King of the covenant. And, 5.
The Interceſſor of the covenant; each of which is a fyl-
lable of the name above every name, given him of the Fam
ther, as the reward of his work. And in viewing of theſe
in order, the nature of the adminiſtration of the covenant
will plainly appear.
I. Chriſt the Truſtee of the Covenant.
Our Lord Jeſus, as adminiſtrator is, in the firſt place,
the Truſtee of the covenant ; having the covenant, and all
the benefits thereof, committed to his truft : Col. i. 19,
For it pleaſed the Father that in him ſhould all fulnels.
dwell. This greateſt of all truſls, too great for any
mere man or angel, our bleſſed - Redeemer, was perfe&tly
qualified for : and ſo was fet over the houſe of God, the
moſt precious things thereof being put under his hand.
What is ſealed up from the highett angel, he hath acceſs.
to; he is truſted to looſe the leals, for he is worthy, Rev.
·V
V. 29-5. A holy jealous-God puts no truſt in his ſervants,
and his angels he charged with folly : for they were falli.
ble; there was a poſſibility of their betraying their truft,
Job iv. 18. But it plealed him to truſt the bleſſed Jeſus,
that in him, as an infallible adminiſtrator, all fulneſs ſhould
dwell.
This high truſt was a neceſſary prerequiſite of the admi.
Iration : and therefore, upon his engagement to fulfil the
condition of the covenant, reputed in heaven as ſure as if
it had been actually performed, all the benefits of the
covenant were not only made aver to him in point of right,
but were delivered over into his hand in actual poffeffion,

Chriſt the Truſtee of the Covenant.
187
that he might diſpenſe them to finners, according to the
method therein flated and agreed upon : John iii. 35.
• The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things
• into his hand.' Matth. xi. 27. All things are delivered
• unto me of my Father. Verſe 28. Come unto me, all
.
' ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
• reft' Hence it was that he entered upon the admini-
ftration of the covenant long before his incarnation ; even
as ſoon as there was any place for the adminiftering there.
of, which was in Paradiſe after the fall : though the folem.
nity of his inveſtiture, and taking poffeffion, was referved
unto his aſcenſion into heaven, when the man Chriſt was
ſet at God's right hand, Gen. ii. 8—15. with Pſalm lxviñ.
18. Eph. i. 20, 21, 22.
Thus the fulneſs of the covenant is in him ; and this
truſt makes the unſearchable riches of Chriſt not to be par-
ticularly inventoried by us, fince they are unſearchable.
But, agreeable to what hath been faid before, we ſhall, for
opening thereof, mark the following things :
1. The unſeen guard of the covenant is under his hand.
There is given unto him all power over natural and ſpiri.
tual things, to manage the ſame for the prefervation, pro-
tection, and reſtraint of thoſe fometime to be brought into
the covenant; while yet they are Arangers from it, and
neither perceive the guard about them, nor the commander
thereof: Jobo v. 22. The Father-hath committed all
* judgment unto the Son: Hof. xi. 3. I taught Ephraim
3
alſo to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew not
that I healed them. Sometimes they are, during their
ftate of blindneſs, in imminent hazard of their lives, and
narrowly efcape, before the fream of ſtrong temptations
threatening to carry them quite away ; and yet the force
of theſe is broken one way or other, and they brought back
from the very brink of ruin; and they never truly know
whoſe debtors they are for theſe things, nor ſee the love-
defigo in them, until converting grace has reached them;
and then they hear the Captain of that guard ſaying to
them, as he faid to Cyrus, Iía. xlv. 5. I girded thee, though.
thou haſt not known me. So the mountain was full of hor- .
ſes and charits of fire, for the defence of Eliſha and his
fervant, while yet the ſervant ſaw none of them, but thoſe
,

188 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
againſt them, until the Lord opened his eyes, 2 Kinga
vi. 17
2. The quickening Spirit of the covenant is in him,
whereby to quicken dead finners, and cauſe them to live.
The Spirit of life behoved to be purchaſed for finners, O.
therwiſe there was no life for them. Now, the fulneſs there-
of is purchaſed, and actually lodged in the Mediator, ac-
cording to the covenant. Hence, Chriſt propoſeth himſelf
to dead Sardis, as having the ſeven Spirits of God, Rey.
iii. 1. and faith to the Jews, John v. 25. • The dead ſhall
* hear the voice of the Son of God;' that is, dead fouls ſhall
be quickened, and being quickened, ſhall believe. The
firft Adam being made a living foul, was capable to com-
municate natural life, but not being made a quickening
fpirit, he could not reſtore life once loft ; but the laſt Adam
was made a quickening fpirit, to reſtore ſpiritual life to
finners dead in treſpaſſes and fins. So, in Chrift as the
Truſtee of the covenant, is the fountain of life. Adam's
fin put out the lights of the whole world ; and his natural
offspring were all left by him as ſo many blind candles: but
the ſecond Adam is made, and ſet up, a faming lamp to
lighten them agaia ; and as many of them as it toucheth,
do inftantly flame too: and could they all but touch it,
and none are forbidden, they ſhould all be lighted again,
and ſhine with the light of {piritual life, partaking of the
Spirit of life in Chrift Jeſus.
3. The righteoufneſs of the covenant is in him, where
by to justity the ungodly that have no righteouſneſs of
their own. Hence his name is, The Lord our rigbteaufneſs,
Jer. xxiii. 6. Righteouſneſs of man before the Lord was
quite worn out ; there was nothing of that kind left upon
any of Adam's children, ' as it is writteo, There is none
righteous, no pot one,' Rom. ii. 10. But Jeſus Chrift
having, in his birth, life, and death, wrought out the righ-
teouſneſs of the new covebant, brought it in, and preſented
it unto his Father, Dan. ix. 24. with Lev. xvi. 15. And
it was fuftained and accepted as the new covenant righteo
ouſneſs, for juſtifying all that believe ; and was lodged
with the worker thereof, intrusted with it as adminiſtrator
of the covenant. Hence, he is ſaid to be made unto us
righteouſneſs, 1 Cor. i. 30. namely by a divine.confitution,

Chriſt the Truſlee of the Covenant. 789
even as he was made the covenant. And intimation here-
of is made unto finners in the goſpel, for a ground
of faith, Ifa. xlv. 24. Surely, ſhall one ſay, in the Lord
6
• have I righteouſneſs. Heb. Only in the Lord (concern-
ing me he hath ſaid) is righteouſneſs. They are the
words of the Lord Jeſus Chrift, narrating the divine con-
ftitution concerning himſelf. Compare ver. 23. with
Rom. xiv. 10, 11. Wherefore the goſpel is called the mi-
niſtration of righteouſneſs, 2 Cor. iii. 9. and his minifters,
miniſters of righteouſneſs, chap. xi. 15. he being intruſted
with the new covenant righteouſneſs, for to adminifter it to
finners unto juſtification of life, as the phraſe,is Rom. v. 18.
4. The new covenant-right to God is in his perfon as
Mediator : and he is actually poſſeſſed of the fulneſs of the
Godhead, as he is adminiſtrator of the covenant, to com-
municate of that fulneſs to all that ſhall believe, Col. ii.
9. · For in him dwelleth all the fulneſs of the Godhead
• bodily. Verſe 10. And ye are complete in him, which
is the head.' Our Lord Jeſus, as the eternal Son of
God, had a natural indefeaſible right to the fulneſs of the
Godhead : but as the ſecond Adam, he took out a new
right thereto, purchafing the ſame by his obedience and
death: and as fuch, it is now lodged with him, to be
communicated by him. And thus
the peace of the co-
.
venant, peace with God, is in him, Eph. ii. 14. the fon-
fhip of the covenant, the adoption into the family of God,
is in him as the firſt born among many brethren, Pfal.
lxxxix. 27. with John i. 12. the covenant-intereſt in God
as one's own God, is in him, John xx. 17. And to ob.
tain all theſe in one, let the finner but receive Chrift by
faith, and he hath them; for they are all under his hand
as Truſtee of the covenant, yea, in him as the ſtorehouſe of
the covenant.
5. The covenant fulneſs of the Spirit of ſanctification
is in him, whereby to make finners holy: Col. i. 19. It
pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſs dwell.
John i. 16. And of his fulneſs have all we received, and
grace for grace. Having purchaſed the ſame with his owa
blood, it is lodged in him as Adminiſtrator of the cove.
nant, in reſpeet of which he is ſaid to be made unto us
Sanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30. Therefore, out of his pierc-

190 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
ed fide came there forth blood and water ; blood to re-
move the guilt of fin, water to waſh away the defilement
thereof. So he is the fountain opened for fin and for
« uneleanneſs ;' not a veſſel of that water of purification,
which, how full foever, would lack as much as it ſhould
communicate ; but a fountain, a living ſpring of it, to
fupply the needs of the upclean, without any lack in it-
felf: For God giveth not the Spirit by meafure unto him,
John iji. 34. wherefore, there is in him ſuch a fulneſs of
the Spirit of holineſs, as is, by the infinite efficacy thereof,
fufficient to fan&tify the whole family of Adam, and even
the worft of them. There is a fulneſs of all grace in him,
to be communicated for the repairing of the loft image of
God in us. There is grace enough in him, to melt the
hardeſt heart to evangelical repentance, Acts v. 31. to
martify the ſtrongeſt lutt, Gal. v. 23. and to quicken and
to ftrengthen unto holy obedience, 2 Tim. ii. 1.
6. The eftabliſhing grace of the covenant is in him,
whereby to cauſe the most fickle and inconftant, once in
him, to perſevere unto the end: Jude, ver. 1. • Them that
• are fanctified by God the Father, and preſerved in Jelus
* Chrift. He is confituted the head of influences for
all his myftical members, which are to have their pouriſh-
-ment miniſtered from him, Col. ii. 19. The giving out
of continued pardons, neceſſary for them in this their
ftate of imperfection, is alſo in his hand, as the Truftee of
the covenant, exulted to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to
give repentance to Ifrael and forgiveneſs of fins, Afts v. 31.
Thus he is fully furnifhed for preſerving of them in a ftate
of grace, having a fulneſs of grace in himſelf to communi.
cate unto them, fuitable to all their exigencies, whether
in reſpect of the power, or of the guilt of their fin.
The temporal things of the covenant are all in his
hand, whereby to provide for, and afford protection to his
people, during their continuance in this world. In the
covenant there was made to him a promiſe of his inherit-
ing all things, as the firſt born of the family of Heavens
and in his perſon as the laſt Adam, the ancient dominion
over the oreatures was reſtored, as we heard before. Now,
as he is the Truſtee of the covenant, the heritage of the
world, and all things therein, is actually delivered over in-
7.

Chriſt the Truſtee of the Covenant.
191
,
to his hand : fo that he is not only Lord of the world in
point of right, but in fact, having the power of all there-
in, from the fmalleſt rag for covering of nakedneſs, even
to the crowns and fceptres. This he himſelf witoeffeth,
Matth. xxviii. 18. • All power is given unto me in beaven
* and in earth. Chap. xi. 27. All things are delivered
runto me of my Father' Hence, to encourage his im-
poveriſhed people in their building of the fecond temple,
he faith, Hag. ii. 8. • The ſilver is mine, and the gold is
mine,' namely, to give them to whom I will. And that
theſe are Chrift's words, appears from verſe 6. compared
with Heb. xii. 26. Accordingly, from Pſalm xxiv. 1.
• The earth is the Lord's, and the fulneſs thereof,' the
apoftle clears believers' right to the creatures, 1 Cor. x.
25, 26. And thus he is fully furniſhed for affording all
manner of proviſion to his people, in temporal things ;
and all protection from whatever dangers they can be in
while here. The ſun, moon, and ſtars, the earth, ſea and
air, with all that in them is, are under his hand, as the
Truſtee of the covenant ; and he can diſpoſe of them all
for the ends of the covenant, as the glory of God and the
welfare of his people do require.
8. The covenantfulneſs of power over death and the
grave is in his hand, whereby to diſarm death of its fling,
and bring about a glorious refurrection, I, faith he, have
the keys of hell and death, Rev. i. 18. Death gaes through
the world as a mighty conqueror, whom none is able to re-
fift; the grave follows, and none can keep back its prey,
nor cauſe it to give up again. But the Mediator bath an
effe&tual check upon them both. They are not abſolute
potentates, as mighty as they are: there is one above
them, to whofe orders they muſt preciſely flick. Death
may indeed enter in within the boundaries of the covenant,
and carry off the covenant people as well as others : but
at the border it muft drop its ſting, and enter without it;
for the power of death is now in Chrift's hand, and he
will not ſuffer it to enter there with it. And the time
cometh, wherein he will ſay to the grave,
grave, Give up; and
then the bars thereof will be broken aſunder, the gates
thereof fly open, and it will deliver up to him its lodgers :
for he is intruſted as Adminiſtrator of the covenant, with
full power over death and the grave.

192 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
9. Laſtly, The eternal conſummate happineſs of the co-
venant is in his hand, whereby to render the ſouls of his
people happy immediately after death, and then foul and
body together happy at the laſt day: for all power in hea.
ven is given him. The Father hath made him the great
repoſitory of eternal life, the fountain from whence it ſhall
Stream forth to all the heirs of life: and the diſpenſing of
it is iotrufted to him ; i John v. II. “God hath given to
sus eternal life: and this life is in his Son.' John xvi 2.
* As thou haft given him power over all fleſh, that he
• ſhould give eternal life to as many as thou haſt given him.'
Wherefore, his dying people do in faith commit their ſouls
to him, as Stephen, Acts vii. 59. · Saying, Lord Jeſus,
receive my ſpirit.' And at the laſt day, he pronounceth
the ſentence, and ſolemnly receives them into the kingdom
of heaven, Matth. xxv. 24.
And thus Chriſt is the Truſtee of the covenant.
II. Chriſt the Teftator of the Covenant.
In the next place, our Lord Jeſus is the Teſtator of the
covenant, as the apoſtle teacheth, Heb. ix. 15, 16, 17.
By the conditionary part of the covenant, God had a com-
penſation of the wrong done to his glory by finners: and
by the promiſſory part, Chriſt had unſearchable riches to
communicate unto them, whereby they might be made
happy; and being to die in the cauſe according to his co-
;
venant, he timely made his teſtament, as a deed of convey-
ance thereof unto them; turning the promiffory part of the
covenant, reſpecting loſt finners, into a teſtament in their
favour, 1 Cor. xi. 25. ' This cup is the new teftament in
'my blood.'
Hence it appears, that this belongs to the adminiftration
of the covenant, committed to him, for making finners par-
takers of the covenant-benefits; yea, and that it is the firſt
and fundamental act of that his adminiftration, laid as a
foundation of all the other acts thereof, which are but ſo
many means of executing the teſtament. Upon the Me.
diator's undertaking to fulfil the condition of the covenant,
the Father made to him a diſpoſition of the covenant-be-
nefits contained in the promiffory part: and the benefits fo
difponed, were actually delivered over into his hand, as the

Chriſt the Teſtator of the Covenant.
193
a
appointed truſtee of the covenant, as we have already ſeen.
Now, he having them all thus in his hand, hath made a dif-
a
poſition of them to poor finners, by way of teſtament, Lake
xxii, 29. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father
bath appointed unto me. Or, And, I diſpone to you, as my
Father diſponed unto me a kingdom. The word here uſed,
fignifies to diſpone ; and bath in it the notion of a federal
or covenant diſpoſition, and a teſtamentary diſpoſition too.
Of the former fort, was the diſpofition made by the Father
to Chrift, namely, a federal diſpoſition ; as being made on
a moſt onerous cauſe, a condition properly ſo called, to wit,
his making his foul an offering for fin: and it can by no
means be a teftamentary difpofition, Ance, where a teſta-
ment is, there muſt alſo of neceſſity be the death of the teſtator,
Heb. ix. 16. the which it is evident, could have no place
in the caſe of the Father. Of the latter fort is the diſpo-
ſition made by Jeſus Chriſt to fioners, namely, a teftamen-
tary diſpoſition, which, of its own nature, is a deed or con.
veyance of grace and liberality, without conditions pro-
perly ſo called ; and foraſmuch as finners were under an
utter diſability to perform conditions properly ſo called :
it was therefore neceſſary, for their beloof, to make it a
teſtamentary difpofition or teftament.
For clearing of the nature of this teftament, which is of
ſo great importance for all to know, who have any concern
fo
for their falvation, we ſhall confider: 1. The making
thereof. 2. The legatees. 3. The executor. And, 4.
The legacies.
Firſt, As to the making of Chriſt's teftament; it is firft
of all to be obſerved, that though the covenant was indeed
from eternity, the teſtament was not ſo. For Chriſt made
his teſtament as adminiſtrator of the covenant; which ad-
miniftration he did not enter upon but in time. He was
from eternity the truſtee of the covenant, which grand truſt
was a neceffary prerequiſire of his adminiftration : yet, for-
aſmuch as his commencing teſtator of the covenant was an
act of his adminiftration thereof, there could be no place
for it until there was place for adminiſtering the covenant,
which there was not, till once the covenant of works was
broken. And hereto beſt agreeth the nature of a teſta-
ment, which is not ſimply a will, but a will declared, tefi-
R

194 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
a
fied, and Gignified by word or writ, or ſome one or other
external lign pleadable by the legatees, in order to their
obtaining of the legacies bequeathed.
Chrifl's teftament, which, for fubftance, is but one, is
yet twofold, in reſpect of different circumſtances wherewith
it bath been veſted, namely, the old or firſt teftament, and
the new teſtament, 2 Cor. iii. 14. Heb. ix. 15.
Chriſt's old teftament is the declaration of the latt will
of our dying Saviour, touching his unſearchable riches, con-
firmed by ſlain facrifices of divine inftitution, ſealed with
the feals of circumciſion and the paffover, and enduring in
the church till the fulneſs of time, and the manifeſtation of
himſelf to Iſrael in the fleſh, Heb. ix. 20. Rom. iv. 11.
1 Cor. v. 7. Luke xvi. 16. This his teſtament was origi-
nally made by word of mouth ; which kind of teftament is
called a nuncupative teſtament: but it was afterwards com-
mitted to writing ; ſo that there was not only a word of
the teftameot to be heard, but a book of the teſtament to
be read, by the legatees, Heb. ix. 16, 20. And ſo we
have it a written teſtament, in that part of the holy ſcrip
Iure called by the name of the Old Teſtament.
Chrift's new teſtament is the declaration of the fame laſt
will of our dying Saviour, touching his unſearchable riches,
confirmed by his own death on the croſs, ſealed with the
ſeals of bapuifin and the Lord's ſupper, and to continue for
evermore, 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25. Matth. xxviii. 19. Heb.
vï. 12, 16, 1%. This alſo was originally made by word
of mouth, in the time of his public miniſtry, wherein he de-
clared his will anent the great falvation, which,' as the a.
poſtle obferves, • at firft began to be ſpoken by the Lord,
Heb. ii. 3. And it was in like mrnner afterwards commit-
ted to writing: and we have it too a written teftament,
ia that part of the holy ſeripture called by the name of the
New Teſtament.
If we look for the original date of Chriſt's old or firſt
teftament, we find his teſtament to be of a date as early as
the nature of the thing covid bear ; being made in paradiſe,
on the day of Adam's fall in the cool of the day, Gen. iii.
8. otherwiſe called the time between the two evenings,
Exod. xii. 6. that is, between three and fix o'clock in the
afternoon; at the which time, our Lord Jeſus did, in the

Chriſt the Teftator of the Covenant.
195
xxvii. 24
a
promiſe of the • ſeed of the woman to bruiſe the head of
- the ferpent,' which • fhould bruiſe his heel,' Gen. ill. 15.
fignify his death, and declare his will for the benefits of his
purchaſe, their accruing to finners thereby. And that day
I judge to have been the fixth day of the creation, the
ſame day wherein man was created; reckoning that the
fcripture teacheth, that Adam lodged not one night in ho-
nour, as ſome do, agreeable to the original, read Pfalm xlix.
12. They who cannot think that the events recorded from
Gen. ii. 7. to the end of the third chapter, were crouded
within the compafs of one day, may weigh therewith the
events relating to the death of Chriſt, which are recorded
Luke xxii. 66. to the end, Chap. xxiii. 1,-33. John xix.
1. Matih. xxvii. 27, 28. John xix. 2, 5, 9,--15. Matth.
All which things were done in the ſpace of
half a day: for Chriſt was crucified abort twelve of tlie
click, Luke xxiii. 44,-46.
Some, through an unwillingneſs to think of their death,
do put off the making of their teſaments unto a death bed:
but ſo very willing was Chrill, the ſecond Adam, to die
for
us, that he fet his houſe in order, and fo prepared him.
felf for death, that very day wherein the firſt Adam fell.
The buſineſs of the great King, and the buſineſs of the ru-
ined world of mankind, required haſte. The whole fabric
of the world was by Adam's fall ſo unhinged, that it was
haftening to a total diflolution, and mankind about to pe.
riſh in the ruins ; till the ſecond Adam went in, and bcre
up the pillars thereof, in virtue of his death to eſtabliſh the
earth again, Iſa. xlix. 8. Wherefore, in paradiſe he made
his teftament in a few words, containing a diſposition of the
benefits of the covenant in favour of poor finners, Gen. ii.
15. and typically went in under that weight of wrath,
which was preſling down all: and ſo he eftabliſhed the
earth again. In this form it was, that they of the firſt a-
ges of the world had the teltament. But it was repeated
and renewed to Abraham, to whom the promiſes were
made, Gal. iji. 16. comprehended under the name of the
covenants or teftaments of promiſe, Eph. ii. 12. As allo
to lfrael in the wilderneſs, whom Moſes ſprinkled with
blood, ſaying, This is the blood of the teſtament, Heb. ix. 19,
20. And this was Chriſt's old teſtament, upon which all
a
R 2

196 The Alminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
that believed, from Adam to Chrift, built their faith, and
hope of obtaining the legaciès left therein ; though it
was upwards of four thouſand years, from the firſt making
of the teftament, unto the death of the Teltator by which
the new teſtament was confirmed.
Now, the apoftle faith, that “a teſtament is of force
after men are dead; otherwiſe it is of no ftrength at all
whilſt theteftator liveth,' Heb. ix. 17. Was Chriſt's teſta- .
ment then of no force all that time? Yea, it was of force;
and that by means of a pre-confirmation, being confirmed
before, Gal. iij. 17. The confirmation of a teftament, in
the ſenſe of the holy ſcripture, is by the death of the tefta-
tor, as the apoſtle, in the forecited text, teacheth the
Hebrews. And in ſcripture reckoning, there was a two-
fold death of the Teftator here : one typical, another real.
In refpect of the former of theſe, Chrilt was “ the Lamb
• Main from the foundation of the world,' Rom xiii. 8. hav.
ing died typically in the ſacrifices then offered, Gen. iii.
21. and thereafter all along under the Old Teſtament.
And by that death of the Teſtator, was the pre-confirmation
of the teſtament: fo that from the day it was firſt made,
it was of force, for the legatees obtaining the legacies there-
in bequeathed, foraſmuch as it was then alſo confirmed.
Wherefore, the apoitle obſerves, that, in full conſiſtency
with that known maxim anent teftaments, Heb. ix. 17. a-
bove cited, • Neither the firſt teftament was dedicated
« without blood,' verſe 18. What the apoſtle means by
the dedication of the teſtament will be plain, if it is con-
fidered, that what our verſion of the Bible calls dedication,
is, in the ſcripture-uſe of words fo rendered therein, no.
thing elſe but an entering on, or a firſt, or new uſing of a
perſon, or thing, to what they were deſigned for: info-
much that the very dedication of the temple was no more
but that, as appears by comparing 2 Chron. v. 13. Chap.
vi, and vii. 1. with 4, 5. Wherefore, by the dedication
of the teftament, mut he meant the legatees' beginning to
claim and obtain the legacies, upon the teſtament. And
this, the apoſtle faith, was not done without the teſtament's
being confirmed by blood or death: the which, though
really the blood or death of beaſts facrificed; yet, accord.
ing to the apoſtle's reaſoning, were reckoned the blaud

Chrijl the Tefator of the Covenani. 197
or death of the Teltator, they being ſacrificed as types of
him.
And hence it appears, that whatever have been the dif-
ferent circumſtances wherewith the teſtament in different
periods hath been veſted; the Old and New Teſtament,
nuncupative and written, are for ſubſtance but the one
teftament of Jeſus Chriſ/, the ſame yeſterday, and to-dey, and
for ever, Heb. xiii. 8. having the ſame force and effect for
full remillion of fin and eternal ſalvation, legacies claimed
and obtained by faith, in virtue of the teſtament, A&s xv.
J. Rom. iv. 13. only, what was firit declared by word of
mouth, the ſame was thereafter written. The legacies at
firſt bequeathed in general comprehenfive terms, were after-
wards particularly nominated : and in the New Teſtament
they are more clearly expreſſed than in the Old. The
former was a copy of the teftament, fitted for the time be-
fore the Teſtator really died; the latter, fitted for all timea
thereafter, to the end of the world; and therefore no 0.
ther copy is to be accepted after it.
Secondly, It is to be inquired, Who are the legatees, the
parties in whoſe favour the teſtament was made, and who
may in the method of the teſtament, claim and obtain the le-
gacies thereinbequeathed? Chriſt's making his teſtament be.
ing the fundamental act of his adminiſtration of the cove-
nant, as we have already ſeen ; the legatees in the teſta.
ment muſt needs be the ſame as the objects of his adminia
ftration of the covenant, that is to ſay, finners of man-
kind indefinitely : for if Chriſt is authoriſed by the Fa-
ther to adminiſter the covenant to mankind finners inde.
finitely : and hath accordingly made his teſtament for
that effe&t, furely none can be excepted out of the tefta.
ment, that are not excepted out of his adminiftration.
Therefore the apoſtle lays down, for the foundation of
faith to thoſe who had ever imbrued their hands in the
blood of the Lord of glory, their intereſt in the promiſe,
Aets ii. 39. . For the promiſe is unto you, and to your
s children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
• Lord our God ſhall call.? To whomſoever then the
goſpel comes, we may warrantably fay, the promiſe is to
you, and to you, and every one of you, even the promiſe
of the teltanent : and ye have acceſs to claim it by faith,,
R. 3

198
The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head
as your own legacy, your owu mercy, Jonah ii. 8. And
all the arguments adduced on the head of the object of
Chriſt's adminiſtration, which need not to be repeated here,
do prove this.
And it is moſt agreeable to the nature of the thing. In
Chriſt's teftament, the legatees are not expreffed by their
names, as in teftaments where the teftator hath his children
and friends about him, to whom he leaves his legacies :
but it is here, as in the caſe wherein ſome of the children,
or friends of the teftator, are not come into the world at
the time of the making of the teitament ; who muſt there
fore have their legacies left to them under fome general
deſignation. Multitudes, multitudes of Chriſt's legatees
were not born when he died; and multitudes of them have
not to this day ſeen the fun : nay, when Chrift firſt made
his teftament, there were but two perſons in the world.
Therefore the legatees have been expreſſed in it under a
general delgnation, as thoſe of fuch a family. Now, the
general deſignation of the legatees in Chrift's teſtament
is not actual believers, that is, ſuch as have already believe
ed; for actual believing is the legatees' claiming of the
Jegacies left them, whereby they are put in poffeffion there-
of; the which claim muft, of neceflity, have a foundation
in the teſtament prior unto it. And indeed the teſtament
is the ground of faith. Therefore it was made before
there was one actual believer in the world, being made in
paradiſe, and there recited in the bearing of our guilty
firft parents, who, upon the hearing of it, Gen. iii. 15.
believed, and ſo were put in poffeffion of their legacies.
And thus will it be to the end of the world : faith will
come by hearing of the teſtament, Rom. X. 17. Gal. iii. 2.
Neither is it the ele&t: for, howbeit in them only is the
teſtament effe&tual, yet it is not to them only the legacies
are left; tbey are not the only perſons in whoſe favour the
teftament was made. For election being a ſecret not to
be known by us, until once we believe, cannot be the
ground and warrant of believing, or embracing the teſta-
ment, and claiming the legacies. Beſides, at that rate;
unbelievers continuing ſo to the end, could not be juſtly
reckoned refuſers and fighters of Chriſt's teftament, as
having no portion, nor concern in it more than fallen angels.
But the general defignation of the legatecs in Chrift’s tefla-
a

Chrift the Teſtator of the Covenant. 199
a
ment is mankind-Ginners indefinitely: to thoſe of the fa-
mily of Adam are the legacies left to be claimed and pof-
feſſed of them by faith: Prov. viii. 4. • Unto you, O mea
• I call, and my voice is to the fons of men.' Rev. xxii.
17. · Whoſoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
John. iv. 37. · Him that cometh to me, I will in noways
( caſt out.'
Put the caſe, that a rich man fhould, for the love and
favour he bears to a particular family, leave his ſubſtance
to them by teftament, to be divided among them : in this
caſe it is evident, that however numerous that family be,
all and every one of them are this man's legatees, howbeit,
their names are not particularly expreſſed in the teſtament ;
and they need no more to clear their claim, each to his
ſhare of the legacy, but that they are of that family.
And
upon the executors making lawful intimation to that
family, that fuch a teſtament being made in favour of them,
they come, claim, and get their legacies, in the method
of the teftament: it is manifeft, that all of them, who ac-
cordingly come and make their claim, as members of that
family, will obtain a ſhare of the legacy: but in caſe there
be any of them, who will not come and make any claim
thereto, they will juftly loſe the benefit thereof, and may
die of want for all the legacy that was left to them in that
teſtament: Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt has made fuch a tefta-
ment: the loft family of Adam is the family conſtitute his
legatees ; and the goſpel is the lawful intimation made to
them, to come to the executor, and receive their legacies.
All that believe get the legacy: all unbelievers loſe it, and
periſh under the want thereof : and they perifh without all
excuſe. They cannot pretend, that there was nothing left
them by the Tettator, which is the caſe of the fallen angels:
por yet, that it was not intimate unto them, which is the
caſe of thoſe that never heard the goſpel.
But they pe-
riſh, becauſe, howbeit there was a rich legacy left them,
yet they undervalued the teftator's kindneſs, and would ne-
ver come and claim it by faith. Hence the benefits of the
covenant of grace, even in reſpect of unbelievers, are cal-
, .
led their own, namely, in virtue of the right they have to
them by the tenor of Chriſt's teftament; Jonah ii. 8.
$ They that oblerve lying vanities, forſake their own mercy.'

200
The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
Accordingly, to the elder brother in the parable, Luke xv,
the father faith, verſe 31. • Son, all that I have is thine.
6
* So chap. xvi. 12. If ye have not been faithful in that
« which is another man's, who ſhall give you that which is
your own ? that is, the true riches,' ver. 11. And their
ruin is ledged at the door of their unbelief, in not coming
to Chriſt to receive them, John v. 4. And ye will not
I come to me, that ye might have life.' Chrill's promiſes
in his teftament are to mankind-liners, as the promiſe of
Canaan was to the Ifraelites in Egypt, indefinitely, thoſe
not excepted, whoſe carcaſes fell in the wilderneſs, Exod.
vi. 6. Say unto the children of Ifrael, I am the Lord.
6-Verſe 8. And I will bring you in unto the land con-
6 cerning the which I did ſwear. Thus was there a pro-
miſe left them of entering into the reſt of Canaan : and
thoſe who believed it, got the poffeffion accordingly; thoſe
who believed not did loſe it. And they fell ſhort of it,
not becauſe it was not left to them, but becauſe, though it
was left to them, as well as to thoſe that entered, yet they
believed it not. So, ſays the apoille, « They could not ena
• ter in becauſe of unbelief, Heb. iii. 19. And this was.
no imputation on the faithfulneſs of God: for even in pro-
miſes, as well as in'covenants, there is a neceſſity of mutu-
al.conlent unto the ſame thing; the party, to whom the
promiſe is made, his acceptance thereof being neceffary to
complete the obligation on the promiſer to make it effec-
tual: becauſe aone making a promiſe of a benefit to ano
ther, can in reaſon be thought either to bind himſelf there.
by to intrade his benefit on the other againſt his will, or
yet to give up with it, as a thing to be abandoned by him
at any rate. Now, to this very purpoſe the apoſtle makes
uſe of that caſe of the Ifraelites having the promiſe of Ca.
naaa left them, and yet coming ſhort of it through unbe
liek Heb. iv. I. . Let us therefore fear, left a promiſe be
"ing left us of entering into his reft, any of you fhould
e feem to come ſhort of it. Verfe 2: For onto us was
• the goſpel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
« preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
. in them that heard it.'. Compare Exod. iv. 9. * And
• Mofes (pake unto the children of Ifrael, but they heark.
es ened not.

Chriſt the Teftator of the Covenant. 107
Thirdly, It is to be inquired, Who is the executor of
the teftament? In teftaments among men, the teftator and
executor are always different perſons : and it muſt needa
be fo, becauſe the teftator dying, cannot live again to ſee
his will execute : therefore one or more, who live when he
is
gone, muſt be nominated for that purpoſe. But here
that reaſon ceaſeth. Jeſus Chriſt could well be the execu-
tor of his own teftament, and needed not to appoint any
other to ſee to that matter. He was the Lord of life and
death, and it was not poſſible he ſhould be holder of death,
Aas ii. 24. Though he was really to die, to confirm
his teftament; yet he was quickly to riſe again, for the ef-
fectual execution thereof; accordingly the apoflle obſerves,
that he' was delivered for our offences, and was raiſed a-
gain for our juftification,' Rom. iv. 25. And he lives
for evermore.' Even when he was in the grave, he was
capable of executing his teftament, being God as well as
man, having a life which could not be loft, no not for a
moment, namely, the divine life. And the executing of
it then, when the human nature was in the ſtate of death,
was much the fame as his executing of it before he had ac-
tually affumed the human nature at all.
And that Jefus Chriſt really is the executor of his own
teftament, appears from bis being conſtitute by the Father
adminiſtrator of the covenant, to diſpenſe the benefits there-
of as great Steward of the houſe of Heaven : and from the
acts of that his adminiſtration, both in this life, and in that
which is to come ; for he it is that hath in his hand the
conferring of grace, both real and relative, on finners; and
the conferring of glory on faints ; the which are the exe-
cuting of his teftament, as well as the adminiftering of the
covenant ; the former being ſubordinated to the latter.
Meanwhile it cannot be refuſed, that he executes it by his
Spirit, and employs goſpel-minifters in the matter. Where-
fore, whoſoever would have any ſaving benefit by Chriſt's
teſtament, or would partake of the legacies therein be-
queathed, muſt come to himſelf to receive them, lince he
is the executor of his own teftament. And therefore the
conftant call of the goſpel to periſhing finners, is, to come
to Cbrift for life and ſalvation; and the complaint on thoſe
who forſake his own mercy, is, that they will not come to

202 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head
4.
him, John v. 40. And the whole life of believers muſt be
a coming to him, 1 Pet. ii. 4. that is, a living by faith in
him, Gal. ii. 20. whereby they may be daily receiving of
the legacies, according to their exigencies.
Fourthly, In the latt place, it is to be inquired, What
are the legacies left in Chrit's teftament, to poor finners of
mankind, his only legatees? In the general, there is left
to them therein what is ſufficient to make them happy for
time and eternity, even all the benefits of the cover ant to
be received by faith. Theſe are Chriſt himſelf, and all
things in and with him, Rom. viii. 32. And the gene.
ral clauſe of the teſtament is, • According to your faith
* be it unto you,' Matth. ix. 29. It being beyond our
reach fully to reckou up the particulars, it ſhall fuffice to
point at a few things, as the comprehenſive legacies, left by
Jeſus Chriſt in his teſtament, to finners of mankind inde-
finitels.
Legacy 1. His own complete righteouſneſs, to cover ur
before the Lord; hence called the gift of righteouſneſs,
Rom. 5. 17. as being made over to us in his teſtament, to
be received by faith ; in which fenſe it is ſaid to be reveal.
ed unto faith, that is, to be believed or truſted on, and fo
received and put on, chap. i. 17. Dying perſons are wont
to leave ſuits of mourning to their poor friends: but our
dying Saviour leſt to all his legatees, • The garments of
* falvation, the robe of righteouſneſs,'lſa. Ixi. 10. beau-
tiful garments,' chap. lii. 1 • white raiment,' Rev. ii. 18.
as a fuit of rejoicing ; for that, though he was dead, he is
alive, and lives for evermove. Our father Adan left us
naked, to our thame ; yet need we not go naked, nor our
fhame be ſeen. For, by the ſecond Adam's teftament,
fufficient clothing is left to our father's broken family;
even the robe of his own righteouſneſs : and nothing re.
mains, but that we receive it as his legacy to us, and put
A holy God cannot admit us into his preſence in
our ſpiritual nakedreſs: the law requires us to appear
before him in unſpotted holineſs of nature, and perfeet
righteouſneſs of life, as the condition of life ; and with-
al, with a fatisfaction to juſtice, by fuffering, becaufe
we have finned. But how can we make ſuch an ap-
pearance before him? We can by no means put our
it on.

Chrif the Teftator of the Covenant. 203
ſelves in ſuch a condition, by any thing we can do or fuffer.
a
Yet is not our .cafe hopeleſs. We have a good frieud, the
Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who hath left us by teftament, the ho-
lineſs of his nature, where with he was born ; the righte-
ouſneſs of his life, even all the good works he wrought in
obedience to the ten commandments, during his life on
earth; and the ſatisfaction made by his death and fuífera
ings from the womb to the grave: he hath made all theſe
one undivided gift of righteouſneſs, and bequeathed the
fame to us in his teftament, to be received by faith. By
means hereof, the moſt wretched finners of us all may be
beautified in the fight of a holy God, have wherewith to
anſwer all the demands of the law for life, and obtain a
full pardon and acceptance with God, as righteous in his
fight. How thall we eſcape, if, never claiming this le-
gacy, we trainple on the Teftator's kindneſs!
Legacy 2. His new-covenant intereft in God, whereby
to render us happy: Heb. viii. 10. I will be to them a God.
Our father Adam left his whole family without God in the
world, Eph. ii. 12. This was an unſpeakable loſs, a ruin-
ing lofs : all miſery in time and eternity was wrapt up in
it. It was a lofs that could never have been compenſat-
ed: and to us it was irrecoverable. But Jeſus Chrift
hath recovered for us the loft covenant-intereſt in God,
and bequeathed it to us in his teftament. This is a legacy
full beyond our comprehenſion. Who can conceive fully
what is in that, I will be yoor God? Surely all bleffed.
nels is in it, for time and eternity: Pfal. cxliv. 15. • Hap-
*py is the people, whoſe God is the Lord.' Herein is
left you peace and reconciliation with God, John xiv.
27.
adoption into the family of God, 2 Cor. vi. 16, 17, 18.
ye
ſhall have God for your own Gad, your own
heritage, in a joint heirſhip with Chriſt, Rom. viii. 17.
all the perſons of the Godhead to be yours ; the Father to
be your Father, the Son your Saviour, the Holy Ghoſt
your Sanctifier: and all the attributes of God to be em-
ployed for your happineſs. Nothing on Chrill's
part,
Dothing on God's part, ſtands between you and all this:
nothing can make you come ſhort of it but unbelief. That
new-covenant iaterett in God is purchafed by the blood
of the everlasting covenant; it is given over unto Jeſus
yea, that

204
The Adminiſtration of the Cav. of Grace. Head 4.
6
as adminiſtrator of the covenant; and he again hath made
it over to you by teftament. And what remains, but
that ye come to the executor, and receive your legacy, by
faith? Alas! that any ſhould be found, who have no
heart to it.
Legacy 3. His Spirit of grace, we ſo much need. Hear
the words of the teſtament, Prov. i. 23. •Turn you at
.
• my reproof : behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto
you.
Chriſt bath the ſeven ſpirits of God,' even a ful-
neſs of the Spirit in himſelf to communicate; and hath made
over the fame, by his teftament, to finners of Adam's race:
withal, as executor of the teſtament, he hath made inti-
mation thereof, declaring himſelf ready to give the Spirit
unto all that come to him accordingly: John vii. 37. Je-
• ſus ftood and cried, ſaying, If any man thirſt, let him
come unto me, and drink. Ver. 38. He that believeth
• on me, as the ſcripture hath faid, out of his belly ſhall
• Aow rivers of living water. Ver.
39. But this fpake he
• of the Spirit, which they that believe on him ſhould re-
• ceive,' O luitable legacy for Adam's children! Here
is life for us, life for our dead ſouls : for his Spirit is the
Spirit of life, looſing the bands of fin and death, Rom. viii.
How ſhall dead ſouls live? Our Lord himſelf anſwers
that queſtion at large, Joho vi. fhewing himſelf to be the
life-giving bread, that giveth life unto the world, verſe 33.
that it is by eating this bread ſouls fhall live, verſe 57.
that the quickening Spirit is in it, ver ſe 63. and that is to
be eaten by faith, ver. 35, 63, 64. Whither then ſhould
,
the foul go for life, but to Chriſt as executor of his
own teſtament? ver. 68. For as we derived death from
the firit Adam, ſo we muſt derive life from the ſecond A.
dam, elſe we cannot have it, ver. 53. Here is regenerat-
ing and fanctifying grace for us, whereby our natures
may be changed, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. the image of God re-
quired in us, through grace received, anſwering to the
grace in the man Chriſt, as the wax to the ſeal, John i. 16.
for all this worketh the Spirit of Chriſt in thoſe who be-
lieve, Eph. i. 13. Here is made over to us grace, where-
i
,
by we may be enabled to true evangelical repentance, Zech.
xii. 10. Ezek. xxxvi. 31. to walk in newneſs of life, verſe
27. and to mortify the deeds of the body, Rom. viii. 13.

Chriſt the Teſtator of the Covenant. 205
to us.
Here is bequeathed unto us enlightening grace, whereby
we may diſcern our duty : for the Spirit is the Spirit of
light and direction, Joho xvi. 13. exciting and ſtrength-
ening grace, which comes by the ſupply of the Spirit,
Philip. i. 19. Eph. iii. 16. comforting grace in all trials
and afflictions, for he is the Comforter abiding for ever,
where once he comes, John xiv. 16, and eſtablishing grace,
whereby the finner once in Chrift, is for ever kept from
falling away, either totally or finally, verſe 17. i John ii.
27. In a word, Chriſt having left us the Spirit of grace
in his tekament, all grace ſuitable to our needs lies open
Wherefore, none that hear the goſpel remain de
ftitute of grace, but becauſe they will not come to Chriſt
for it.
Legacy 4. A ſuitable portion of the good things of this
life, as infinite wiſdom fees needful : Pſal. xxxvii. 3.
• Thou ſhalt dwell in the land, and verily thou ſhalt be
* fed.' Chriſt in his teftament, has diſponed to finners a
kingdom, even the kingdom of God, and adding thoſe
things thereunto, Matth. vi. 33. His teſtament is ſuited
to all our need, even in temporal things : he hath feen to
cur proviſion and protection, according to the promiſes
made thereanent in the covenant. Theſe promiſes pri.
marily made to himfelf in the eternal covenant, he hath
by his teſtament, as it were indorſed to us, to be made
forthcoming to all who by faith embrace it, and claim
them upon it. Wherefore, believers may go to Chriſt for
their daily bread, as well as for ſpiritual benefits; plead-
ing the teſtament for the one, as for the other. And to
receive the bread and the water in virtue of Chrif's tefta-
ment, will be more fatisfying to a Chriſtian in the exerciſe
of faith, than all the fulneſs of worldly men can be ; for-
aſmuch as at that rate they have them as the purchaſe of
the precious blood of the Teftator and bis Father's bleſ-
fing therewith.
Legacy 5. An unſinged death: John viii. 51. If a
man keep my ſaying, he ſhall never fee death. Men in their
teftaments make proviſion for the comfortable life of their
legatees ; but they' can leave them nothing to make death
ſafe and comfortable to them. But in Chrift's teſtament
there is a ſpecial proviſion for his legatees in death, as
S

206 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4,
well as in life; and in the faith thereof, the faints have
welcomed the grim meffenger, dying comfortably in the
faith of the ſealed teftament, Heb. xi. 13. Our Lord Je-
fus being to encounter death armed with its fiing, and
that in its full ftrength given it by the broken law, was
perfeâly fure of the victory: fo making his teſtament, he
left it as a part of his laſt will, that finners of Adam's race
ſhould be free from the ſting of death, through faith in
him. A precious legacy, which be could well bequeath,
becauſe purchaſed by his own death; and which he can
and will make effectual, fince the fulneſs of power over
death and the grave is in his hand, and he is executor of
his own teſtament. How lamentable is it that men, know-
ing they muſt die, ſhould flight the teſtament, and the
kindneſs of their beſt friend, appearing here where none
elſe are capable to help !
Legacy 6. and loft. Everlaſting life on the other fide
of death: John vi. 58. He that eateth of this bread, fall
live for ever.
Chriſt's teſtament looks not only to this,
but the other world; in it is proviſion made not only for
time, but for eternity: he hath difponed in it a kingdom,
the kingdem of heaven, as an everlafting inheritance for
the legatecs, Luke xxii. 29. This comprehends the hap-
pineſs of the foul in its feparate ftate; the glorious
reſurrection of the body at the laſt day: and the complete
happineſs of ſoul and body together, from henceforth
and for evermore. The importance thereof who can ex-
preſs! But whatever is in it, it is in the teſtament made
over to finners of mankind: and whoſoever of them come
to Cbrift for it, ſhall, upon the ground of his faithfulneſs,
without all peradventure obtain it.
Theſe are the comprehenfive legacies of Chriſt's tefta-
To enter more particularly into the detail of them,
there would be no end, Ye have the book of the tefta.
ment, both old and new, among your hands : read it dili.
gently; and that as Chrift's teftament, as indeed it is; and
in every page ye will perceive of the unſearchable richese
Withal remember, that it nearly concerns you, and every
one of you, as parties legatecs in whoſe favour it was
made ; lince ye are men, fons of men, Prov. viii. 4. the
teſtament is laufully intimate to you, both by the preach-
meot.

Chrift the Prophet of the Covenant. 207
do not,
ing of the word, and hy putting a copy of it, a Bible, in
your hands. And ye are called to come to Chrift as ex.
ecutor of it, by faith in him, to receive your legacies. Hapo
Py will you be, if ye anſwer the call.
ру
But if
ye
it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of
judgment than for you : for it will aggravate your conden-
nation, that not only were all theſe legacies left you in
Chrift's teſtament, but the ſame was intimate unto you,
and ye were called to come to the executor to receive
them, but ye believe not, ye would not.
,
Thus far of Chrift the Teftator of the covenant.
III. Chriſt the Prophet of the Covenant.
The covenant being an eternal tranſaction, which to
ereature had acceſs to be writaeſs unto ; the being thereof
was an abſolute fecret to the whole creation : and, in that
it was a myſtery of the manifold wildom of God, Eph. iii.
10. no creature was fuficient to unfold the nature thereof.
Upon the which accounts, the apoſtle calls it the wiſdom of
God in a myſtery, even the hidilen wiſdom, which God ore
dained before the world, 1 Cor. ii. 7. And hence appears
a veceflity of conſtituting a prophet of this covenant; and
that none but a divine perſon was fit to be the original
prophet thereof : and this ſo much the more, that, by
reaſon of the ſpiritual blindneſs of the parties unto whom
it was to be revealed, a mere objective relation could not
be fufficient in the cafe: For the natural man, receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are fooliſhneſs to
bim : neither can he know them, becauſe they are fpiritual-
ly difcerned, verſe 14. Wherefore Jelus Chriſt was, as ad-
miniftrator of the covenant, conftitute the prophet thereof::
being he of whom, by the apoſtle's teftimony, Mofes truly
ſaid unto the fathers, A prophet Jhall the Lord
your God
raiſe up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me, A&ts iii.
And whoſoever elſe were at any time prophets there-
of, he alone was the original prophet of it, John i. 18.
No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son,
which is in the boſom of the Father, he hath declared him.
And in this character Chrift was conſtitute, (1.) The
Meſſenger, (2.) The Witneſs, and (3.) The Interpreter
of the covenant.
22.
S 2

208 The Adminiſtration of the Cov, of Grace. Head 。
4.
1. In the capacity of Prophet, he was conſtituted the
Meſſenger of the covenant, Mal. ii. 1. to bring the good
tidings of that treaty of peace into the world and not only
fo, but by the authority of Heaven, to proclaim the treaty
to finners, to offer them the benefit thereof, and to deal
with them to accept, by coming into it perſonally. A co-
venant ſurely of unparalleled weight and importance, that
had ſuch a meſſenger thereof.
2. In the ſame capacity he was conſtitute the Witneſs
of the covenant, Ifa. lv. 4. Behold I have given him for a
witneſs to the people. God knew the world to be a guilty
world, whoſe conſcience witneſſed their demerit of death ;
and that therefore they would be very ſlow to believe the
good news from heaven, touching the covenant of peace :
and for this cauſe he would give them one competent to
witneſs the truth thereof; and pitched upon Jelus Chrift
for that effect. He was a fon of Adam: fo the more fit
to atteft it unto men : he was the eternal Son of God:
and therefore not liable to error or miſtake in his teflimo.
ny: he was an eye-witneſs to the eternal tranſaction, and
ſo he could ſpeak in the matter that which he had ſeen with
bis Father, John viii. 38. He came down from heaven,
where the covenant was made, unto the earth, in favour of
which it was made : wherefore he could witnefs in earth
what he had ſeen in heaven about it, chap. iii. 31. He
that cometh from heaven is above all. Verſe 32. And what
he hath ſeen and heard, that he teſtifieth. In him we have
a twofold witneſs, which is full evidence in law. He is
the Amen, the faithful and true witneſs, Rev. ii. 14. In
him we have the witneſs of man; in reſpect whereof he is
the faithful witneſs: and the witneſs of God; in reſpect
øvhereof he is the true witneſs, even truth itſelf. Compare
John viii. 18. I am one that bear witneſs of myſelf ; where
Chriſt as a divine witneſs, in reſpect of his Godhead, is
faid to bear witneſs of himſelf, as a man appearing in the
world, revealing the covenant. And in reſpect of both
.
thele, he is the Amen, whoſe witneſs confirms and deter-
mines the truth of the matter in law.
3. He is in the ſame capacity conftitute the Interpreter
of the covenant, Job xxxiii. 23. to teach it unto men.
We are not only flow to believe the covenant, but it is

Chriſt the Prophet of the Covenant.
209
hard for us to underfand it. It lies ſo far beyond the
reach of our natural underſtanding, that we cannot under-
ftand it in a faving manner, unleſs the Son of God hath
given us an underſtanding (a ſupernatural one) that we may
know him that is true, 1 Joho v. 20. And whoſoever ſhall ſo
underſtand it, muſt be all taught of God, John vi. 45.
that is of Jeſus Chrift, ver. 46. So he is by the Father
conſtitute interpreter, and great teacher of the myſtery of
the covenant : and all the children of the covenant mut
be his diſciples, and learn of him.
Now, Chrift's adminiſtration of the covenant, as the
Prophet thereof, may be taken up in theſe three things
following
1. His intimating and offering the covenant to finners:
by his word, for bringing them perſonally into it. This
he did from the time of Adam's fall, is now doing, and
will do even unto the end of time, that the myſtery of
God ſhall be finiſhed. He began the Old Teſtament dila
penſation thereof, in perſon. Appearing in human ſhape,
with his own mouth he gave the firſt notice of the covenant
that ever there was in the world, and made the firſt offer:
of it in paradiſe, Gen. ii. 8, 15.
He carried it on by
prophets and ordinary teachers, whom he commillionated:
for that effect, and furniſhed with gifts for the work, The:
former of theſe he employed to write in his name, as well
as to ſpeak therein, in that matter :.and by both he ſpoke
to finners, intimating and offering the covenant unto them,
by their means :: whether thropgh the word written or
fpoken. And thus he managed that work, to the ſalvation
of thoſe who believed, in the patriarchial ages before and
after the food; and all along the time of the Jewiſh church,,
from Moſes to the end of that diſpenſation, then he ala-
ſo began the New Teſtament diſpenſation in his owa pera -
fon. Having by his incarnation become man, he applied
himſelf to this work. Though he was born king of the
Jews, Matth. ii. 2. and many of them would have had him
to have mounted their throne, John vi. 15. yet he chufed
rather to appear in the character of a prophet, and betake
himſelt unto the work of the miniltry for to preach the:
goſpel, and intimate and offer the covenant to periſhing fin.
hers : and ſo he was a miniſter of the circumciſion, Rom..
S 3

210 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
xv. 8. Of him, in this capacity particularly, Solomon,
that king preacher, was a type, Eccl. i. 1. And this al-
ſo he did, and fill doth carry on immediately and by proxy,
eſpecially after bisafcenfion into heaven : and that partly by
his apoftles and other extraordinary officers, whom he em-
ployed to write, as well as to ſpeak, in bis name; and part-
ly by ordinary miniſters of the goſpel, to be continued in
the church to the end of the world, Eph. iv, 11, 12, 13.
Thus he is now adminiftering the covenant unto us, by
putting his written word of the Old and New Teſtament
in our hands, and fending men in his name to preach the
goſpel unto us. By theſe means he ſpeaks to finners, inti-
mating and offering them the covenant : and ſo he carries
on the work, to the ſalvation of thoſe that believe, and
rendering unbelievers inexcufable, 2 Cor. v. 20. Rev. iii.
22. Luke %. 16. Wherefore the offer of the covenant
made to us in the goſpel, is his offer: and though the
word is ſent to us by men, they are but his voice in the
matter, he is the ſpeaker, . Then ſee that ye refuſe him
not that ſpeaketh,' Heb. xii. 25.
2. His making the intimation and offer of the covenant
effectual to the elect, by the Spirit, i Pet. i. 12. By
• them that have preached the goſpel unto you, with the
Holy Ghoft fent down from heaven.' The great Prophet
of the covenant cap effectually teach the moſt unteachable
finners of mankind; cauſing light not only to break forth
in a dark world, by his word, but in dark hearts, by his
Spirit: for the fulneſs of the Spirit of light is in him, and
he hath eyelalve for the ſpiritually blind, Rev. ii. 18. He
knoweth who are his, in whoſe name he contracted with
the Father, and received the promiſe of the Spirit: and,
ſooner or later, he fo enlightens them that he relcues them
from under the power of their ſpiritual darkneſs, and ren-
ders the adminiftration of the covenant effe&ual to them,
however ineffe&tual it be to others, Col. i. 13. And this
he doth, by bringing his word to them with power, through
the efficacy of his Spirit opening their eyes. In the firſt
place, by his Spirit acting upon them, as a Spirit of bond-
age, he ſets home on their conſciences the holy law in the
,
commands and curſe thereof, as of divine authority, and
binding on them in particular. Hereby they are convinced
of their fin and miſery, ſeeing their Gn is heinous in the
a

Chrijt the Prophet of the Covenant,
211
$
6
fight of God, and his wrath due to them for their fin :
they are filled with remorſe, terror and anxiety ; are made
to pant for relief, feel an abſolute need of Chriſt and his
righteouſneſs, and deſpair or relief by any other way, A&s
ii.
37. and xvi. 29, 30. And then, by the fame Spirit
acting within them as a Spirit of life, and communicated
unto them from himſelf, in the word of the goſpel, he ſets
home on their hearts and conſciences the glorious goſpel
in its free promiſe of life and ſalvation to finners through
Jeſus Chriſt, as it ſtands in the holy ſcriptures ; clearing
and demonſtrating the fame unto them, to be the infallible
word of the eternal God, and his word to them in particu-
lar : i Theff. ii. 13. Ye received it not as the word of
'men, but, (as it is in truth) the word of God.' Chap.
.
. i. 5. • For our goſpel came not unto you in word only,
' but alſo in power, and in the Holy Ghoft, and in much
• aſſurance. This demonftration of the Spirit is that
which immediately cleareth to them the ground of their
believing in particular ; as faith the apoſtle, i Cor. ii. 14,
5. My preaching was-in demonſtration of the Spirit,
• and of power : that your faith ſhould not ftand in
' wiſdom of men, but in the power of God.' And it is
an internal atteſtation of the word of the goſpel unto them,
diftinct from the cleareſt external or minifterial atteſtation
of it; according to the faying of our Saviour, John xv.
26. • The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Far
ther, he ſhall teſtify of me. Verſe 27. And ye allo ſhall
• bear witneſs. By the power hereof, getting, by way of
{piritual Gight, John vi. 40. a knowledge of Chriſt in his
tranſcendant glory and excellency, exbibited to them in the
free promife of the goſpel, they are infalibly brougbt to
believe. The Spirit thus applying the word of the goſpel
to them, they greedily embrace it, and apply it to them.
felves by faith ; as may be ſeen in thefe converts, Acts ii.
38. Then Peter faid unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jefus Cbrift, for the rea
6 million of tinse Ver. 39. For the promiſe is unto you.
• Ver. 41. Then they that gladly received his word, were
baptized.'
3. Laftly, His teaching and inſtructing them by his
word and Spirit, from thenceforth, as children of the

212 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head
covenant, his own diſciples. The whole plan of falvation
is laid down in the covenant, being a myſtery of the mani-
fold wiſdom of God, wherefore there is ſtill more and
more to be learned : and Chriſt is the great Prophet to
teach it. And the ſecret of the Lord is with them that
« fear him; and he will ſhew them his covenant,' Pſalm
xxv. 14. The ſaints, by reaſon of the remains of darkneſs
in their minds while here, are apt to loſe fight of the par-
ties in the covenant; but the great Prophet is to ſhew
them the Father, and to manifeft himſelf unto them, by
the Spirit. The condition of the covenant, the Media-
tor's own righteouſneſs, the fole ground of all their hopes,
cannot be kept in view, but by means of the light of life
from himſelf. And in his light only can they have a be-
lieving view of the promiſes and privileges of the covenant.
The duties of the covenant, whereof the exceeding broad
law of the ten commanda is the rule, are many: and
though they be clear in themſelves yet they are often fo
dark and perplexed to us, that we cannot diftinguiſh be-
tween fin and duty : but the children of the covenant
have an infallible teacher, whom they may conſult in all
caſes, and of whom they may learn how to fteer their
courſe in every point; and the meek will he guide in judga
ment, the meek will be teach his way, Pfal. xxv. 9.
he
The darkneſs brought on maokind by fin, nothing but
the grace of the new covenant can effe&tually diſpel. The
true light is a benefit of that covenant, purchaſed by the
blood of Chriſt; and lodged with him among the reſt of
the benefits of his great truit :- and he hath the difpenfiog
of it, as the great Prophet of the covenant. To him then
mult we have our recourſe for light in all caſes, whether
we be under the midnight darkneſs of a natural Hate, or
under the twilight darkneſs of the preſent imperfection of
a ſtate of grace : yea, in the mid-day light of glory, the
Lamb is the li ht of the heavenly city, Rev. xxi. 23.
And thus Chriſt is the Prophet of the covenant.
IV. Chrijl the King of the Covenant..
The covenant of grace is a matter of fo vaft importance,
both to the honour of God, and the good of ſouls ; and
of ſuch a diffuſive and general concern to mankind, that.
.
a

Chriſt the King of the Covenant.
213
the adminiftration thereof required one inveſted with kingly
power and authority for that effect. And the diſpoſition
of the parties, objects of the adminiſtration, together with
the nature of the thing itſelf, which concerns the inner-
man chiefly, and the diſpoſal of the choiceſt of Heaven's
favours, at once laid aſide the greateſt of men, and the
higheſt of angels, as no more fit to bear that office, than to
produce another world out of nothing. Wherefore, the
Father's choice in that matter natively fell on his own Son,
the ſecond Adam : and he was made King of the cove-
nant.
6
God, as Creator of the world, is King of the ſame, by
an original, underived right : and ſo he hath the ſupreme
power over it, of which he can no more diveft hinſelf, than
of his being. This is the effential kingdom, common to
the three Perſons in the glorious Godhead, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghoſt.
But the kingdom of the covenant, whereof we ſpeak, is
a derived, delegated one, which the Mediator, Chrift, holds
of his Father by the tenor of the covenant, for the admi-
niftration thereof; as is declared, Pſalm ii. 6. • Yet have I
fet
my king upon my holy hill of Zion' Now the great
deſign of that adminiftration is to gather together finners
of mankind into one body, under the bond of the cove-
nant; and to make them happy, in the enjoyment of the
privileges thereof, in grace and glory : the which body,
the church, is the kingdom of the covenant; a kingdom
that was to be won, and raiſed out of the rebel world of
mankind, lying in wickedneſs; and whertof Chrift was, by
his Father, conſtitute the alone King and Head.
In fubferviency to this kingdom, the kingdom of
pro-
vidence throughout the world was alſo committed to him,
being made the head over all things to the church, which
is his body,' Eph. j. 22, 23. he was appointed to rule,
not only over bis willing ſubjects, but in the midſt of his
enemies, Pfalm. cx. 2. The management of the wheel of
providence, throughout the whole world, was put into
the hand of Zion's King. Into the fame hand that the
Father hath committed the government of the church,
he bath alſo committed the government of the world ; for
there is no exception. The Father bath committed all

214
The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4-
judgment unto the Son, Jobo v. 22. All power in heaven
and in earth, Matth. xxviii. 10. So he is Lord of lords
and King of kings, Rev. xvii. 14. and by him kings reign
-princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth,
Prov. viii. 15, 16. This headſhip over the world was ne-
ceſſary to his adminiſtration of the covenant, as Head of
the church ; neceſſary for compafling the ends thereof.
Being veſted therewith, he ſets up and pulls down, in the
world, as he fees meet for the great purpoſes of the cove-
nant; and of what uſe this is, in the adminiftration there-
of, may be learned from Ifa. xliii. 14. For your fake
•
(namely, for the ſake of the church) I have ſent to Ba-
bylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the
• Chaldeans. Verſe 15. I am your King. Thus the
King and Head of the church manageth all things by his
providence, as well without as within the church ; though
in a very different manner, becauſe in a very different re.
lation, as to his own people, and to ſtrangers. The which
was typified in David, who for the beveht of his own king-
dom, the kingdom of Iſrael, was made the head of the
Heathen, Pfalm xviii, 43. For David (mote the Phili-
fines, and fubdued them, 2 Sam. viii. 1. and the Moabites,
verſe 2. and the Syrians, verſe 6. 6 and all they of Edom
became David's ſervauts, verſe 14. And David reigned
& over all Ifrael, and David executed judgment and juſtice
*unto all his people,' verfe 15.
Now, the chief acts of Chriſt's adminiftration of the
covenant, as he is King thereof, are theſe.
1. His appointing ordinances of his kingdom, both for
bringing of finners perſonally into the covenant, and for
confirming and ſtrengthening the covenanted: as alſo of.
ficers of his kingdom, to adminifter theſe ordinances in his
name and authority. Both the one and the other were
different, under the Old Teſtament, and under the New;
which hath made two different forms of external admini-
ftration of the covenant; the old, which is paſſed away,
and the new, that will continue to the end of the world:
but both were from the ſame authority, and for compaf-
fing the ſame great defigns of the covenant, agreeable to
the different times for which they were appointed ; and are all
of them found in the ſcriptures of the Old and New Tefta.

Chriſt the King of the Covenant.
215
“
ment, the book of the manner of the kingdom. It was
the ſame Lord Jeſus, the angel of the covenant, which
Spoke to Mofes in the mount Sinai, Acts vii. 38. who inſti.
tuted the new teſtament church and ordinances, and gave
Some apoſtles, and
ſome prophets, and ſome evangeliſts, and
ſome
paſtors and teachers; for the perfecling of the ſaints, for the
work of the miniſtry, Eph. iv. 11, 12. The Saviour, King,
and Lawgiver of the church are one; Iſa. xxxiii. 22. The
Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, he will ſave
2. Emitting his royal proclamation into the world, by
the hand of his meſſengers in the goſpel ; bearing, that
whoſoever will come unto him, and unite with him as the
head of the covenant, by faith, ſhall be readily received in..
to it, and have a right to all the privileges thereof, in him:
Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the
, .
4 goſpel to every creature. Verſe 16. He that believeth
6 and is baptized, ſhall be ſaved.' Therein the covenant
is publiſhed, and offered in bis name to every finner of man.
kind unto whofe ears this voice reacheth: and they are
called, commanded, and charged to come into it, and ſub-
mit to his royal ſceptre. His call and offer is their war-
rant to come : his command obligeth them, that they can-
pot refuſe but in rebellion and dilobedience againſt his roy.
al authority. The promiſes are ſet before them indeſi.
nitely, that whoſoever will, may, by believing, apply them
to themſelves. The king's proclamation meddles not with
the ſecrets of the eternal election, to reveal them. But
the promiſes of the covenant, infallibly to be accompliſhed
in ſome, are, in Chrift's teftament, as indorfed to finners of
mankind indefinitely, to be fulfilled unto all and every one
who fall by faith embrace them : and the proclamation
makes lawful intimation of the teſtament This intimation
is the appointed means of begetting faith, and of bringing
Sinners into the covenant thereby : for « faith cometh by
hearing, Rom. x. 17. And it is made effectual to
fome, by the Spirit, through the grace of the covenant ſe-
cured by promiſe for them.
And hence it is, that the promiſe being thus adminiſter-
ed to all promiſcuouſly, there is an ule of conditional
phraſes in the adminiſtration thereof; though in the covea

216 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
a
a
nant itſelf there are no conditions, properly ſo called, but
what were fulfilled by Jeſus Chriſt in his own perſon. The
word of the covenant coming with a like warrant to the e-
lect and the non-elect; to them who certainly will believe,
and to them who will continue in their unbelief; the ad-
miniftering of it equally to both in the goſpel proclamation,
muft needs be by propoſing the promiſes indefinitely as to
perfons ; the which muſt at length be reſolved into condi.
tional phraſes. So it is proclaimed in the ears of all, • I
will betrothe thee unto me, and I will be to them a God.'
And one believes and applies the ſame ; and he is thereup-
on united to Chriſt and inſtated in the covenant to all ſav.
ing purpoſes ; another who hath as good a revealed war-
rant to believe as the former, yet believes not; and ſo comes
ſhort of the promiſe. Now, to ſpeak alike to thoſe who
will thus differently entertain the words of the covenant,
it follows of courſe to reſolve them into ſuch expreſſions as
theſe, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou ſhalt be
faved; and he that believeth ſhall be ſaved, he that believeth
not ſhall be damned. Meanwhile the covenant itſelf is a
different thing from the form of the external adminiſtration
of it.
3. Effe&ually ſubduing the ele&t to himſelf, through the
power of his Spirit fo managing the word, that it operates
on them like a ſword, piercing their ſouls, conquering their
natural averfion and obftinacy, and making them willing
to yield, and embrace the covenant, Rev. i. 16. out of his
mouth went a ſharp two-edged ſword. What that ſword is,
and by what a ſtrong arm it is wielded, in this caſe, may
be learned from the apoſtle, calling it the Sword of the Spi-
rit, which is the word of God, Eph. vi. 17. and what the
effect of it is, being managed by that arm of the Lord re-
vealed, is declared by the Pfalmift, Pfalm cx. 3. • Thy
6 people ſhall be willing in the day of thy power;' and by
the prophet, Ifa. xliv. 3. I will pour my Spirit upon thy
« feed :--ver. 4. And they ſhall ſpring up.--ver. 5. One
• ſhall ſay, I am the Lord's.' Chriſt communicates to
them, and every one of them, at the time appointed in the
eternal counſel, the Spirit and grace of the covenant, there-
in ſecured for them by promiſe: and thereby they are
quickened, enabled and determined to believe. 'And
a

Chrift the King of ihe Covenant.
217
whereas he finds them priſoners, though priſoners of hope, .
he
opens the houſe of their bondage, breaking the yoke of
fin, death, and the devil from off their necks, by his Spirit
applying tothem his ſatisfaction. The which has that migh-
ty effect, inaſmuch as then the law bath fuil fatisfa&ion
as to them; and the law being ſatisfied, the ſtrength of ſin
is broken ; and the ſtrength of lin being broken, the fing
of death is taken away ; and the ſting of death being tak-
en away, the devil loſeth his power over them; and Satan's
power over them being 101, the prefent evil world, which
is his kingdom, can hold them no longer. Thus are they
ſeparated from the world lying in wickedneſs, and confi-
tute members of the kingdom of Chrift; delivered from
the power of darkneſs, and tranlated into the kingdom
of God's dear Son, Col. i. 13. And from thenceforth,
though they be in the world, yet they are no more of it;
but ftrangers and pilgrims in it, true and lively members
of the inviſible kingdom of Chrill; a ſociety to which the
world is an implacable enemy; John xx. 19. re are not of
the world, but I have choſen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. And herein Chriſt doth, in a fpecial
manner, fhew himſelf a King mighty in battle, by the
power of his grace overcoming the moſt perverſe and re-
bellious to a cordial ſubmiſſion, and reſcuing them from
the bordage and dominion of their enemies.
4. Gathering them and others with them together in-
to a viſible church ſtate, Gen. xlix. 10. · Unto him ſhall
*the gathering of the people be.' Thus is erected the
viſible church or kingdom of Chriſt in the world;
a ſociety ſeparate from the viſible kingdom of the devil,
and profefling faith in, and obedience to Chriſt, outward-
ly bearing his badge, and the ſigns of his covenant. A.
mong them is the ordinary ſeat of the adminiſtration of the
covenant, the ordinary means of ſalvation, and offers of
grace. In their land the voice of the turtle is heard, and
the finging of birds in the preaching of the glorious go.
ſpel; while there is a lafting winter over all the world be.
fides. They have the Bible, and Sabbaths, the miniſtry
of the word, and the holy ſacraments. Among them is
to be found the communion of ſaints, and a church govern-
ment, inftituted for controlling the unruly, ſuppreſling of
T

218 The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
fin and wickedneſs, and encouragiug an orderly walk.
And they have the privilege of Heaven's protection ; in-
fomuch that the church ſhall be defended, and her ene-
mies ſo reſtrained and conquered by her King, that fhe
fhall continue while the world ftands, maugre all oppofition
that hell can make againſt her: Matth. xxviii. 20. "Lo,
• I am with you alway even unto the end of the world.'
5. Laſtly, Ruling and governing his true and kindly
ſubjects agreeably unto the covenant, by which his royal
prerogative is ftated, and their privileges are fecured ; Ifa.
ix. 6. The government shall be upon his shoulder. Of this
his government there are ſeveral acts, the chief of which
are theſe following:
iſl, He gives them the laws of the covenant ; not only
intimating the fame unto them externally by his word;
but teaching them internally by his Spirit, writing them
upon the tables of their hearts, and leaving an indelible
copy of them affixed there : Heb. viii. 10. I will put
my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.
Theſe laws of the covenant are no other but the laws of
the ten commandments, criginally given to Adam, in his
creation, and at his tranſportation into paradiſe, and ſet-
tlement there, vefted with the form of the covenant of
works ; and now, unto believers in Chrift, ſtanding with-
out that form, in the covenant of grace, as the eternal
rule of righteouſneſs, whereunto they are to be conformed
by the grace of the covenant, the effectuating of which
is committed by the Father to Jeſus Chrift as adininiftrator
thereof. And accordingly, he carries it on, by his word
and Spirit, in a ſuitableneſs totheir nature as rational agents,
and to their fate; making theſe laws known to them,
as the rule of life, untu which they ſtand bound by the
ſovereign authority and matchleſs love of God their
Creator and Redeemer; and withal inclining their hearts
unto the obedience of the ſame.
2.dly, He gives them the rewards of the covenant in the
courſe of their obedience: Pſal. xix. u. In keeping of
them there is a great reward.
reward. He
puts his people indeed
to work and labour ; but not to labour in the fire, and for
yanity, as the ſervants of fin do ; they are to work and la-
bour, like an ox treading out the corn, which was not to

Chriſt the King of the Covenant.
219
a
be muzzled, but to have acceſs at once to work and to eat.
The ſervice now done to Zion's King, hach a reward in
this life, as well as a reward in the life to come. By the
order of the covenant, there is a privilege eſtabliſhed to fol.
low duty, as the reward thereof; the which order is ob-
ferved by the King in his adminiftration. Accordingly,
be propoſeth the privilege of comfort, to excite to the du.
ty of mourning, Math. v. 4. Blefjed are they that mourn ;
for they ſhall be comforted: the ſpecial tokens of Heaven's
favour, to excite unto a holy teoder walk, John xiv. 2 10
He that hath my commandments, and keepetho them--jhall be
loved of my Father, and I will love bin, and will manifeſt
myſelf to him. In like manner, to excite to the fame holy
obedience, he propoſeth the full reward in the life to come,
1 Cor. ix. 24. So run, that ye may obruin, Rev. ili. 21.
To him that overcometh will I grant to fit with me in my
throne. And fo certainly doth he accompliſh the pro-
miſe of the reward of both kinds, that his people may be
affured their labour is not in vain in the Lord, i Cor. xv.
58. for faithfulneſs is the girdle of his loins ; and in difpenf
ing of the privileges to his people upon the back of their
duty, he doth but obſerve the ſtated order of the covenant,
Not that the order of the covenant is, in every particolar,
firſt duty, then privilege: nay, it is, firſt, privilege ; next,
duty; then privilege again : and ſo forward, till privilege
and duty come both to perfeaion in heaven, not to be di-
ftinguiſhed more. Wo to us if it were otherwiſe ! truly
if it were otherwiſe, we could neither be brought into the
covenant, nor kept within it in life : for how ſhall one at
firſt believe, till once he is privileged with the quickening
Spirit ? and how ſhall a fallen ſaint renew his faith and re-
pentance, till once he is privileged with new influences of
grace? John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. But
here lies the matter, the leading privilege bringing in duty,
there follows further privilege on the back of duty, ac-
cording to the order of the covenant : and theſe further
privileges are the rewards we ſpeak of. And the ſcrip-
ture calls them reward, even in reſpect of the ſaints; be-
cauſe they are given to a working faint, on the back of
his work. Howbeit, they are as far from the nature of a
reward, ſtrictly and properly ſo called, the which on the ac-
T 2

220
The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace, Head 4.
count of one's work is of debt to him, as the leading pri-
vileges are, that proluce the working: but both the one
and the other are equally the reward of Chriſt's work in
the most friet and proper notion of reward.
3dly, He minilters unto them the diſcipline of the co.
venant, in caſe of their diſobedience. The diſcipline of
the covenant is fatherly chaltiſement, which their effate of
imperfection in this life makes neceſſary to their welfare:
and therefore it is ſecured for them in the covenant, Pfal.
Ixxxix. 30. If his children forſake my law ;--verſe 32. .
Then will I viſit their tranſgreſſion with the rod, --verſe 33
Nevertheleſs-- verſe 34. My covenant will I not break, nor
alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. It belongs to the
promiffory part of the covenant, and particularly to the
promiſe of ſanctification : foraſmuch as it is not vindice
tive, but medicinal; being an appointed means of advanc-
ing holineſs in them. He chaftens for our profit, that we
might be partakers of his holineſs, Heb. xii. 10. And thus
it ferves to purge iniquity, and to take away fin, Iſa. xxvii.
9. namely, in that as a fire meking down the paint and
varnish of the defiling objects in the world, in our fight,
and as a looking-glaſs fhewing us our pollution, it occa-
fons and excites us unto waſhing in the only laver of the
blood of Chriſt, by faith. Now the adminiſtrating of the
diſcipline of the covenant is committed unto Zion's King,
John v. 22. • The Father hath committed all judgment
unto the Son;' Rev. iii. 19. • As maay as I love, I re-
6 buke and chaſten.' And as to the nature of it, it com-
prehends all manner of Atrokes vpon their worldly ſubma
Itance, dame, employments, and relations; all manner of
bodily affli&tions, diſeaſes and pains incident to finful
fieſh ; even natural death itſelf, i Cor. xi. 30, 32. and
generally, all outward ſtrokes which any of the children
of men are liable to, Eccl. ix. 2. •All things come alike
• to all.' Moreover, it comprehends ſpiritual ſtrokes,
fuch as deſertion, God's hiding his face from them, with-
drawing the light of his counteriance, the loting fome
meaſure of their graces and comforts, woundings of ſpirit,
horrors of conſcience, whereby they may be brought to
the very brink of deſpair: fo that, howbeit the caiting
them into hell is not within the compaſs of the diſcipline

Chriſt the King of the Covenant.
22 1
of the covenant, yet the caſting a kind of hell into them,
making them to roar by reaſon of diſquietneſs of heart,
Pſal. xxxvii. 8. is within the compaſs of it. And, what
is worſe than any of all theſe, it comprehends their being
harrafled with horrid temptations, and ſet up as marks for
Satan's fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16. the hardening of their
hearts, Iſa. Ixiii. 17. and their being ſuffered to fall into
one fin, and that a groſs fin too, for the puniſhment of
another, as in the caſe of David and Peter. All theſe
things are within the compaſs of the diſcipline of the co-
yenant; and believers are particularly and directly threat-
ened with them, in the eaſe of their diſobedience, to move
them to beware of it: yea, and they are often inflicted by
Zion's King on his beloved ſubjects, that, by theſe marks
of his diſpleaſure againſt their Gin, he may correct them,
make fip bitter to them, and ſtir them up to repentance
and watchfuleeſs. And the worſt of them all, even the
very hardening of their hearts, and the puniſhing of one
fin with another, are, by the ſovereign grace of the cove-
nant, made effe&tual for theſe holy ends: the which grace
opening the heart in renewed repentance, godly forrow
for fin breaks forth the more forcibly, as waters do which
have been long dammed up. Thus theſe bitter waters,
running in the channel of the covenant, become healing
waters : theſe ſharp (words are, by the covenant, beaten
into plough ſhares ; and theſe piercing ſpears, into prun.
ing hooks. Of this diſcipline of the covenant, all the
fubjects of Chriſt in this world do partake ; and they muſt
be under it, till they arrive at perfection in the other
world, Heb. xii. 6, 7, 8.
4thly, He gives them the pardons of the covenant; the
pardoning of the crimes committed againt the laws of
God, being one of the royal prerogatives of Zion's King,
whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour,
• for to give repentance to Iſrael and forgiveneſs of lins,'
Acts
A&ts v. 31. He gives them the firſt pardon, removing the
guilt of revenging wrath, in their juftification ; and he
gives them alſo the fubſequeat pardons, removing the guilt
of fatherly anger, upon their renewing the actings of faitha
and repentance, as was obſerved before. The Father have -
ing committed all judgment unto the Son,' he hath the
T 30

222
The Adminiſtration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
diſpenſing of Heaven's favours, according to the method
and order of the covenant; and they are not only confer-
red for his fake, but by his hand.
5thly, He affords them the defence of the covenant,
while in this life they are amongſt their enemies, Plalm
Ixxxix. 18. For the Lord is our defence : and the holy One
of Iſrael is our King. Satan is their enemy, a malicious,
fubtile, and powerful enemy : but Chriſt is their friend,
and takes them under his protection. He loves them
dearly, and as the purchaſe of his own blood, the mem-
I bers of his own myſtical body, and bearing his father's
image: he is infinitely wiſe, and can outſhoot the devil in
his own bow: and he is the ſtronger man, who can bind
the ſtrong man. The world joins iſſue with Satan in
oppofing them; but ſhall not prevail to ruin them, neither
by force nor fraud : for greater is he than the god of this
world and all his dominion, 1 John iv. 4. re are of God,
and have overcome them : becauſe greater is he that is in you,
than he that is in the world. Their worſt enemies are
within them, namely, the remains of corruption, which,
io the depth of fovereign wiſdom, are not expelled during
this life; bat left for their exerciſe and trial, and for the
diſcovery of the power of the grace of their King. And
he manifeſts his powe!', in keeping alive in them the fpunk
of holy fire, is the midit of an ocean of corruption; and
cauſiog it to make head againft the ſame, until it quite dry
up: Rom. vii. 14. O wretched man that I am, who ſhall
deliver me from the body of this death! verſe 25. I thank
Goil, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. He has all their ene-
mies in chains, that they can act no further againf him
than he ſees meet to permit: and at bis plealure he re-
frains them, bounding them by his power, as to the kind,
degree, and continuance of their attacks, Pfalın lxxvi. 10.
The remainder of wrath ſbalt thou reſtrain.
Lafily, He authoritatively completes the happineſs of
the covenant in them. He purchafed it for them as a
Prieſt; he reveals it to them as a Prophet: but as a King,
he doth, in the way of authority, put them in full poffef-
fion thereof, Matth. xxv. 34. Then fball the King ſay unto
them on his right hand, Come, ye bleſed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Chriſt the Interceſſor of the Covenant.
223
And by the ſame authority he will paſs ſentence againſt his
and their enemies, having fully conquered ther, ver. 41.
And ſo he will complete for ever the peace of his covenant,
fubje&ts.
Tbus far of Chriſt's adminiſtration of the covenant, as
he is King thereof.
V. Chrif the Interceffor of the Covenant.
As for performing the condition of the covenant, Je-
ſus Chrift became the Prieft, namely, the ſacrificing Prieſt
of it, as hath been ſaid in the due place : fo, for the ad-
miniſtration of the covenant, he became the Interceffor,
namely, the interceding Prieft of it. Chriſt's interceflien
did not take its place in the making of the covenant.
The love and grace of God made the motion for a new
covenant freely : and the breach betwixt God and ſinners
was of another nature, than to be made up by a ſimple in-
terceffon: the which might have moved mercy, but could
not have fatisfied juſtice ; that requiring a ſacrifice for fin,
could not be ſatisfied by pleading, but by paying a ranſom:
Heb. ix. 22. Without fedding of blood is no remiffion.
Neither doth Chriſt's ſacrificing take its place in the ad-
miniftration of the covenant: there is no need of any new
facrificing there ; • For by one offering he hath perfe&ted
for ever them that are ſanctified, chap. X. 14. But his
facrificing natively took its place in the making of the
covevant, and fulfilling the condition thereof; and his in-
terceffion, in the admitiration of the covenant, and fulfilling
the promiſes of it. Accordiogly, for the adminiſtration
of the covenant, he is the interceffor thereof: Rom. viii.
34. It is Chriſt that died, y:a, rather, that is rifen again,
who is even at the right-hand of God, who alſo maketh inter:
ceffion for us.
And indeed there was need of an interceffor for that ef.
feet ; fince an infinitely holy God, and finful creatures,
could neither come together into a ſtate of peace, nor con-
tinue in it, with the ſafety of God's honour, without an
interceffor. Wherefore, Jeſus Chrift being appointed
thereto, is, in that charaéier, ' entered into heaven itſelf,
6
now to appear in the preſence of God for us,' Heb ix.
24. to manage the buſineſs of the covenant for our behoof

224 The Adminiſtration of the Cov, of Grace. Head 4.
willing the merit of his facrifice to be applied to all thofe
in whole room and fead he died, and that for all the io.
tents and purpoſes of the covenant in their favours, accord.
ing to the method laid down and ſtated therein. And
this his interceſſion is always effectual, as he himſelf teſti-
fieth, ſaying unto his Father, John xi. 42. • I knew that
« thou beareft me always.' Whence it appears, that the
object of it is not of equal latitude with the object of the
adminiſtration of the covenant, and of his acting in the
other relations belonging to that adminiſtration ; but that
it is reftricted unto thoſe whom he, as ſecond Adam, re.
preſented in the eternal tranſaction. And this is very a-
greeable to the nature of the divine contrivance for the
ſalvation of finners ; in which the eternal purpoſe hath
made a difference of perfons, according to ſovereign will
and pleaſure : this being, as it were, one clauſe in the con,
Ritution of the adminiftration, peculiarly in favour of the
objects of electing love. So the Interceffor himſelf teacheth
us, John xvii. 9. • I pray pat for the world, but for them
& 6 which thou haſt given me. Verſe 20. For them which :
6 ſhall believe on me. Verſe 24. Father, I will that they
“ alſo whom thou haſt given me, be with me where I
Now, Chriſt adminiſters the covenant as Interceffor there,
of, theſe following ways chiefly.
1. Effe&tually proçuring, by his intereſt in heaven, the
a&tual inbringing of his elect, at the time appointed, into
a covenant ſtate of union, communion, peace, and favour
with God: John xvii. 20. · Neither pray I' for theſe a.
6 lone, but for them alſo which ſhall believe on me through
• their word; Verſe 21. That they all may be ove, as
• thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee: that they alſo
may be one in us.' They are by nature in a ftate of en-
a
mity with God, even as others : but through Chriſt's in-
terceſſion the peace is made between Heaven and them.
He purchaſed it for them by the blood of his ſacrifice ; it
was promiſed to him in the covenant on that ſcore; and,
by his interceſfion, he actually obtains it unto them. His
interceffion is the ſpring that puts all the wheels in motion,
that are ſet a-going, in the time of loves, for bringing one
out of the ſtate of nature, into a ftate of grace. Providence
& am,
6

Chriſt the Interceſſor of the Covenant. 225
<
manageth favourably towards the converfion of the man;
the word powerfully affects him, while on others it falls
like rain on a rock, running off as faſt as it comes on; the
bufineſs of eternal ſalvation is clofely laid to heart with him;
the law doth its office upon him, and to doth the goſpel
alſo in its turn : and theſe things ceaſe not, until he is
brought into a new flate, and is become a new creature.
Whence did all this take its rife? Why, the man bad an
unknown friend in the court of heaven, who ſpoke for him
to the King: and all this is the fruit of that interceflion
made for him.
2. Appearing for them, and in their name taking pof-
ſeſſion of heaven, and all the other benefits of the covenant,
which they have a right to, in virtue of their new covenant.
ftate: Eph. ii. 6. • And bath raiſed us up together, and
' made us fit together in heavenly places iu Chriſt Jeſus :'
Heb. vi. 20. · Whither the forerupner is for us entered.'
That moment wherein a finner enters into the covenant;
by believing, he hath a right to all; for, if children, then
bers, Rom. viii. 17. Howheit, in the caſe of moſt of the
children of God, the poffeffion ſeems to be delayed long
after that time. But it is to be confidered, that poffeffion
may rot only be taken by a man in his own perſon, but
alſo in the perſon of another : thus one may by his attor-
ney take poffeflion of an eſtate which he never ſaw; and
a mincr, by his repreſentative, may be poffeffed of what is
not as yet meet to give him into his own band. So, how-
beit the believer's poffeffion of all in his own perfoo is in-
deed delayed ; yet, in this reſpect, it is not delayed one
moment after his believing in Jeſus Chrift: for his Inter-
ceffor acts for him in the matter. What ſhould hinder this
manner of
poffeflion one moment after believing? For the
covenant of promiſes is an undoubted right; the finner,
though on earth, doth by faith plead it before God in hea-
ven; and Chriſt is there, as his repreſentative and inter-
ceſſor, to take poffeffion in his name. Wherefore, every
believer ſhall juftly reckon himſelf, though having nothing,
yet poffeffing all things,' 2 Cor. vi. 10. and complete
in him,' Col. ii. 10.
3. Maintaining the peace between God and them while
they are here in this world. Having purchaſed their peace

226 The Adminifiration of the Cov. of Grace. Head 4.
with Heaven by the ſacrifice of himſelf, and by his inter-
eeffion brought them into a fate of peace, he doth not leave
it to themſelves to maintain it. If it were fo, it would
foon be at an end. There are ſo many failures on their
part, while they are compaſſed with the body of fin, that
their own conſciences have wherewith to accuſe them e-
very day; and the devil is an inceffant accufer of the bre.
thren: but Chrift interceeds for them, to the preventing al-
ways a total rupture betwixt Heaven and them ; however
they may for their fins fall under God's fatherly diſpleaſure
upon the ground of his ſatisfaction for them, he anſwereth
all accuſations againſt them, and makes up all emerging
differences between them and tbeir covenanted God: 1 John
ii. 1. ' If any man fin, we have an advocate with the Fa.
1 ther, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous: Verſe 2. And he is
• the propitiation for our fins.' Hereupon the apoſtle
triumphe over all their accuſers, Rom. vii. 33. · Who
• ſhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is
• God that juftifieth : Verſe 33. Who is he that condemn
6 eth? it is Chriſt that died,-- who alſo maketh intereef-
4 fion for us.' Wherefore, their fate of peace with God
is inviolably maintained; though for their correction, they
may
indeed loſe the fight and ſenſe of it for a time. Hav-
ing once become their friend in Chrilt, he may indeed fe.
yerely chaſtiſe them for their faults, but he never becomes
their enemy again, even in the way of legal enmity, far
leſs in the way of real enmity, Rom. viii. 1. Iſa. liv, 9.
4. Procuring them acceſs to God, and acceptance with
him, not withftanding of their imperfections, while in this
life. Saints on earth never want buſineſs in the court of
heaven. Yet being finful, they are in themſelves unfit to
come into the preſence of the King. But the Interceffar
of the covenant introduceth them, procuring them acceſs
by his intereſt in the court; ' For through him we have
• acceſs by one Spirit unto the Father,' Eph. ii. 18.
And by his means they are allowed acceſs with boldneſs,
chap. iii, 12. He makes their perſons accepted, notwith-
ftanding of the finfulneſs cleaving to them: they are ae.
cepted in the beloved, chap. i. 6. And in him they have
an altar that fanctifies their gifts, Heb. xiii. 10. So that
their fpiritual ſacrifices, howbeit they want not their bles

Chriſt the Interceffor of the Covenant. 227
miſhes, yet are acceptable to God by Jeſus Chriſt, 1 Peter
ii. 5. Their prayers made in faith, though ſmelling rank
of the remains of the corruption of nature, yet being per-
fumed by the Interceffor with the incenfe of his merit, are
accepted in heaven, and have gracious returns made them,
Rev. viii. 3. Their doing ſervices, and their fuffering
ſervices, which however cofly, could not be accepted for
their own worth, becauſe imperfect, are through his inter-
ceſſion accepted, as being waſhed, and made wbite in the
+ blood of the Lamb.' chap. vii. 14.
5. Laſtly, Obtaining their admittance into heaven, in
the due rime, and continuing their ſtate of perfect happi-
neſs there for ever and ever: John xvii. 24. • Father, I
* will that they alſo whom thou haft given me, be with
6 me where I am.' Our Lord Jeſus Chrift was by his Fa-
ther, conſtituted a prieſt for ever, Pfalm cx. 4. Neverthe-
leſs, after his baving once offered up himſelf a ſacrifice on
the croſs, he offered no more ſacrifice. Therefore he
muſt be, not a facrificing prieſt for ever, but an interced-
ing prieſt as the apoſtle explains it, Heb. vii. 25. · He
• ever liveth to make interceflion for them. Now the ſpi-
. rits of jeſt men being made perfect immediately after
· death, there is no more imperfection about their fouls
morally confidered, Heb. xii. 23. and after the refurrec-
tion, there will be no more imperfection abont their bodies
neither, i Cor. xv. 54. The effect then of Chriſt's inter-
ceflion for ever, muſt be the everlafting continuation of
their happy itate: their Interceffor eternally willing the
continuance of the ſame, on the ground of the eternal re-
demption obtained for them, by the facrifice of himfelf.
The infinite merit of his facrifice will be eternally pre
ſented before God in the holy place, while he ſhall
appear
there in our nature continually: and this will be the ever-
lafting ſecurity for the côntinuation of the faiots happineſs.
The which happineſs iſſuing from the merit of his ſacrifice
as their Prielt, will be communicated unto them by him as
their Prophet and their King : for theſe his offices will
never be laid aſide. • As he is a prieſt for ever, fo of his
• kingdom there ſhall be no end,' Luke i. 33. and the
Lamb ſhall be the light of the beavenly city, Rev. xxi. 23.
the ſaints communion with God there being Atill in and

228
Trial of a faving perfonal
through the Mediator, in a manner agreeable to their ſtate
of perfection chap. vii. 17.
And there are the chief acts of his adminiſtration of the
covenant, as Interceffor thereof.
Thus far of the fourth head, namely, the adminiſtration
of the covenant.
But the que-
H E A D V.
The Trial of a ſaving perſonal Inbeing in the Covenant
of Grace.
WE
We have now opened the doctrine of the covenant of
grace, in treating of the parties in it, the making
of it, the parts of it, and the adminiftration thereof: it
remains to make ſome practical improvement of the whole,
in this and the following head.
If one ſeriouſly conſider the covenant of grace, as that
on which the ſalvation of our ſouls depends, he can hardly
miſs to put the queſtion to himſelf, "What intereſt have
* L in that covenant ?' There is no queſtion but you have
a common intereſt in it, by which you are ſufficiently war.
ranted to come into it: but that you may have, and yet
periſh ; • for even children of the kingdom ſhall be caſt
& out into utter darkneſs,' Matth. viii. 12.
ſtion is, Whether ye have a faving intereſt in it, being
actually come into it, or not? the covenant is indeed
brought unto you, in the crdinances of the goſpel: but
are you brought into the covenant, united with the head
thereof, Chriſt Jeſus? It hath been adminiſtered to you;
but have you by faith taken hold of it? You have received
the facrament of baptiſın, the ſeal of the covenant, in the
right of your parents; but have you perſonally embraced
the covenant in fincerity? The two coveoaots, of works,
and of grace, divide the whole world between them: e.
very man is under one of the two; and no man can be
under both at one and the ſame time, in reſpect of his ſtate
before the Lord, Rom. vi. 14. Under the firft covenant
ftands a numerous party, in the firſt Adam, head of that
broken covenant, deriving fin, death, and the curſe from
him : under the ſecond covenant ſtands a party in the fe-
cond Adam, head of that fulfilled covenant, deriving life

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace.
229
and ſalvation from him. Theſe parties will be judged,
each according to the covenant they are under: fu the
former will be condemned, in virtue of the curſe of the
covenant in which they are; and the latter will be eternal-
ly ſaved, in virtue of the promiſe of life in the covenant
wherein they are.
In the mean while, there is acceſs for
thoſe of the firſt covenant to leave this party and covenant,
and to join the party in the ſecond covenant: but death
will block up that acceſs. Wherefore it is the intereſt of
the one as well as of the other, to know which party and
covenant they belong to. And for trial hereof, I offer
the following marks, figns, or characters of thoſe who are
ſavingly and perſonally within the covenant of grace.
1. They are ſuch as have fled for refuge from the co-
venant of works; that have come into the covenant of the
fecond Adam, as refugees from the covenant of the firſt
Adam. For that is the character of the heirs of promiſes
Heb. vi. 17, 18. Though time was when they lived at
eaſe within the dominion of the covenant of the law; yet
God hath fet fire to their neits there, that they have found
themſelves unable to dwell any longer within the bounda-
ries of that covenant. Mount Sinai hath been altogethet
on a ſmoke round about them, and the trumpet of the
curſe of the law hath waxed louder and louder, till it made
them to hear it on the lide of their righteouſneſs and beſt
works, where they were deafeft; and it bath cauſed them
exceedingly to fear and quake, as a curſe denounced a-
gainſt them in particular: 'Rom. vii. 9. When the command- .
ment came, fin revived, and I died. It hach chaſed them
from all the ftarting holes about that mountain, and left
no place within the bounds of that covenant ſafe to them ;
not only has it chaſed them out of their profane courfes,
but alſo out of all confidence in their good works and du-
ties of whatſoever kind; to flee for their life into the cove-
dant of free grace, as the flayer into the city of refuge :
what things were gain to them, counting theſe lofs for Chriji,
Philip. iii. 17
II. They are ſuch as cordially approve of and acquieſce
in the plan of the covenant, as foited to the honour of God,
and to their cafe in particular; looking upon it as well or.
dered in all things, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Whoſoever duly coo-
U

230
Trial of a ſaving perſonal
Head 5.
a
fiders the corruption brought into man's nature by the fall,
will plainly perceive, that the method of ſalvation laid down
in the covenant of grace, is the very reverſe of the inclina-
tion of corrupt human nature ; fo that nothing leſs than
the powerful efficacy of divine grace can bring a foul un-
to a cordial approbation of it, and acquiefcence in it:
wherefore, our Lord pronounced them bleſſed whoſoever
Shall not be ojjended in him, Matth. xi. 6. Natural men may
indeed ſhape the covenant, in their own apprehenfions, in-
to ſuch a form, as they may have a very good liking of it.
They may apprehend it as a covenant deſigned to make
men eaſy and happy; while in the meantime it allows them,
at leaſt in ſome inſtances to be unholy ; as a covenant
wherein, through Chriſt's means, they may obtain accept-
ance with God by their good
od by their good works, notwithftanding of
their ill works. But in all this they are in love with a
creature of their own fancy, not with God's covenant of
grace. Let the covenant be ſet before them in the light
of the holy ſcripture, and viewed by them in that light;
they will be ſure to diſlike it, and pick holes in it. Let
the deſign of the covenant be fairly diſcovered, as being to
exalt God's free grace on the ruins of all excellency left
with man: to make Chriſt all, and man nothing in his own
ſalvation; the proud heart canuct away with that, cannot
fubmit to the righteouſneſs of God, Rom. x. 3. The ef.
ficacy of it, in working out fin, ſeparating between the
foul and its deareft lufts, once fairly appearing; natural
men flee from it, as if one cried unto them, There is death
in the pot. Let them ſeriouſly enter into the thought, how
it is ſuited to the honour of God, and the divine per-
fections: and how it is ſuited to their real fafety before
him; and they cannot ſee how it is fo. To the Jews' wif-
dom it is a ſtumbling block, a device incon 6ſtent with the
divine perfections ; the Grecian learning pronounceth it
fooliſhneſs, a method of ſalvation unſafe to be truſted to;
eye
of faith diſcovers it to be the power of God,
and the wiſdom of God; fafe for guilty creatures, and ho-
nourable for a holy God, 1 Cor. 23, 24.
III. Upon the diſcovery of the covenant to them, as
made from eternity between God and the ſecond A dam,
and offered to them in the goſpel; they will ſatisfy them-
only the

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace. 231
ſelves, in their covenanting, with heaven's draught of it, ſo
far as they underſtand ; and they will not go about to add
unto it, nor to diminiſh from it; but will fand to the
terms of God and Chriſt's making, Acis ix. 6. Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do? They will put a blank in
eise Lord's hand for their part ; as content of all within
the compaſs of the covenant, without putting in their ex.
ception, or deſiring amendments and alterations to be made
in their favour. They are content with the laws of the
covenant, as well as of the privileges of it; of the diſcip-
line of the covenant, as well as of the rewards of it ; of
the condition of the covenant as fulfilled by Chriſt alone,
as well as the promiſes of it to be fulfilled to them; and
of the promiſe of fanctification, as well as of the promiſe of
jullification and glorification. Hence, the covenant, as re-
vealed in the goſpel
, is by the Holy Ghoſt called a hearing,
Ifa. liii. 1. marg that is, a thing to be heard and received
by faith, as a voice is received and heard by the ear, ac-
cording to that, chap. Iv. 3. • Hear, and your foul ſhall
live.' It is the natural diſpotition of mankind, to ſpeak
rather than to hear : for we are more ready to declare our
own will by ſpeaking, than to receive the will of another
by hearing. Wherefore, the goſpel being the declaration
of the will of God for our falvation, only in be heard and
received by faith, and therefore called the hearing of faith,
Calüi. 2. there is need of the power of grace, to ſubdue
the heart to the hearing thereof, and to ſtop the mouth
from making propoſals of our own in that matter.
IV. The love of God in Chriſt is habitually predomi-
nant in them: Prov. viii. 17. I love them that love me.
Great was the love to them appearing in the covenant.
The
parties contractors about them acted therein from a
principle of free, and yet greateſt love. From thence
ſprung the first motion for a covenant of life and ſalvation
unto them : thence it was the Father was content to give
his own Son for them; the Son was well pleaſed to become
man, and ſuffer death for them; the Holy Spirit to take
them for bis habitation, to quicken, fan&tify, and perfect
them. The love of God produced the propoſal of the
great and precious promiſes in their favour, upon terms
conliftent with his jukice; Chriſt as ſecond Adam, out of
U 2

Trial of a faving perſonal
Head 5.
3
love to them, aceepted of thele terms.
And when the fa
teraal tranſaction was in the goſpel, by the demonftration
of the Spirit, opened and brought home to their fools; this
love ſhone forth to them, ſo as they believed it. And that
believed love of God to Christ kindled in their fouls a fue
perlative love to him again: 1 Jobo iv. 19 We love biat
Becauſe be firſt loved ths. And therefore, although that
tbeir love is not always alike vigorous but hatb its waxings
and waneings according to the increaſe and decreaſe of
their faith ; yet, fince their faith never altogether fails,
Luke xxi. 32. it never fails altogether peither, from the
moment that it is kindled in their hearts. And it is an
active priociple in them, conftraining them to obedieace,
2 Cor. v. 14. giving the chief room in their heart and af.
fection to God in Cbrid, that their ſoul faith, - Whom
* have I in heaven but thee? and there is nne upon earth
" that I deGre beſides thee,' Pfal. lxxii. 25. It makes it to
be their greateft care to pleaſe him and to be accepted
of him, 2 Cor. v. 9. and their greateft fear, to flir him up
or offend him, Cant. iii. 5. It makes duty agreeable to
thew, as a matter of choice: 1 John v. 3. . This is the
* love of God, that we keep his commandments : and his
commandments are not grievous.' And it renders the
remaius of fin, the body of this death, a heavy burden they
long to be delivered from, Rom. vii. 24,
V. Jelus Chrift, the head of the covenant, is their head
with their own conſent. With heart and goodwill they
have taken him for their head, for all the purpoſes of the
covenant ; and they fland to it, not to alter, if the choice
were to make a thouſand times. Thofe unto whom the
a
Tather from eternity choſe Chrift for a head, do, in the
day of their converſion, by faith approve the choice, mak-
ing it over again perſonally for themſelves : whence they
are ſaid to appoint themſelves one head, Hoſ. i. 11. And as
often as they reiterate their acts of faith, which they muſt
li ve by, they do upon the matter reiterate their choice.
Being fenfible of what they ſuffered by the miſcarriage of
Adam their firit bead, Chriſt is precious to them as a fe-
cond Adam. They came into the covenant, and abide al-
fo in it, under his wings allenarly; expecting no benefit of
is, nur by it, but through him. And they have taken bira

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace. 332
I
6 eth away.'
as their head for government, as well as their head for nou-
riſhment and ſupport. They have delivered up themſelves
unto him, to be ruled by him, as well as to be ſaved by
him: to be governed by his laws, and not by their own
lufts, as well as to be ſaved by his grace, and not by their
own works.
VI. The condition of the covenant fulfilled by Jeſus Chrift,
is the alone ground of their confidence before the Lord, as
to acceptance with him, or any benefit of the covenant
they look to partake of. A crucified Saviour is the foun-
dation laid in Zion, for finners to build on; and believing
on him is the ſoul's building upon it, 1 Pet. iii. 6. If men
build on another foundation, they build on the fand, and
their confidence ſhall be rooted out: If, being driven off
from all other foundations, they build not on this neither,
they muſt needs periſh as the chaff which the wind drive
away.' To believe, or build on Chriſt's righteouſ-
neſs by him fulfilled, can import no leſs than one's truſting
on it for his falvation. Whether this truſt be ſtrong or
weak, it muſt be: elſe faith is not, building on Chriſt is
not; but the ſoul is kept in a ſtate of wavering, in oppo-
fiion to the ſtaying of it by faith on Chrift, James i. 6.
Now, he that is within the covenant, takes Chriſt's righ-
teouſneſs as his alone ground of confidence before the Lord:
for the covenant (hews not, nor allows any other: 'nothing
ſave Jeſus Chriſt and him crucified,' i Cor. ii. 2. He
hath fome meaſure of confidence for life and ſalvation upon
that ground; whereby he is diſtinguiſhed from the defpe-
rate, faithleſs, and unbelieving : and what confidence he
hath for life and falvation, he hath upon that ground a-
whereby he is diftinguiſhed from the preſumptuous,
formaliſts and hypocrites. And both theſe things are
joined in the believer's character, Philip. iii. 3. • And re-
joice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the fleſh.'
VII. The promiſes of the covenant are a fatisfying por-
tion to their hearts. They are indeed ſenſible they have
many wauts ; but then they ſee as much in the covenant
as would fupply them all, that they need not go to an-
other door for ſupply: they are perſuaded there is as much
water in that well as would quench all their thirſt, if they
could but get the art of drawing it. Thus the covenant
lone;
U3

-234
Friul of a faving perſonal
Head 5
to that
once he
is all their ſulvation, and all their deſire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.
This diſcovery of the covenant is not owing to nature, but
grace
which ſhows ſo much worth in the one pearl,
as makes a man content to ſell all he hath to gain it, Matt.
xiii. 46. But no man will come into the covenant, until
,
get it: for who will join himſelf to one in a mar.
riage-covenant, or contract of ſervice, with whom he can-
pot ſee how to live ? Faith diſcerns in the covenant not on
Iy a refuge, but a portion, Pfal. cxlii. 5. elſe the man would
never come into it. And none who have once got
this
diſcovery, will remain out of the covenant, Pſal. ix. 10.
They that know thy name will put their truſt in thee. See
John iv, 10. If the worth of the treaſure hid in the field
of the goſpel be perceived, all will go for the obtaining
thereof; Matth. xiii. 44, 45. all will be counted lofs and
dung for the excellency of it. Philip. ij. 8. Certainly the
inen of the world do not ſee this in the covenant: it is
but an empty hungry thing in their blinded eyes. The
covenant is, in the goſpel, held out to them in the breadth
and length thereof: but it does not take with them; it is
far from being all their deſire; after all, as if they had ſeen
nothing that could ſatisfy, they ſtill cry, Who will fbew us.
any good? Pſal. iv. 6. The truth is, the heart of man can
never ſee enough in the covenant för to reſt ſatisfied with,
till grace give it a new ſet, and contract its endleſs de.
Gres : for that which the unrenewed heart is moft fet
up.
on, there is no proviſion in the covenant for, but againſt it.
VIII, The Spirit of the covenant is in them: and that
is another ſpirit than what the men of the world are acted.
by, Num. xiv. 24. Ezek, xxxvi. 27. 1. will put my Spirit.
within you. The Spirit of Chriſt is the Spirit of the co-
venant, purchaſed by the blood of the covenant, lodged in
che fulneſs thereof in Chrift, the head of the covenanty:
and communicated in ſome meaſure to all the covenant
people. And that Spirit may be known by theſe three.
characters, thereof.
1. The Spirit of the covenant is a ſpirit of holineſs. The,
great deſign of the covenant, next to the glory of God,
was the fanctification of dinners, Luke i. 74, 75. All the
lines of the covenant, from the firſt of them unto the laft,
meet in that as their centre. There is a diſplay of exact
juſtice, ia the condition of the covenant : of rich grace and

Inbeing in the Covenaut of Grace.
235
goes thro
mercy, in the promiſes of it : of greateſt faithfulneſs and
power,
in the adminiſtration of it: but holineſs
the whole, and every the leaſt part of it. Wherefore, it
,
is called the holy covenant, Dan. xi. 30. Who then can
reaſonably imagine, that the unboly are within this cove.
nant? that the ſervants of fin, whether profane, or forma-
lifts, frangers to the power of godlineſs, whom no bands
of holineſs will hold, can be within the bond of the holy
covenant? No, ſure they are not; they have not the Spi-
rit of the covenant. The Spirit of the covenant makes the
covenanted initially holy; and to prefs towards the mark,
to wreſtle, long, groan, and pant for the perfection of ho.
lineſs, Philip. iii. 14. It makes a vein of holineſs run
through their whole man, their whole life, their thoughts,
their words, their actions, their dealings with God, and
their dealings with men. The covenant was erected on
purpoſe to deſtroy the work of the devil: it was a confe.
deracy entered into by the Father and the Son, for root-
ing fin out of the hearts and lives of the children of Adam;
for reſtoring the divine image in them; and for bringing
them again to a perfect conformity to the moral law of the
ten commandments, from which they fell in Adam. For
this end was the condition of it performed, the promiſes of
it made, and the adminiſtration thereof committed to the
holy Jeſus : 1. John iii. 8. • For this purpoſe the Son of
* God was manifeſted, that he might deftroy the works of
- the devil. Wherefore, whoſoever partake of the Spiria
of the covenant, partake of the Spirit of holineſs: Gal. ve
1-8. · If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law;
e verſe 16. Walk in the Spirit, and ye ſhall not fulfil the
luft of the fleſh.'
2. The Spirit of the covenant is an ingenuous, free ſpz-
rit, Pfalm li. 12. It is the ſpirit of ſons, not of flaves; of
free men, not of bond men, Rom. viii. 15. There is ſome
obedience to the holy law given by unbelievers, the men
af the firſt covenant, as well as by believers, the men of
the ſecond covenant : and the eyes of the world can per.
ceive no difference between the obedience of ſome of the
former fort, and of thoſe of the latter fort; howbeit, there
is a vaſt difference, which is ſeen by the all-feeing eye.
Are theſe within the covenant praying perſons? So are

236
Trial of a faving perſonal
Head 5.
many who have no ſaving part nor lot in it, Ifa. lviii. 2.
Are they men of temperance and fobriety, juſtice and ho.
neſty, candor and faithfulneſs, men of blameleſs lives? So
are ſeveral others beſides them, for all that any man can
fee, Philip. ti. 6. Thus far they agree. But there is a vaſt
difference of the ſpirit they are acted by, which makes a
mighty odds in the manner and kind of their obedience.
Unbelievers are acted by a ſpirit of bondage, fuitable to
their ftate of bondage under the covenant of works, Gal.
iv. 24, 25. A laziſh fear and a ſervile hope are the
weights hung upon them by that covenant, caufing them
to go: fin is avoided, duty performed, not out of love to
God and holineſs, but out of love to themſelves. Believ-
ers are acted by the Spirit of adoption, ſuitable to their
ftate of adoption, under the covenant of grace, ver. 26.
God is their Father; and they ſerve him as fons, not as
flaves, Mal. iii, 17. Chriſt is their elder brother, who lov- .
ed them, and gave himſelf for them; and love conftrains
them, 2 Cor. v. 14. The holy Spirit dwells in them,
hath quickened them, renewed them, making them par-
takers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. So fin is avoid.
.
ed as contrary to their new nature: duty purſued as agree-
able to it. Their faith of the love of God in Chriſt, hath
begotten in them love to God again, for a new principle of
obedience, 1 Tim. i. 5. By faith they truſt on Chrift,
and on him alone, for life and ſalvation : and this at once
undermines in them the ſlaviſh fear of hell, and the ſervile
hope of heaven; ſo that theſe are ſo far from being their
only motives to obedience, that they cannot be their pre-
dominant motives; nay, they cannot be at all in them, but
as enemies to their faith and love, 2 Tim. i. 7. 1 John iv,
18. Yet withal, it is to be remembered, that it is not dav.
iſh for ſaints to fear God's fatherly anger, and thereby to
be ſtirred up to duty, Pſalm cxix. 120. Heb. xi. 7. nor to
hold the way of duty, in hope of the enjoyment of God,
in that way, and the tokens of his favour, John xiv. 21. and
in the end perfect happineſs in heaven; all through Jeſus
Chriſt, alone, 1 Cor. xv. 58. Our need of theſe things for
incitements to duty do indeed argue our childiſh ftate,
for there will be no need of theſe fears and hopes in hea-
ven; but by no means a llaviſh ftate. Neither is it at all
I

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace. 237
faviſh to have the heart filled with a reverential fear and
dread of God, upon the confideration of his tremendous
juſtice, and wrath in hell, againft the miſerable objects
thereof; and to be ſtirred up to duty thereby, Matth.
X. 28. Heb. xii. 28, 29. To look thereupto, and move
away towards God in the way of duty, with fear and
trembling, is very agreeable to the Aate of thoſe who have
by faith received a kingdom that cannot be moved; but
are not yet aſcended into heaven; who are indeed drawn
up out of the fearful depth ; but are not as yet hauled up
to the top of the rock, though the ſtrong chain of the
covenant is fo about them, that they ſhall never fall down
again. For in heaven the aweand reverenceof God, on that
ſcore, will be perfe&t, Iſa. vi. 1, 2, 3. But it is ſlavilh
for ſaints, to fear their being caft into bell for fin; and
ſervile, to hope their obtaining heaven for their good worke.
And yet that ſlaviſh fear and ſervile hope, may creep in
upon the children of the ſecond covenant, and move them
to duty: becauſe their faith is weak, much of the old
Adam remains in them, and it; is not eaſy for them,
though dead to the law in point of privilege, to be dead
to it in point of practice. But theſe impure mixtures
of ſelfiſhneſs in their duties will be bumbling unto them :
and they will lothe themſelves, for that they a&t not, in
their obedience, with more of the free ſpirit and lon-like
difpofition. And their will in that caſe is accepted
through Chrift,
3. The Spirit of the covenant is a ſpirit of ſympathy re-
gulated by the covenant. There is a commonneſs of in-
tereft, and thence a mutual ſympathy, among confederates.
And this fympathy among the confederates of heaven,
regards both the head and the people of the covenant.
(1.) They have a native and kindly fympathy with
the God and head of the covenant. It is true, his effen-
tial glory can never be liable to diminution ; por can his
eternal reft in himſelf be in the leaft difturbed, by what.
foever men or angels may do or ſuffer : and the man
Chriſt is now beyond the reach of ſuffering. Neverthe-
leſs, his declarative glory in the world hath its times of
ſhining clear, and of being under a cloud. Now, as he
kath a ſympathy with them in all their concerne, their
a

238
Trial of a ſaving perſonal
Head 5.
diſtreſſes and their enlagements, their joys and their griefs,
Ifa. Ixvi. 9. Luke xv. 5. which is a very tender ſympathy,
.
infornuch that the touching of them is the touching of the
apple of bis eye, Zech. ii. 8. ſo they alſo have a very ten-
der fyrapathy with him in the concerns of his glory. They
are glad and rejoice in the proſperity of his kingdom,
Afts xi. 23, 24. They pray for it continually, Pial. lxxii.
15. and contribute their endeavours in their fiations, to
advance it, Philip. i. 21. For to me to live is Chriſt. They
have a feeling of the indignities done to his majeſty, as
done to themſelves, Pſalm lxix. 9. The reproaches of them
9
that reproached thee, are fallen upon me.
And they are
mourners for the fins of others, as well as for their own;
on the account of the diſhonour they do to God, becauſe
they keep not his law, Pſal. cxix. 136. The children of the
covenant will neither be oppoſers of the kingdom of Chrift,
nor will they be neuters ; but will put their ſhoulders to
the work of their Lord, to help it forward, according to
their vocation: and without ſuch a public ſpirit, in greater
or leſſer meaſure, no man ſhall be able to prove his ſaving
intereft in the covenant ; for ſo hath our Lord himſelf de.
termined the matter, Matth. xii. 30. · He, that is not
.
! with me, is against me: and he that gathereth nat with
. me, ſcattereth abroad.'
(2.) They have a native and kindly ſympathy with the
people of the covenant: for they are members one of ano.
ther, Eph. iv. 25. The grace of the covenant diſpoſeth
.
men to be loving and beneficial to mankind, but in a pecu-
liar manner to holy men; to 'do good unto all men, eſpe-
'cially unto them who are of the houſehold of faith,' Gal.
vi. 10. The common bond of the covenant engageth them
in a peculiar love to one another; even as in that bond
they are the common object of the world's hatred. They
bear the ſame image with Chriſt their common head; and
that image will recommend all who bear it, unto one that
is within the covenant himſelf, fo far as he can diſcern it,
Wherefore their love is a love to all the ſaints,' Eph. i.
15. And hence ariſeth the fympathy which every true
Chriſtian hath with the church of Chriſt throughout the
world, and with the ſeveral members thereof known to
them : their joint intereſt in the covenant challengeth it:

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace.
239
for by the covenant there is a near relation among them;
and from their union under the ſame head reſults their
communion, 1 Cor. xii. 12---26. Therefre a ſpirit of felf-
ifhriefs, whereby men's concerns are all ſwallowed up in
пр
their own things, leaving them no ſympathy with the
church and people of God, is a fhrewd ſign of a graceleſs
ftate. How much more, a ſpirit of reigning enmity a-
gainſt religion, and the profeffors thereof; where religion,
and what concerns it, makes men the ſpecial objects of
their enmity, ſpite and reſentment ? An habitual courſe
of this is none of the ſpots of God's people ; but it de-
clares men to be of the world, John xv. 19. I have choſen
you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. The
Spirit of the covenant will carry men quite another way ;
fince taking hold of the covenant, they have embarked in
the fame bottom with thoſe whoſe head Chriſt is, and who
have declared war againſt the devil's kingdom. To them
they will ſay, We will go with you ; for we have heard
that God is with
you,
Zech, viii. 23.
IX. In the laſt place, The laws of the covenant are in
their hearts, namely, the laws of the ten commandments,
the eternal rule of righteouſneſs, Heb. viij. 10. That
law, in all parts, is a copy of the divise nature, which in
regeneration is tranſcribed into the heart of every one
brought into the covenantand the whole of it is written
there, though every part is not written alike clear, nor
any part perfect. As is the image of God reſtored in
us,
ſo is the law written in our hearts : in fanctification there
is a new man created; which ſpeaks a perfection of parts,
though there is not a perfection of degrees in theſe parts,
Eph. iv. 24. 2 Cor. v. 17. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. This may be
taken
up
in theſe four things.
1. They approve of the whole law, ſo far as it is known
to them: Pſalm cxix. 128. I eſteem all thy precepts con-
-cerning all things to be righi. They love God: and every
part of the law is a line of his image: wherefore loving
the law, as exprefſing the image of his holineſs, they
muſt needs love the whole law; fince there is nothing in
it but what is a tranſcript of that holineſs. And as the
head of the covenant is in their eyes altogether lovely,
Cant. v. 16. the laws of the covenant being like him,

240
Trial of a a
Head 5.
a
faving perſonal
muſt be fo too. Why do not unbelievers love the holy
law, but becauſe they do not love a holy God? Rom. viii.
7. But believers loving a holy God in Chrift, muſt love
the law alſo, fince in it the image of his holineſs is expref-
fed. The holy law condemns many things in them ; yea,
every thing of theirs, ſo far as it is morally imperfect ;
and ſo they do themſelves, confenting unto the law that it
is good, chap. vii. 16. It condemns every ſin, even one's
moſt beloved fin, the evil he is moft eaſily led afide into:
and for that very cauſe the unrenewed heart hates the law.
But the grace of the covenant makes a man to leave his
complaint on himſelf; to approve the law, and condemn
his own luſt contrary thereto : Rom. vii. 12. The law is
holy; and the commandment boly, and juſt, and good, verſe
14. But I am carnal.
2. They have an inclination of heart towards the whole
law, ſo far as they know it: Pſalm cxix. 5. O that my
«
* ways were directed to keep thy ftatutes!' There is in
them a fixed principle, which lies the ſame way with the
holy law; bending away from what the law forbids, and
towards what the law directs unto. True, there is a con.
trary principle, in them too, which fights againt it: but ſo
do they againſt that contrary principle, breathing, longing,
and lufting for the complete victory over it, and for full con-
formity to the holy law, Gal. v. 17. There is a new ſet of
heart given in the new birth ; exerting itſelf, not in lazy
wiſhes for the conformity to the law, hut in a reſolute
Atruggle for it, eoduring to the end. Hence,
3. They will habitually endeavour to conform in their
practice to the whole law, ſo far as they know, Pſalm
cxix, 6. Then fball I not be aſhamed, when I have refpe&
unto all thy commandments. If the law is written in one's
heart, he will write it out again in his converſation : and
a (an&tified heart will certainly make a holy life: Matth.
vi. 22. If thine eye be ſingle, thy whole body ſhall be full of
light. Where is the efficacy of the holy covenant, if men
may be within the covenant, and yet live like thoſe that
are without it? Nay, but to whomſoever the grace of
God hath effe&tually appeared, it will bave taught them
effe&inally to deny ungodlineſs and worldly luſts,
6 and to live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent

Inbeing in the Covenant of Grace. 241
' world,' Tit. ii. 11, 12. If the grace of the covenant
bring you not to the duties of piety towards God, you
have no ſaving part in it. If you are brought mio theſe,
.
but withal left at liberty from the duties of righteouſneſs
toward your neighbour, that you do not lothe, but dare to
be unjuſt in ſmaller or greater matiers; you are yet, ' in
the gall of bitterneſs, and in the bond of iniquity :' Luke
xvi. 11. • If ye have not been faithful in the uprighteous
•
'mammon, who will commit to your truſt the true riches?!
If you are brought forward unto both theſe, and yet not
ſober, but left llaves to your ſenſual appetite and tiefbly
affections, you are no betier: for they that are Chrift's
I have crucified the fleſh, with the affections and lufis,'
Gal. v. 24. But whoſo have fled to the covenant of
grace in Chrift for life and ſalvation, and withal are ho.
neſtly endeavouring conformity to the whole law in their
practice, they, heu beit in many things they mils their
mark, do fhew themſelves to be within the bond of the ho.
ly covenant, and ought to take the comfort thereof, as the
divine allowance to them : 2 Cor. i. 12. Our rejoicing
is this, the tellimony of our conſcience, that in fimplici-
ty and godly fincerity, not with fleſhly wiſdom, but by
(the grace of God, we have had our converſation in the
world.'
4. Laſtly, Their fouls lie open to what of the laws of
the covenant they know not. They are content to know
them, defirous to be taught them, that they may conforni
unto them: Pſalm cxix. 26. Teach me thy ſtatutes. There
fins of ours hid unto us; becauſe there is much
of the laws of the covenant we do not diſcern. And hy-
pocrites do not deſire to know the whole law: they are
willingly ignorant of ſome things thereof, becauſe they
have no inclination to entertain them. But the fincert,
being content to part with every falfe way, and take upon
them the whole yoke of Chriſt, hating fin as contrary to
God's nature and will, and loving duty as agreeable there-
to, do of courſe lie open to further diſcoveries of fin and
duty: they come to the light,' John iii. 21. They ſay,
• That which I fee not, teach thou me,' Job xxxiv. 32.
Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and
know
my thoughts. And ſee if there be any wicked
are many
X

242 Way of inſtating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
B
way in me, and lead me in the way everlafting,' Pfal.
cxxxix. 23, 24.
And thus much ſhall ſuffice to have ſpoken on the fifth
head, namely, The trial of a ſaving perſonal inbeing in the
covenant of
grace.
H E A D VI.
The way of Inflating Sinners perſonally and ſavingly
in the Covenant of Grace.
Y the marks and characters given, it appears, that
they are but few who are perſonally and ſavingly in-
stated in the covenant of grace, in compariſon of thoſe
who are ſtrangers to it: but we are allowed to offer it to
Itrangers ; to invite and call them who are without the
covenant, to come into it, and ſo to compel them to
• come in,' Luke xiv. 23. Here then are the glad tidings
of the goſpel : there is a covenant, which was entered in-
to from eternity between God and Chriſt the ſecond A.
dam; a covenant of grace, made in favour of finners of
,
Adam's race, ruined by the breach of the covenant of
works. In it there is full proviſion for your
falvation
to relieve you from all the ruining effects of the broken
firſt covenant, and to render you completely happy. The
condition of this covenant is indeed high: beiug ſcrewed
up to a pitch by the demauds of the law and juſtice; yet
there is nothing on that part to diſcourage you from the
covenant : for your inability being foreſeen from eternity,
it was laid upon one that is mighty, to perform it; and
now it is already performed and fulfilled to your hand by
that mighty One, Chriſt Jeſus. Only, the promiſes re-
main to be fulfilled. So the burden of the condition is o.
ver without you : and ye are called to the benefit of the
promiſes. And that ye may have the more clear acceſs
thereto, the adminiſtration of the covenant is put into the
hand of the fame Chrift Jefus : and he is intruſted with
all the promiſes, to fulfil them to finners. He bath be-
gun to fulil them to all who have taken hold of the cove-
nant; and is ready to fulfil them to all who yet ſhall take
hold thereof. For that ead he hath made his teftament
of theſe promiles, and conſtituted Ginners of mankind his

Sinners inflated in the Covenant by Faith.
243
a
legatees; that whoſoever of them will, may come, claim,
and · take the water of life freely,' Rev. xxii. 17. The
whole of the covenant is in him. In him is God, the par-
ty.contractor on Heaven's fide, 2 Cor. v. 19. He him-
ſelf is the party contractor on man's fide: and in him are
all believers really, and all the elect legally and repreſenta-
tively. In him is the condition of the covenant, and that
as fulfilled : he is the Lord our righteouſneſs,' Jer. xxiii.
6. In him are all the promiſes, yea, and amen,' 2 Cor.
i. 20. all meeting in him, as lines of a circle in their cen.
tre; and ſure and ſtedfaſt, noways liable to miſgive, as
did the promiſe of the covenant of works in the firit A-
dam. And he as a king hath emitted his royal proclama-
tions, bearing, that whoſoever will come upto him, and u-
nite with him as head of the covenant, ſhall be taken into
it, and have a right to all the privileges thereof in him, and
through him.
"Thus the covenant is brought to you, and ſet before
you in the goſpel; ſo that ye muft needs be either receiv-
ers or refuſers of it. Refule it not : that is dangerous be-
yond expreſſion. Take hold of it ; for it is your life. Sin-
ners, ye are under the covenant of works, where there is
no life, nor falvation for you : but the door of the new.
covenant is opened unto you; come, enter into it without
delay. Flee, and make your eſcape out of the dominion
of the law, the covenant of works ye were born under,
and are living under : and what can noways be done, but
by your accepting and embracing this covenant offered to
you in the gofpelo to the inflating of you perſonally in it,
to all the purpoſes of life and ſalvation.
Sinners inftated in the covenant by Faith or Believing.
To clear your way into the covenant, it is neceſſary to
fhew, by what means it is that a finner embraceth and is
inſtated in it effectually unto falvation. And this, in one
word, is by faith, or believing on Jeſus Chrift: Afts xvi.
31. Believe on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and thou ſhalt be
faved." The covenant of grace is held forth in the goſpel
unto you; God faith to every one of you. “I will make
* an everlaſting covenant with you, even the ſure mercies of
• David ' and to cloſe the bargain with you, and face
6
X 200

24.7
IP ay of inflating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.,
you perſonally in it, to all the intents and purpoſes of fal
vation, all that is requirred of you is to hear, that is, to
believe; ' Hear, and your ſoul ſhall live,' Ifa. lv. 4. He
that believeth, is within the covenant of grace perſonally
and ſavingly : he that believeth not, is Aill under the co-
renant of works, where the firſt Adam left him. Faith
is the band whereby one taketh bold of the covenant,
figns it for himſelf, and cloſeth the bargain for his owo
Tilvation. It is the mouth whereby lioners conſent to the
covenant, that God becomes their God, and they his peo.
ple. Although, while ye are without the covenant, the
working of perfect obedience, under the pain of the curſe,
is required of you; and more than that, ſuffering alſo, e.
ren to the fatisfadion of jaftice; and b .th thele, in virtue
of the broken Gift covenant ; and when ye are nice
brought within the covenant, obedience to all the tea com.
mandments, and ſoff ring of the diſcipline of the covenant
in caſe of your faiiares, are regnired of you in virtue of
the new covenant ye are entered into : yet, to enter you
into the covenant, and initate you in it unto ſalvation, no-
thing is required of you, but that ye believe on Chrit.
Only believe, Mark. v. 36 is the conſtant doctrine of
the goſpel in this poirt. Do what you will, and believe
not, you remain in a liate of damnation : whatever is done,
or not done by you, believe and you are in a ſtate of ſalva-
tion. If you ſhould ſay it with your lips a thouſand times
over, that you accept of the covenant ; if you ſhould come
,
under the moit foleme and awful bond and engagement to
be the Lord's, expreſsly taking the ſame upon you in pray.
er, or otherwiſe; if you ſhould write your covenant, and
Lubſcribe it with your band, and ſhould take the ſacrament
of Chriſt's body and blood upon it, to confirm all; yet,
if
you
do not with the heart believe on Jeſus Chrift, you
embrace not the covenant, you miſs the ſaving hold of it,
and remain without the ſaving bond of it. And if you
thuld this moment with the heart believe on Chriſt, have
ing no acceſs to ſpeak, pray, write, or cominunicate : yet
the moment you believe, you are perſonally and ſaving-
ly inftated in the covenant, never to fall out of it thro'
the ages of eterity; God is your God, and all the pro,
miles of the covenant are yours: though you had milled

Sinners inflated in the Covenant by Faith. 245
.
the grip of the covenant ten thouſand times before ; in
that caſe you have it firm and ſure: Mark xvi. 16. He
Не
" that believeth and is baptized, ſhall be ſaved; he that
• believeth not, ſhall be damned.'
And that believing on Chriſt ſhould be the appointed
means of entering finners into the covenant of grace, is re-
sy agreeable to the nature and end of that great tranſac-
tion: The which appears by theſe two confiderations fol-
lowing:
1. Hereby the grace of the covenant is preſerved entire
in the diſpenſation of the covenant ; and by that means the
promiſe is made fure to all the feed, Rom. iv. 16. Faith
is contradiftinguiſhed to works, as grace is to debt, chap.
iv. 4, 5. If any work or doing of ourg were that upon which
we were inſtated in the covenant, and got the right in the
promiſes ; then the covenant, and benefit thereof, would
be of debt to us, contrary to the declared end and deſign
of that method of ſalvation, which is to exalt the free grace
of God, and to cut off all boalling from us, Eph. ii. 8, 9.
But the nature of faith's efficacy in the buſineſs is adapted
to that end and deſign of the covenant ; inaſmuch as it is
a grace, net giving, but purely receiving : taking all free-
ly from Chrilt without money, and without price,' lay.
ing the ſtreſs of the ſoul's acceptance with God wholly on
what Chrift hath done and fuffered ; and enurely renounc-
ing all doings and feffering of our own in that point.
And thus the promiſe is ſure to us : for, whereas the plea
of
any werk of ours would be a very uncertain one ; faith’s.
plea is ever fure and ſtedfaſt, as grounded allenarly on what
Chrill hath wrought.
Hereby the Goner's entering into the covenant is by
wiring with Chrift, the repreſentative, with whom it was
isade as party.contractor ; which is the feripture-account
of the matter, John x. 9. I am the door: by me if any
man enter in, he ſhall be ſaved:' and fo the unity of the
covenant, and the repreſentation in it, are prefes ved. If
men entered into the covenant ſome other way, as by their
accepting (properly called) terms to them propoſed, and
promiſing for themſelves the performance of them: in that
caſe, the repreſentation in the covenant is marred; and
there would be in effect as many covenants of grace, at
de

246 Wup of Inflating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
.
there are perſons embracing it at different times : at lealt,
Chrit'o covenant wyuld be one, and ours another diſtinct
therefrom; the contrary of which is before evinced from
the ſcripture. But the covenant of grace being made with
Chrilt, as fecond Adam, in the name of all ſuch as ſhould
b: his; it plainly follows, that the only way of one's ene
tering perſonally into it, muſt be by becoming his, ftand-
ing related to the head of the covenant, as our heard : and
it is by faith, and no work, nor conſent of ours differing
from faith, that we are united to him, and become members
of his boly, Eph. ii. 17. How do we all enter perſonally
into the covenant of works, ſo as to partake of the curſe
in it? Is it not through our becoming by natural genera-
tion, branches of the firſt Adam, the repreſentative in that
covenant ? Hereby every one of us is perſonally entered
and inſtated in that covenant, before we are capable to ap-
prove or diſapprove of the ſame, to conſent to it, or diffent
from it. Even fo we enter perſonally into the covenant of
grace, ſo as to partake of the benefits in it, by our becom-
ing branches of the ſecond Adam, the repreſentative there.
in: and that is through faith, in fubje&ts capable of actual
helieving. It is by being ingrafted into Chrift we come
to partake of the covenant and benefits thereof. And:
t.ence-it is that infants, not capable of actual believing,
por of knowing what the covenant is, yet having the Spirit
of faith, are perſonally entered into it, and inftated in it ;s
foraſmuch as that Spirit of faith is effe&tually in them, to
a real uniting them with Chrift. Hereuato agrees God's
giving Curit for a covenant, that in him people may have
the covenant, and all the benefits thereof. As God, in,
making of the covenant, took Chrit for all, for the condi-
tion and for the parties to receive the promiſes, he being
a fecond Adam: fo finners, in accepting and embracing
of the covenant, are to take him for all, the whole of the
covenant, the parties and parts of it too being in him, fore.
aſ nuch as he is God as well as man, fecond Adam.
And thus it appears, that uniting with Chriſt, the head.
of the covenant, is a linner’s formal entering into the cove..
nant: the which uniting with him, being by faith on him,
it is evident, that it is by believing on Chriſt, a finder em,
braceth, enters into, and is inftáted in the covenant unto;
a

Sinners inſtated in the Covenant by Faith. 247
falvation. Wherefore, reach Chrift by faith, and ye
reach
the covenant : if ye miſs him, ye miſs the covenant, in
point of life and ſalvation. But here ariſeth a weighty
queſtion, to wit,
Quest. What is that believing, by which one unites with
Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo enters into the covenant of grace? Ans.
The clearing of this point being ſo neceffary to direct lin-
ners in their way into the covenant, for their eternal ſalva.
tion, we ſhall, for what now remains, addrefs ourſelves to
the conſideration thereof only.
And, to begin with the word, by which the Holy Ghoſt
expreſſeth what we call believing, whether in the Old or
New Teſtament; whoſoever ſhall duly conſider the import
of it, in the ſcripture uſe thereof, will find, that it is juft
rufting, truſting a word, perfon, or thing. And hence
the ſcripture phraſes of believing to, and believing in, that
is, trufting to, and truſting in; the former phraſes, howe-
ver unuſual with us in converſation, yet, ordinary, both
in the Old and New Teſtament, according to the origi.
nals. It is the truſting a word, as to report, Ila. liii. 1.
In his word, Pſal. cvi. 12. It is the trufting a perſon :
fo, in the ſtyle of the Holy Ghoft, « the Iſraelites be.
" lieved in the Lord, and in Moſes his fervant,' Exod.
• He believed not in his ſervants,' Job iv.
18. that is, as we read it, He put no truſt in them
And it is, the truſting a thing too: fo, in the ſame ftyle;
Job xxxix. 12. Wilt thou believe in him (to wit, the uni.
corn) that he will bring home thy feed ? i. e. Wilt thou
truſt in him, that he will do it? Deut. xxviii. 66. Thou
Ibalt not believe in thy life ; that is, as we read it, Thou
ſhalt have none aſſurance in thy life ; no truſt in it, becauſe
no certainty about it. The phraſeology is the fame in
the New Teſtament, as being brought into it from the Old,
only in a different language. And, taking the meaning
of the Holy Ghoſt in this matter from the words which
he teacheth, as we are directed, 1. Cor. ii. 13. we conclude,
That faith, or believing, ſo expreffed by him in the ſcrip-
ture, is in the general, TRUSTING, the truſting of a word,
and of a perſon and thing, held forth in that word.
Now, there is a twofold word to be believed or truſted
of all thoſe who would enter into the covenant of grace in
xiv. 31.

248 Way of inflating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
a
a ſaving manner, namely, the word of the law, and the
word of the goſpel The believing of the former, is a
faith of the law; the believing of the latter, a faith of the
goſpel: of which in order.
A faith of the Law preparatory for the Covenant.
The faith of the law is not indeed ſaving faith: for the
law is the word and adminiftration of condemnation, and
pot of righteouſneſs; as ſpeaking nothing of a Saviour, an
atonement, or an imputed righteoufnets, 2 Cor. iii. 9.
Neverthelefs, it is a neceſſary antecedent thereof, according
to the ſtated order of the diſpenſation of the covenant.
The faith of the law is like the hearing of the ſtrong wind,
the feeling of the earthquake, and ſeeing of fire ; in which,
though the Lord was not, yet they ſerved to prepare to
hearkening to the Aill fmall voice in which he was, 1 Kings
xix. 1, 12. Accordingly, the faith of the law is the
work of the Spirit of God, as well as the faving faith of
the goſpel, though wrought in a different manner. The
former he works as a ſpirit of bondage, convincing of fin
and miſery, by the law, Rom. viii
. 15, with John xvi. 8.
The latter he works as a quickening ſpirit, enlightening
the foul in the knowledge of Chriſt, by the goſpel, 2 Cor.
idi. 17, 18.
Whoſoever then would enter into the covenant of grace,
moft, in the first place, have a faith of the law : for which
caufe, it is neceſſary, that the law, as well as the goſpel,
be preached unto finners. And that faith of the law con-
fills iu a belief of theſe three things.
1. By it a man believes that he is a finner. The holy
law pronounceth him guilty : and he believes the report
of the law concerning himſelf in particular ; his heavy and
ſorrowful heart, by this faith, echoing to the voice of the
law, guilty, guilty! Rom. iii. 19. The which faith reits
not on the teſtimony of man, whether fpoken or written ;
but is a divine faith, founded upon the teftimony of Ged,
in his holy law, demonſtrated by the ſpirit of bondage, to
be the voice of the eternal God, and the voice of that God
to him in particular. And thus he believes: (1.) That
his life and converſation is fintul, difpleaſing, and hateful
in the light of a holy God, according to the divine tefti-

Faith of the Law preparatory for the Covenant. 249
mony, Rom. iii. 12. • They are all gone out of the way,
. they are together become unprofitable, there is none that
• doth good, no not one. He is convinced, that he is
gone out of the way of God, and walking in the way of
deſtruction ; that the number of his errors of omiffion and
commifion he cannot underſtand; and that all his righte-
oufnefles, as well as his unrighteoufneſſes, are as filthy rags
before the Lord. (2.) That his heart is full of miſchief
and iniquity, according to the divine teftimony, Jer. xvii.
9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and deſperately
wicked. The law fhipeth into the heart, diſcovers divers
Infs there, which he little noticed before ; and preſling the
;
unholy heart, irritates them ; and thus ſuch a myfiery of
miquity within his breaft opens to his view, as he could
never before believe to bave been there. Rom. vii. g.
I was alive without the law once: but when the com-
• mandment came, fio revived, and I died.' (3.) That
bis nature is quite corrupted, as one dead in treipafles and
fins, according to the divine teſtimony, Eph. ii. 1. To
the verdia of the law, . Who can bring a clean thing
out of an uoclean ? Job xiv. 4. his foul, by this faith,
echoes back, unclean, unclean ! I was fhapen in iniquity,
' and in fin did my mother conceive me. He is conceived,
'
his diſeaſe is hereditary and natural; and that therefore
his nature muſt be renewed: that otherwiſe, he not only
does no good, but can do no good. lo all theſe reſpects,
he believes himſelf to be an object lothſome in the fight
of God; lothſome in his nature, heart, and life.
By it a man believes that he is a loft and undone
finner, under the curſe of the law ; liable to vengeance, ac-
cording to the divine teſtimony, Gal. iii, 10. * Curſed is
every one that continueth not in all things written in the
1 book of the law to do them.' He can no more look up-
on the curſe as ſome itrange thing, belonging only to fome
monſters of wickedneſs, and not to him: for the Spirit of
the Lord, as a ſpirit of bondage, applies it clotely to him;
as if he ſaid, Thou art the man. And, like one under fer-
tence of death pronounced againſt him, he groans out his
belief of it, under the preſſure thereof, Luke xv. 17. • 1
periſh.
3. Laſtly, By it a mau believes his utter inability to s
2,
<

250 Way of inftating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
vii. 9
cover himſelf. He believes that he cannot, by any doings
or ſufferings of his, remove the curſe of the law from off
him, according to the divine teſtimony of our being with.
out ſtrength in that point, Rom. v. 6. nor change bis own
mature, heart, and life, ſo as to render them acceptable to
God, according to the infallible teftimony, Jer. xii. 23.
• Can the Ethiopian change his ſkin, or the leopard his
• ſpots ? then may ye allo do good that are accuſtomed to
• do evil.' He is, in his own eyes, as in the fight of
God, a ſpiritually dead man; legally dead, and morally
dead, as the Apoſtle teſtifies of himſelf in that caſe, Rom.
.
This is the faith of the law. And the effect of it is a
legal repentance, whereby a finner is broken and bruiſed
with fear and terror of the wrath of God; grieves and
forroweth for fin, as a ruining and deftructive evil; and
therefore really deſires to be freed from it ; defpairs of ſal-
vation by himſelf; and ſeriouſly looks out for relief another
way, Acts ii. 17. and xvi. 29, 30. Thus, the law is
our ſchoolmaſter to bring us unto Chrift;' and the faith
of the law makes way for the faith of the goſpel. Not
that either this legal faith, or legal repentance, is the con-
dition of our weicome to Chriſt and the covenant of
grace:
our accceſs to Chriſt and the covenant is proclaimed free,
without any conditions or qualifications required in us, to
warrant us, finners of mankind, to believe on Jefus Chrift,
as was ſhown before. But (hey are neceffary to move and
excite us, to make uſe of our privilege of free acceſs to
Chriſt and the covenant; inſomuch that none will come
to Chrift, per embrace the covenant, without them in
greater or lefſer meaſure. Even as if a phyſician ſhould
caufe proclaim, that he will freely cure all the fick of ſuch
a place that will employ him : in which cafe it is plain,
none will employ him, but ſuch as are fenfible of fome ma.
lady they labour under ; yet that ſenſe of a malady is not
the condition of their welcome to that phyſician ; nor is it
requifite for his curing them, but for their employing him
Now, in calling you to embrace the covenant, ye are
called indire&tly, and by conſequence, to this faith of the
law, namely, to believe that ye are finners in life, heart, and
nature : loft and undone, under the curfe; and utterly un-
able to recover yourſelves. Yet it is not ſaving faith, nor
a
a

The Faith of the Goſpel, inftating in the Covenant. 251
doth it inftate one in the covenant of grace; that is pecu-
liar to another kind of believing : of which in the next
place.
The faith of the Goſpel, inflating in the Covenant,
Saving faith, which unites to Chriſt, is the faith of the
goſpel. For the goſpel only is the miniſtration of righ-
teouſneſs, 2 Cor. iii. 9. It is in it that the righteouſ-
neſs of faith is revealed unto faith, revealed to be be.
lieved on, Rom. i. 17. It is the alone word which gives
finners the notice of a Saviour, of the atoniog blood, and
the new covenant in that blood ; and therefore is the on-
ly word by which ſaving faith is begotten in the heart of
a loft finner. In the word of the goſpel, the Lord and Sa-
viour Chrift, with all his benefits and covenant, is; and
that to be believed on, as appears from Rom. x. 6, 7, 8,
9. So that the word of the goſpel being received by be-
lieving, we have Chrift, and his covenant with all the
benefits thereof; ſaving faith being indeed the echo of
the quickened ſoul, to the word of grace that bringeth
ſalvation : a truſting of the word of the goſpel, and the
perfon, to wit, the Saviour, and the thing, therein held
forth to us, to be believed on for ſalvation, Mark i. 15.
'Believe the goſpel, Ila. liii. 1. Who hath believed our
report ?' Gal. ni. 2. * The hearing of faith.' This is that
believing, by which we are united to Chrift, entered in-
to the covenant of grace, and joftated therein unto falga.
tion. The which believing may be explained in four par-
ticulars: (1.) The faith of Cliriſt's ſufficiency. (2.) The
faith of the golpel-offer. (3.) The faith of our right of
Chrift. And (4.) The faith of particular truft for falva-
tion. So putting the
QUESTION, What is that believing, by which I, a loſ
finner, under the curſe of the law, may unite with Jeſus
Chrijl, and ſo enter into, and be inſtated in the covenant of
grace, to my elernal falvation? We anſwer thereto direct
ly in theſe four particulars, by way of direction in this
momentous point, whereon ſalvation depends,
1. The Faith of Chriſt's Sufficiency.
In the firſt place, you are to believe, that there is a
6

252 Way of inſtating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
.
fulneſs of ſalvation in Chrift for poor finners. This is
the conftant report of the goſpel concerning him, Eph. iii.
8. • That I ſhould preach among the Gentiles the unſearch-
• able riches of Chriſt.' Heb. vii. 25. · He is able to ſave
• them to the uttermoft, that come unto God by him.'
In the word of the goſpel, Chriſt is held forth as an able
Saviour ; able to ſave men from their fins, and from the
wrath of God. His merit is a fufficient ſeonce againſt
the tempeft of fiery wrath, which incenſed juſtice is ready
to cauſe to fly forth againſt tranſgreffors : Ifa. xxxii. 2.
«A man ſhall be a covert from the tempeft. His Spi-
'
rit is fufficient to fan&tify the moft unholy : 1 Cor. vi. 11.
• And ſuch were ſome of you: but ye are waſhed, but ye
* are fan&tified, but ye are juſtified in the name of the Lord
Jeſus, and by the Spirit of our God.' The righteouſneſs
be fulfilled, as the condition of the covenant, is lo valuable
in itſelf, and in the eyes of his Father, that it is ſufficient
to procure juſtification, ſanctification, and all other faving
benefits to finners, who in themſelves deſerve death and
damnation : ſo that they are happy who are in him ; they
ihall never periſh, but have everlaſting life, being eternally
fecure under the covert of his righteouſneſs, as a fufficient
defence. Believeſt thou this?
This is the general faith of the goſpel, which being with-
out particular application, doth not unite the finner to
Chrift, nor enter him into the covenant; and
may
be
found in reprobates and fallen angels, being only an aſſent
in general to the truth of the doctrine of the
goſpel, Matth.
xiii. 21, 22. and viii. 29. But, by the nature of the thing,
it is neceffarily prerequifite to a faith of particular appli-
cation : for I muſt firſt believe a faying to be true in itſelf,
before I can truſt to it for my part ; I muſt firſt believe a
thing to be good in itſelf, before that I can believe that it is
good for me.
But where the faith of the goſpel is carried forward to
uniting with Chrift, the effect of this general faith is very
valuable as well as neceſſary. And that is, an high efteem
of Chriſt and his covenant, an ardent defire of union and
communion with him, a longing for his righteouſneſs, as
a hungry man longs for meat, or a thirſty man for drink.

The Faith of the Goſpel-offer.
253
The man ſees indeed, that he has no Ipecial intereſt in
Chriſt and his righteoufneſs ; but he would fain have it :
all is ſapleſs to him without it; his ſoul within him cries,
Give me Chrif, or elſe I die : and he is content to part
with all for him, and to take him for all. This is tanght
us in the parables of the treaſure bid in the field, and of
the pearl of great price, the finding out of which moves
to ſell all, and to buy them, Matth. xii. 44, 45, 46
Howbeit, this etteem and deſire of Chrift is different
from that which follows upon the foul's union with Chrift,
when once faith hath taken poffefiion of bim and his be-
nefits, and hath got a view of his intrinſic fupereminent
worth and value: the which is mentioned, & Peter ji.
7. Pfal. Ixxii. 25. The true ſpring of all this eſteem and
deſire, is the principle of ſelf-preſervation, and the view of
Chrift as ſuited to that end. The irerchant-man is ſeek.
ing goodly pearls for his own enriching: and ſeeing that
the one pearl will anſwer that defign, he is reſtleſs till he
have it. The poor finner is hotly purſued with the law's
curſe, which is ſtill ringiig death and damnation in his
In the meantime, he gets a diftant view of the ci.
ty of refuge: and therefore he makes forward to it with
all ſpeed: but what makes him run, but life, life, precio
ous life, that he may not periſh? Verily he cannot be ex.
pected to act upon a more generous principle, before he
is united to Chrift: John xv. 5. 'Without me ye can do
'nothing. But let him not fear; he is welcome to
Chriſt, even coming to him from no higher principle.
The truth is, the Lord Jeſus, by his Spirit, ſețs the prio.
ciple of felf-preſervation aftir, being a thing in itſelf goods
and uſeth it as a mean to haften finners upto him. This
is evident from the complaint, John v. 20. “And ye will
pot come unto me, that ye might have life,' Can one
imagine our Lord will reject a finner coming to him for
life, when he complains that finners will not come to him
for that end?
II. The Faith of the Goſpel offer.
In the next place, you muſt believe that Jeſus Chrift,
with his righteouſneſs and all his ſalvation is by himſelf
offered to Gnners, and to you in particular. This is the
Y
ears,
6

254 Way of inftating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
plain voice of the goſpel to all unto whom it comes, lla.
1v, 1. Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye, to the
waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and
* eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and
without price.' Rev. xxii. 17. "Whoſoever will, let him
• take of the water of life freely.' Prov. viii. 4. « Uoto
you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men.
I
?
But alas ! few believe it : yea, none will believe it to
purpoſe till the Spirit of the Lord make it plain to them,
and perſuade them by an inward illumination. Many fe-
cure finners hear the goſpel, and are glad of the offer :
but they diſcern not Chrill's voice in it. They hear it not,
as the word of the Lord Chriſt himſelf to them ; but as
the word of men : hence it hath no due authority upon
their conſciences; ſo they paſs it over lightly. Thus were
his offers of himſelf entertained, when made by his own
mouth, but he not diſcerned as the eternal Son of Ged,
and Saviour of the world. So, in the congregation of
Nazareth, “ All bare him witneſs, and wondered at the
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. But
they ſaid, is not this Joſeph's fon? Luke iv. 22. And
* in a little they roſe up and thurft him out of the city,'
verſe 29. Again, when the voice of Chriſt is difcerned
in the offer by the convinced finner; then the finner is
ready to conclude, that it is to others, but not to him.
Unbelief faith, but “our bones are dried, and our hope
. is loſt, we are cut off for our parts,' Ezek. xxxvii. 11.
They cannot believe, that ſo good news from heaven con-
cerns them, or that ſuch a good word is directed unto
them. And thus men not believing God in the record given
of his Son, that he is with all his falvation offered to them,
do make him a liar, 1 John v. 10.
But where ſaving faith is a-working, the word of the
-
goſpel offer is, by the Holy Spirit, applied to the foul in
particular with power, as the word of the Lord himſelf,
and not of men; whereby the man is aſſured, that it is the
voice of Chrif, and to him in particular : whereupon he
applies it to himſelf by believing: 1 Theff. i. 5. • For
our goizel came not unto you in word only, but alſo in
power, and in the Holy Ghoſt, and in much aflurance.
Chap. ii. 13. The word of God, which ye heard of us,
,
$

The Faith of the Goſpel-offer. 255
'ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in
truth) the word of God, which effe&ually worketh alfo
* if you that believe. This is altogether neceſſary ; in-
ſomuch that without it there can be no receiving of Chrift,
foraſmuch as otherwiſe the foul can fee po folid ground
and foundation of faith for itſelf; for it is evident, there
can be no receiving aright, where the figner doth not be-
lieve the offer to be to him in particular. And here be-
gins the application of faith, an application tending to y-
nion with Chrift.
Wherefore, if you would unite with Chriſt, and ſo en-
ter into the covenant of grace, fit yourſelves before the
Lord as condemned finners, under the curſe of the law;
and hear and believe the word of his goſpel as directed
to you condemned and curſed finners in particular. So
it will come unto you, as the riſing ſun to one fittiog in
darkneſs, and in the ſhadow of deathor as the offer of
a pardon, to one under ſentence of death. And let not
your heart miſgive you by unbelief; but firmly believe
the offer to be made by Chriſt himſelf unto you, as it is
'in very deed, Ifa. lv. 3. • Hear, and your ſoul ſhall live,
'
and I will make an everlaſting covenant with you.'
But here it is neceſſary to remove the following objec-
ticns.
Object. 1. But Chrift is now in heaven, and I hear
no voice from thence : how then can I believe that he
himſelf is offering himſelf to me? Ans. Though Chriſt
is in heaven, yet he is ſpeaking from heaven to us; how-
beit not be a voice founding thro' the clouds, yet by a
voice founding in the goſpel : Heb. xii. 25. • See that
'ye refuſe not him that ſpeaketh-that ſpeaketh from
heaven.' And not only is his voice in the word of the
goſpel, but he himſelf by his Spirit is in it, as the apoftle
teacheth, Rom. X. 6, 7, 8. Thence it is, that it is a
quickening word to dead fouls, John vi. 36. The words
that I speak unto you, they are ſpirit and they are life.'
It is the lively feed, whereof the new creature is formed,
1 Pet. i. 23. Jeſus Chrift did once by a voice founding
through the clouds, ſpeak a word of convi&ion, AAs ix.
4,5. But even in that caſe the word of the offer of him-
{elf was remitted to the preaching of the goſpel by a meſ-
Y 2

256 IV ay of mſtuting Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
fenger thereto appointed, ver. 6. And the voice of
Chrift, founding in his written word, is more ſure than
a voice founding through the clouds, 2 Pet. i. 18, 19.
This voice in the word is the ſtated ground of faith, with
which faith muſt clofe for falvation, Rom i. 16. The
« goſpel of Chrilt: it is the power of God anto falvation,
to every one that believeth ; ver. 17. For thercin is the
* righteouſneſs of God revealed from faith to faith. And
there is no true faving faith, where it is not received as
the very voice of the Lord himſelf, « Theft. ii. 13. There-
tore
you
moſt receive the word of the goſpel, as the word
of Chriſt himſelf, as in very deed it is.
Objeti. 2. But Chriſt in the word of the goſpel doth
not name me: how then can I believe that he offereth
himſelf, his righteoufneſs and lalvation, to me in partico-
tar? Ans. Neither doth he name you in the word or the
law, wherher in the commands thereof, or in the curſe
thereof. How do you come to believe that you are a fin-
ner? Is it not, that, the commands of the law being die
refled to all men, you conclude and believe, that, ycu he-
ing of the nember of mankiad, they are therefore dirt &ted
to you in particular, as weil as to others? And how come
F«u to believe that you in particular are under the curſe
(f the broken law? Is it not, that, Gince the law de.
nounceth its curſe againſt every one that, being under it,
breaks it, Gal. iii. 10. Rom. iii. 19. you do conclude and
believe, that it curſeth you, foraſmuch as you are one of
thefe breakers thereof ? Now you have a ſufficient ground
to believe that the offer of the goſpel is to you in particu-
lar; foraſmuch as it is made to all, without exception,
unto whom the goſpel comes, Rev. xxii. 17. Ha. lv. l.
It is ordered to be made to every creature under heaven,
Mark xvi. 2;. and how faful foever you are, you are one
of theſe creatures. Chrifl's voice is unto men, fons of
men: and be what you will, you are one of mankind linners :
and therefore the offer is to you in particular, Pruv, viii. 4.
Accordingly, we are warranted to apply the general offer
to every one in particular; and every one is warranted to
apply it to himſell : As xvi. 31. • Believe on the Lord
Jeſus Chrift, and thou ſhalt be fared.'
OBJECT 3. But alas! I fear I 'want the qualifications
a

The Faith of the Goſpel-offer 257
determinative of thoſe to whom the golpel-offer is particu-
larly directed. I dread that I have not as yet got a due
ſenſe of fin: and our Lord ſays, expreſsly, • They that be
"whole need not a phyfieian, but they that are fick. I
* am not come to call the righteous, but finners to repent-
6ance,' Matth. xi. 12, 13. The goſpel-offer runs in
,
theſe terms, . Ho, every one that thirſeth, come,' Iſa. lv.
61. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy la-
"den,'Mat. xi. 28. · Whoſoever will, let him take the water
of life freely,' Rev. xxii. 17. But when I view my own
condition, I very much fear I have not as yet reached
that thirſt after Chriſt, and that willingneſs to take him,
which theſe texts ſpeak of: and that I cannot be account-
ed one truly labouring and heavy laden : how then can
I believe that Chriſt offers himſelf to me in particular?
Ans. It is moſt certain truth, that, unleſs you have a due
ſenſe of fin, unleſs you thirſt after Chriſt and his righte-
ouſnefs, unleſs
you be heavy laden with the felt burden of
fin, and willing to take Chriſt upon any terms, you will
never take him by a true faith. Nevertheleſs, whatever
qualifications you have, or have not, yet if you are a fina
ner of Adam's race, (and I hope you doubt not that,)
Chriſt is offered to you, together with his righteoufnefs,
and all his falvation, Prov. viii 4. John in. 16. Mark
xvi. 15. For howbeit there are indeed aertain qualifica-
tions neceffary to move you to take Chriſt; yet there are
none at all to hamper the goſpel offer : but Chrift is real-
ly offered to you, be in what caſe you will; ſo really that
if
you do not believe it, and thereupon receive an offered
Saviour, you will be damned for not believing, Mark xvi..
26.
It is undeniable, the lefs that finners are fenfible of
their fins, they are the farther from righteoufneſs : they
do the more need Chrift, and are the more to be called to
repentance. This is evident from the whole tenor of the
holy ſeripture; and from the very nature of the thing.
And therefore it is finners in the general, and not feaſible
finners only, who are meant, Matth. ix. 12, 13. Even asi
it is fick people in general, comprehending even thoſe:
of them who are ſo delirious, as to think nothing ails
them, that need a phyſician ; and not thoſe fick only,
Y 3

253 Way of infiating Sinners in the Covenanta Head 6
who are fenfible of their ſtate and hazard. This is the
plain literal ſenſe of that paſſage, from which there is no
neceflity to depart : and the departing from it is attended
with a manifeft inconvenience.
Neither is the thirſt mentioned Ifa. iv. I. to be reſtricte
ed to a gracious thirit, a thirit after Chriſt and his righe
teouſneſsa For ſome at leaſt of the thirſting ones, to whom
the offer is there made, are ſpending money for that which
is not bread, and their labour for that which fatisficth not,
ver. 1, 2. But it is evident, that finners duly fenfible,
who are thirſting after Chrit aed his righteouſneſs, are
not ſpending their money and labour at that rate ; but,
on the contrary, for that which alone is bread, and ſatisfia
eth, namely, Jefus Chrik, the true bread which came down
from heaven, Wherefore the thirft there meant, muft needs:
comprehend, yea, and principally aim at, that thirſt after
happineſs and ſatisfaction, which being natural, is commoa
to all mankind. Men pained with this thirit do naturally
run, for quenching thereof, to the empty creation, and
their fulſome lufts: and ſo they ſpend money for that which
is not bread, and their labour for that which ſatisfieth not ;
finding, nothing there that can ſatisfy their appetite or
thrift. Now,'to mer in this wretched caſe is the goſpel
offer of the waters of life made: Chriſt is offered unto them,
as bread, fatneſs, what is good, and will ſatisfy that their
painful thirſt, which otherwiſe will never be quenched,
And as little is the lolema goſpel offer, Matth. ix. 28.
reſtricted to a certain ſet of men endued with ſome laudable
qualifications, going under the name of labouring and be-
ing heavy laden; the which do indeed denote the reſtleſs
neis natural to the finful foul of man, Spending its labours
for that wbich fatisfieth not, Iía. lv. 2. Our father Adam
left his whole family with a conſcience full of guilt, and a
heart full of unſatisfied deſires. Thus we naturally having
a restleſs conſcience, and a reſtleſs heart, the foul as natu-
rally falls a labouring for reft to them. And it labours ia
the barren region of the fiery, law, for a reſt to the conſci-
ence; and in the empty creation, for a re! to the heart..
But after all, the conſcience is ſtill heavy laden with guilt,
whether it has any lively feeling thereof, or not; and the

The Faith of the Goſpel offer. 257
heart is ſtill under a load of unſatisfied deſires. So neither
the one, nor the other, can find reſt indeed. This is the
natural caſe of all men. And to fouls thus labouring and
laden, Jeſus Chriſt calls, that they may come to him, and
he will give them reft: namely, a reft for their conſcience,
under the covert of his blood ; and a reſt to their hearts,
in the enjoyment of God through him. To this interpre-
tation we are led by the ſtyle of the ſcripture, the phraſeo.
logy of the Holy Gholt, both in the Old and New Tef-
tament, the which may be viewed in the following texts
compared, to wit, Eccief. x. 15. Heb. ii. 13. Iſa. lv. 2.
and i. 3, 4. 2 Tim. iii. 6, 7.
Finally, as for the wilingneſs which you are afraid you
are defective in, ſurely, in all other caſes, he that ſaith,
whoſoever will, let him take ſuch a thing, will, according
to the common ſenſe and underſtanding of ſuch words a.
mong mankind, be reckoned to offer that thing unto all,
and to exclude none from it : however it may be an inti-
mation, that it is not to be forced on any. Why thea
fhould this manner of ſpeech, Rev. xxii. 15. be thought
to limit the goſpel offer to a certain fet of men ?
Wherefore we conclude, that Chrift lays no bar in the
way of any of you : do not ye put bars in your own way,
and then complain you cannot get over them. For ac-
cording to the holy ſcripture, it is infallible truth, that
Chrift is offered to you, and every one of you, in partick-
lar; believe it, elſe ye make God a liar, 1 John v. jo.
III. Faith of our Right to Chriſ
Furthermore, you muſt believe, that Jeſus Chriſt is the
Saviour of the world, and your Saviour in particular, by his
Father's appointment, and his own offer ; and that by the
fame appointment, and offer, his righteouſneſs the condi-
tion of the covenant, and eternal life, the promiſe of the co.
venant, are yours ; yours (I mean not, in poffeffion, but)
in right thereto; fo far as that you may lawfully and war-
Tantably take poffeffion of the fame, and uſe them as your
own, to all intents and purpoſes of ſalvation, John iv. 42.
We know that this is indeed the Chriſt, the Saviour of the
world, 2 Sam. xxii. 3. and Luke i. 47. my Saviour. Do
" not think this too much for you ; it is no more than what
***

260 Way of infiating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
.
is neceffary to faving faith in Chrift. If you believe only,
,
in the general, that Chriſt is the Saviour of the world, but
believe not that he is your Saviour in particular; what do
you believe more than devils do? They believe him to be
Jeſus a Saviour, Mark i. 24. If you would go beyond them,
you muſt believe he is your Saviour ; and conſequently,
that his righteouſneſs and ſalvation are yours, in the ſenſe
before opened : for where Chriſt is given, with bim are
freely given all things. And pray conſider, how can ye
take him or receive him as your Saviour, if he is not yours
indeed? A man may fraudulently take poſſeflion of what
he doth not believe to be his by right : but no man can
fairly and honeſtly claim and take poffeffion of what he
doth not believe to be his own. Certainly, God muſt firſt
give Chriſt to us, before we can receive him : for a man
receiveth nothing, except it be given him from heaven, John
iii. 27. Giving on God's part, and receiving on ours, here
are correlates; and the former is the foundation of the late-
ter. Now, God's gift is ſufficient to make a thing ours.
Therefore believe firmly, that Chriſt is your Saviour in par-
ticular; that his righteouſneſs is yours, and eternal life
yours.
QUEST. But hore can I a poor finner, by nature under
the curſe, believe that Chriſt is my Saviour, that his righte-
ouſneſs, and eternal life, are mine ? Ans. You may firaly
believe it, becauſe you have the word and teſtimony of the
eternal God upon it in his holy goſpel. What is the go-
{pel which the apoſtles were ſent in the name of God to teſi-
fy? The apoſtle John declares it, 1 John iv. 14. We teſtify,
that the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Is
not Jeſus Chriſt then, byoffice, whatever he is in the event,
Saviour of the world ? and if he is ſo, and you are none of
that world of mankind, be is not therefore your Saviour?
Why then will you not believe it? God ſet the fun in the
heavens, to be a light to the world : and do not you there-
fore judge, that you have a right to the light of that fun,
as well as the reſt of mankind, and accordingly uſe it free-
ly, to work or read by it, as your own by God's free gilt
Jeſus Chriſt alfo is the light of the world, John viii. 12.
given for a light to the Gentiles, Ha. xlix. 6. and faith ap-
propriates him ſaying,' the Lord is my light, and
my
fale

The Faith of our Right to Chrif.
261
vi.
* vation,' Pſal. xxvi. 1. Now, you are a member of theſe
focieties, to wit, the world, and the Gentiles: there'ore
he is your light, that is, given for a light to you. Will
you take Chriit's own word vpon it? You have it, John
32. * My Father givetk you the true bread from heaven."
If your neighbour give you hread, you will reckon his gift
thereof fufficient to make it yours : and fo eat of it freely
as your own. If your prince fall give you a houſe or
land, which he hath an unqueſtionable right to diſpoſe of,
you would reckon them truly yours by his gift ; and would
freely go and dwell in that houſe, and poffefs that land, as
your own. How is it then, that when the Father gives
you his Chrift, yet you will not believe that he is yours,
nor take poffe Sion of him as your own ? Why, the truth of
the matter lies here: you believe your neighbour, you be-
lieve your prince; but you believe not your God, in his
holy goſpel, . but make him a liar, not believing the re-
* cord that God gave of his Son,' 1 John v. 1o. But whe-
ther you will believe it or not, it is a truth, that Chriſt is
your Savioar : and if you will not believe it now, to your
ſalvation, you will undonbtedly ſee your millake hereafter;
when periſhing, you will be convinced that you periſh, net
becauſe you had not a Saviour, but becauſe you neglected
to make uſe of hich.
Io like manner, the righteouſneſs of Chriſt is yours,
pamely, that which he fulfilled as the condition of the co-
venant. It is yours by heaven's gift, being given you with
himſelf; and therefore it is called the gift of righteouſneſs,
Rom. v. 17. It is a teftamentary gift, made over to you
in Chrift's tellament, wherein finners of mankind, without
exception, are the legatees, as bath been already cleared.
Eternal life is another fuck gift or legacy : ſo it is yours
too. And you have the record, teſtimony or witneſs, of
God himſelf upon it, that it is given you, 1 John v. 11.
"And this is the record that God hath given to us eter-
#nal life: and this life is in his Son.' Is not God's
own record a ſufficient ground for believing? will you vene
ture to miſbelieve it on any pretence whatſoever? Here
you have that record, namely, 'that God hath given to us
eternal life.” It may be you will imagine, that it relates
only to actual believers in Chriſt, at or moft to the elect;
a

262 Way of inſtating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
and uſe that for a defence of your unbelief. But, I pray
you, conſider it is the ground and warrant for all to believe
on Chrift, and to lay hold on eternal life in him; being
the witneſs of God, which he hatb teftified of his Son,
to be received by all to whom the gropel comes, verſe 9.
but that God hath given eternal life to a certain feleet ſet
of men, can never in reaſon be deemed to be a warrant for
all men to believe. Moreover, the great fin of unbelief
lies in not believing this record : but it doth not lie in not
believing that God hath given eternal life to actual believers
or to the elect ; for the moſt deſperate unbelievers, believe
that, inſomuch that their belief of it adds to their torment:
but it lies in their not believing, that to mankind-finners,
and to themſelves in particular, God hath given eternal
life. This is what flies in the face of the goſpel of God,
which is the proclaimed deed of the gift and grant of
Chriſt and all his benefits, to finners of mankind, declaring
the grant thereof to be made them, and calling them to
take poffeffion of the ſame as their own, Ifa. ix. 6. Un-
to us a child is born, (the word ſignifies preſented born, as
to his relations having a particular intereſt in him; as Ma.
chir's children were preſented to Jofeph, and laid on his
knees, Gen. I. 23. and Ruth's ſon to Naomi, Ruth iv.
17.) unto us a ſon is given. John iii. 16. God ſo loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whofoever be-
lieveth in him, ſhould not periſh but have everlaſting life. 1
Cor. i. 30. Chriſt Jefus who of God is made unio us,
(namely by legal deſtination) wiſdom, righteouſnefi, fanati-
focation, and redemption.
And thus you ſee you have an infallible gronnd for this
act of faith, namely, the teſtimony of God, that cannot
lie. Wherefore as ever you would be united to Chriſt,
and fo ipftated in the covenant, believe firmly that Chrift
is yours, his righteouſneſs yours, and eternal life in him
,
yours.
This is a more cloſe application of faith than the for-
mer, and ariſeth from it ; for this one, believeth the effica-
cy of the divine appointment, and of the goſpel offer. If
God appoints Chriſt a Saviour to you, with his righteouf-
pels and eternal life, and Chriſt offers himſelf to you ac-
cordingly; ſurely the effe&t of that appointment and of.

The faith of our Right to Chrift. 263
fer muſt be, that they are indeed yours, to be uſed by you,
as your own, for your ſalvation. If you believe that ap-
pointment of the Father, and the Son's offer, you muſt
needs believe this : for if they be real, and not ludicrous
deeds, they certainly convey to you a right to Chriſt, bis
righteouſneſs and ſalvation : fo that, in virtue of them,
theſe muft be yours, to be warrantably claimed and uſed
by you as your own, for the purpoſes of ſalvation. It is
not doubted, but mens deeds of gift, and their offers, real
and not ludicrous, do convey fuch a right to the parties
in favour of whom they are made. If a friend of yours,
having a ſum of money lying in a neighbour's hand, mould,
eſpecially by a deed of writing under his own hand, appoint
and ordain that fum a gift to you, to relieve you out of a
certain Arait ; you would make no queſtion but you might
go and claim it, and take it up : if, having the fum in his
own hand, he ſhould offer it to you as a gift, you would make
no queſtion but you might take it to you; and, in both ca-
ſes uſe it as your own by your friend's appointment or offer.
And ſhall not the Father's ordinance and appointment,
and Chrill's offer, be as efficacious ? Why then will ye
not believe this its efficacy? Why will ye not believe,
that Chriſt with his righteoufveſs and eternal life are
yours?
Truly, the believing hereof is the very next fep to the
ſoul's uniting with Chrift: and therefore it is propoſed to
the finnet, as the neareſt means to bring him clofe unto
God in Chrift, Hoſ. xiv. 1. Return unto the Lord thy God:
he is thy God, thou haft a right to him, return, come e-
ven to bim, take poſſeſſion of him as thine own God. Ac.
cordingly, the fioner coming to him by faith, comes on
very ground, Jer. iii. 22. Behold we come unto thee,
for thou art the Lord our God, verſe 23. Truly in the Lord
our God is the ſalvation of Ifrael
. As Hagar's eyes were
ſeaſonably opened to ſee the bad a well by her, when fhe
had given up her fon for dead; fo when the finner lies in
his death's wounds from the law, in the work of conviction,
the ſpirit of faith open bis eyes, by means of a glorious
goſpel, in a work of faving illumination, ſo that he fees
he hath a Saviour, a righteouſneſs, and falvation. And
then he preſently apprehends or grips the same as his own.
this

264 Way of inſtaling Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
Thus the prodigal firſt believed that he had yet a father,
and a fatber's houſe, where there was enough and to ſpare,
and then ariſeth and goeth to him, Luke xv. 17, 18.
Object. 1. If it be true that Chriſt is my Saviour,
.
that his righteouſneſs, and eternal life in him, are mine;
then I may be eaſy, I'll certainly be ſaved without any
more ado. Ans. That is but a cavil, beſt ſuiting thoſe
who being indifferent about Chriſt and ſalvation, think it
not worth their pains ſeriouſy to conſider ſuch things.
One truly weighed with the matter, and duly confidering,
being once brought to believe this, would rather ſay,
" Then, fince Chriſt is really my Saviour, his righteouſneſs
ci and eternal life mine; I will take him to me, I will re-
“ ceive and reſt on him as my Saviour, I will rely on his
“ righteouſneſs and look for eternal life in him; why ſhould
“I be loft for ever, fance I have a full Saviour? Why ſhould
“ Igonaked, fincel have a complete righteouſneſs made over
" to me by Heaven's gift? Why ſhould I die, when I have
« eternal life in Chrif?” Put the caſe, you did ſee a man at
the point of ſtarving for want of bread; and, out of kind.
neſs and pity to him, you ſhould appoint and ordain meat
for him, out of your own ſtore, for preſervation of his life:
and withal, ſhould carry it to him, and ſet it before him,
ſaying, Ha, there is meat, I and my father have ordained
for
you, eat and welcome. If that man ſhould ſay, Oh!
I may
not take it, for it is not mine own: would you not
tell him, that your gift, appointment, and offer ofit to him,
makes it his, ſo that, with a good confcience, he may free-
ly eat it as his own bread? But ſhould he then reply, and
ſay, Why then, if it is mine, without any more ado, I
am ſecured from ſtarving ; I need not at all be at pains
to take and eat it: would you not reckon him either mad,
or but jefting with you, not ſenfible of his hazard of farv-
ing? The application is obvious. It is not meat's being
one's own, ſo that he may uſe it freely as ſuch, that will
keep him from ſtarving : he muſt take and eat it, and
fo uſe it as his own, if he would have that benefit by
it. Even ſo it is not Christ's being yours, with his righte.
oufneſs and ſalvation, that will ſave you : you muſt take
poffeffion of him, and make uſe of him as your own, for ſal-
vation, if you would be actually ſaved by him. There

The Faith of our Right to Chrift. 265
is a wide difference betwixt a thing's being ours in fimple
right thereto, and its being ours in poffeffion. It is in the
former way only that Chriſt is yours before uniting with
hin ; and if you do not improve that, by receiving him,
:
and taking poffeffion, you will periſh eternally for all it :
Heb. iv. 1. Let us therefore fear left a promiſe being left us
of entering into his rejf, any of you ſhould frem to come ſhort of
it. Luke xvi. 12. If ye bave not been faithful in that which
is another man's, who fhall give you that which is your
own?
OBJECT. 2. But Chrift, a Saviour, bis perfect righte.
ouſneſs, and eternal life, are things fo exceeding great and
precious, and I am ſo very sinful and unworthy, that it is
mighty hard for me to believe they are mine. Ans. Yes,
here indeed lies a great difficulty of believing; when orce
a finner's eyes are opened, to ſee the tranſcendent excellen-
cy of Chriſt, the exceeding finfulneſs of fin, and his own
utter unworthineſs; a difficulty not to be ſurmounted, but
by the effectual operation of the Spirit of faith, cauſing
one to believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph. i. 19. But, for your help, conſider they are yours
by mere free gift: which is ſo far from requiring any worth
in the creature, that it excludes all reſpect thereto. Chriſt
himſelf is the Father's gift to you, John iv. 1o. and vi. 32.
His righteouſneſs is a gift too, Rom. v. 17. And ſo is e.
ternal life in him, 1 John v. I. Now, what is freer than
a gift? and then, how beit they are indeed a gift far be-
yond whatever you could have expected, yet they are not
too great for an infinite God to give. In making of this
gift, lie a&ted not according to the dignity of the party in
whoſe favour it was made ; but according to himſelf, his
own greatneſs and majeſty. Meanwhile, though the gift
15 quite above your dignity, yet it is no more than what
is
your need required. If leſs cculd have anſwered your ne-
ceſſity, there is no ground to think, a crucified Chrift, the
Son of God, would have been prepared for you. If you
do but fuppoſe it, you marr that expreſſion of matchleſs
love, John iii. 16. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son. Wherefore, argue with yourſelf in this
manner : “ The gilt is indeed unſpeakable, but no leſs can
" ſerve my need ; if Chrift be not mine, I muſt perih :
Z
3

266 Way of inſtating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
put
* fince therefore God hath ſaid it, that he hath given me
« Chriſt ; and the gift is not above him to give, and no
« leſs can ſerve my turn; I muſt and will believe that he
® is mine, with his righteouſneſs and falvation."
IV. The Faith of particular Truft for Salvation.
Finally, You muſt wholly traft on him as your Saviour,
and in his righteouſneſs as made over to you; and that for
his whole falvation to you in particular, upon the ground
of God's faithfulneſs in his word. And this is that ſaving
faith, or believing on Chriſt Jeſus, by which a finner is u.
nited to him, and perſonally entered within the covenant
of
grace unte ſalvation: A&ts xvi. 31. Believe on the Lord
Jeſus Chriſt, and thou ſhalt be ſaved. Pfalm ii. 12. Kiſs the
Son, left he be angry, and ye perifh-; bleſſed are all they that
their truſt in him. And Píalm xxxvii. 40. He ſpall
ſave them, becauſe they truſt in him. Rom. xv. 12. In him
Jhall the Gentiles trufl. Compare Ifa. xi. 10. Rom. i. 17.
Therein is the righteouſneſs of God revealed from faith to faith;
or, Therein is the righteouſneſs of God by faith, revealed unto
faith, to wit, to be believed or truſted on. See Philip. iii.
9. Gal. ii. 16. We have believeld in Jeſus Chriſt, that we
might be juſtified. Afts xv. 11. We believe, that, through the
grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt we ſhall be faved. 1 Theff.
ii. 13. « Ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it
• is in truth) the word of God.' 1 Cor. ii. 5. • That your
5
• faith fhould not ſtand in the wiſdom of men, but in the
power of God.' This, according to the ſeripture, is a
finner's receiving and reſting upon Chrift for falvation, as
ſaving faith is defined in our Catechiſm; and this is indeed
believing, and nothing but believing, according to the
ſcriptural uſe of that word.
1. I ſay, this is the ſcriptural receiving and refting on
Chrift. It is the receiving of him in the ſenſe of the ho-
ly ſcripture : John i. 12. · As many as received bim, to
gave
he
power to become the ſons of God, even
to them that believe on his name:' where the receiving
of Chriſt is explained by believing on his name.
hath appointed Chrift, Saviour of the world, and
viour. You hear the fame publiſhed in the goſpel ; and
you accordingly belive that he is your Saviour, by his Fa
& them
God
your Sa

The Faith of particular Truft for Salvation. 267
ther's appointment, and his own offer : hereupon you truſt
on hiin, and on him alone for ſalvation, and all that you
need for your ſalvation. Is not this a receiving of him
for your part in the character of a Saviour, wherein his Fa-
ther ſent him forth to you? Is it not a taking of him to
yourſelf, as offered to you? Our Lord complains of the
Jews, John v. 43. that whereas he came in his Father's name,
they received him not, to wit, in the character wherein he
was ſent, namely, as the Meffias, the Saviour of the world,
and their Saviour, truiting in him, that he would ſave them.
This plainly appears to be the meaning, if one compares:
herewith the words there immediately following: If an-
other ſhall come in his own name, hºm ye will receive : q. do
Ye will believe him to be the Mefias, and your Saviour,
and truſt on him accordingly, that he will ſave you ; the
;
which has been often verified in that unbelieving people.
Moreover, this is refting on Chriſt in the ſcripture ſenſe af
that manner of expreſfion : Ifa. xxvi. 3. · Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whoſe mind is ftayed on thee, be.
* cauſe he trufeth in thee.' And indeed one cannot de-
viſe what way a perſon can reſt on a word, or a foul or
ſpirit can relt on a perfon, but by truſting them, or truſting
in or on them. It is ſaid, 2 Chron. xxxii. 8. « The peo-
* ple reſted themſelves upon the words of Hezekiah.'
What way can one imagine they did fo, but by truſting
them? Chap. xiv. 11. Help us, O Lord our God; for
we reſt on thee. How could they do ſo, but by truft-
'
ing on him for their help?
2. This is believing, in the ſcriptural uſe of that word,
which, in our entry on the queſtion under conſideration,
we eſtabliſhed from the ſcripture itſelf. For it is a truft-
ing of, or truſting in a perſon, namely, Jeſus Chrift, and
God in him, the perſonal object of laving faith, Afts xvi.
31. a truſting in a thing, namely, the righteouſneſs of
Chrift, the ultimate real object of faith, Rom. i. 17. and
a truſting in a word, namely, the record and teſtimony of
God, the word of the promiſe of the goſpel, the proximate
or neareit real object of faith, ibid. and all this for the great
purpoſe of falvation. And then it is nothing but ſuch
believing: for thus faith is not explained away into, but
Z 2

268 Way of inftating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
as a thing quite diftinét from the nature of a work, as
the fcripture contradiftinguiſheth works to faith.
Wherefore we conclude, that this truit is that believing
on Chriſt, by which the fuul is united to him, and ſavingly
inftated in the covenant. And, for opening of it, we
ſhall take notice of theſe five things plainly imported in it.
t. This truft imports not only a willingneſs, but a fin.
cere and honeſt deſire to be delivered from fin and wrath :
a desire to be fonctified, as well as to be joftified ; to be de.
livered from the reigning power, pollution, practice, and
inbeing of fin, as well as from the guilt of it ; according
to that of the apoſtle, Rom. vii. 24, 25. Who ſhall deli-
( ver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through
Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.' For it is a truſting on Chrift, not
for the half of his falvation, to wit, falvation from wrath
only, which is all the truſt of many, being by no means
defirous to part with fin; but for the whole of it, namely,
ſalvation from wrath, and falvation from Gin too, which is
the principal part theref, Matth. i 21. Now, a man may
iudeed fear that from one, which he doth not defire : but
no body truſts in one for what he deſires not. Faith is a
believing with the heart, Rom. x. 10. The whole falvation
of Christ is the believer's choice : it is the end he defires
to compaſs: and the truſt of faith is exerted as the ineans
to compaſs that end,
2. A renouncing of all confidence in all that is not Chrift
or in Chrift, as to the matter of ſalvation particularly. In
this truſt is overturbed felf-confidence, law confidence,
creature-confidence; and the foul builds on a quite new
ground: Philip. iii. 3. We rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and
«
• have no confidence in the fieth. Jer. xvi. 19. • The
•
. Gentiles ſhall come unto thee,-and ſhall fay, Surely
« our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things where.
• in there is no profit. For it is a truſting wholly on
'
Chriſt and his righteouſneſs, a truſting, or a believing with
all the heart, Prov. iii. 5. A&ts viii. 37. At this rate the
heliever is carried off from the works of the law, to the
blood of Jeſus, for his juſtification ; and carried out of him.
felf too, unto the Spirit of holineſs in Chrift, for his fanc-
tification : being perſuaded, that no doing nor ſuffering of
his own, can procúre him the pardon of, or atone for the

The Faith of particular Truſt for Salvation. 269
Jeaſt piece of guilt; and that he is not able truly to mor-
tify one luft, more as to purge away the guilt of one fio,
Matth. v. 3. Iſa. xlv. 24.
3. A hearty approbation of the plan or device of falva-
tion according to the covenant, manifeſted in the goſpel,
as ſuited to the divine perfections, and to the caſe of lin-
pers, and their own in particular : 1 Cor. i. 23. “We
preach Chriſt crucified, unto the Jews a ftumbling-block,
and unto the Greeks fooliſhneſs; verſe 24. But unto
"them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chriſt the
. power of God, and the wiſdom of God. Without this, no
man knowing what God is, what fın is, and what is the
worth of his own foul, will ever venture his own ſalvation
upon it; but one's truſting bis falvation to Chrift and
his righteouſneſs, ſpeaks him to be well pleaſed therewith,
as what one may ſafely truſt tn, even in the fight of a holy
God. And this is that rejoicing in Chrift Jeſus, which
makes an illuſtrious piece of the believer’s character,
Philip. iii. 3.
Withal it bears three things, (1:) An eyeing of Chriſt
in this matter, as a crucified Saviour, who hath fulfilled all
righteouſneſs, according to the fated condition of the co-
venant, I Cor. ii. 2: It is not Chriſt in the eternal glory be
had with his Father before the world was, that faith fixeth
its view on, while the foul in this caſe ſtands trem--
bling before a holy God; but Chrift the Son of God made
man, come in the fleſh, being born holy, leading a life
perfectly righteous, and at laſt dying on the croſs, to fa--
tisfy the demands which the law had on poor finners. It
looks unto him lifted up on the croſs, as thoſe who were:
bitten by the ſerpents in the wilderneſs looked unto the
brazen ferpent lifted up on the pole, Iſa. xlv. 22. Numb.
xxi. 8. John B. 14, 15: Therefore it is called faith in his
blood, Rom. iii. 25. his righteouſneſs, whereof the fhed--
ding of his blood was the compleating part, being the-
fpring of the believer's hope. (22) A real perfuafion of the
fufficiency of Chriſt's righteoufneſs to ſave finners, and us
in particular, from fin and wrath ; to anfwer for us before
a holy juft God, in the eye of his boly law; and to pro-
eure for us eternal holineſs and happineſs. There is no
faving faith without this : Chrill's ability to ſave muſt be:
2.3

270 Way of inflating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6
"
believed, and that with application to your own caſe in
particular, Matth. ix. 28. • Believe ye that I am able to
• do this?' And in order hereunto, faith eyes Chriſt's
righteouſneſs, as the righteouſneſs of God, and therefore
of mfinite value and efficacy, Philip. iii. 9. 1 John i. 7.
The reaſon why the goſpel, and no other doctrine what.
ſoever, is 'the power of God unto ſalvation' of Goners, is
becauſe therein is revealed the righteouſneſs of God unto
faith, Rom. i. 16, 17. and that is the only righteouſneſs,
fuited at once to the divine perfections and our cafe. (3.)
An acquieleing to that way of ſalvation, for ourſelves in
particular. The believer hath a cordial liking of it, for
the way of his falvation as perfe&ly ſafe, being the power
s of God, and the wiſdom of God,' 1 Cor. i. 24. His ſoul
pronounceth them ſafe and happy, that are in it; he des
fires for his own part to be fouod in it; and is perſuaded
he would be ſaved if he were in it. Thus faith acted in
the woman diſeaſed with an iſſue of blood, Matth. ix, 21.,
She ſaid within herſelf, if I may but touch his garments,
* I shall be whole. And thus it acteth in all believers,
determining them to that way, and to that way alone, for
their ca e in particular. And here unbelievers are always
-unfettled.
4. A betaking one's felf unto Chriſt and his righteoufa
neſs alone, fir ſalvation from fin and wrath. This is done
by this truiting. For the finner believing that Chriſt is
his Saviour, and that his righteouſneſs is made over to him
by free gift ; and withal, that this his Saviour, with his
righteouſneſs, is fufficient to fave him from fin and wrath ;
doth accordingly truft on Chriſt and his righteoufneſs for
his own ſalvation, and ſo betake himſelf thereto ; even as
a beggar once having, and withal believing himſelf to have
riches and weakh made over to him by a friend, leaves off
to beg, and for his maintenance truſts to that wealth allen-
arly ; and thereupon betakes himſelf to it. It is true,
that wealth being a corporal thing, to which there is a bo-
dily motion, the betaking one's ſelf thereto is not the ſame
thing with the truſting to it: bowbeit the former is a na:
tive conſequent of the latter : but Chriſt and his righte
ou'nıfs, as revealed unto faith, being things purely fpiria
tual, to which there is no bodily motion requiſite, that we

The Faith of particular Truſt for Salvation. 271
6
may betake ourſelves to them; the truſting and betaking
one's ſelf thereto, are one and the fame. So by this truft,
the foul takes poffeffion of Chriſt and his righteouſneſs ;
and uſeth the ſame as its own, to the purpoſe of falvation.
By it the finner betakes himfelf as a condemned man unto
Jeſus Chriſt as the propitiatory mercy-ſeat through his
blood, affording ſafety to the guilty before a holy God :
and by it the finner betakes bimſelf as a fick man unto the
tame Jeſus as the phyſician of ſouls, having the fulneſs of
the Spirit of fan&tification in him, to be communicate.
Accordingly faith is called a coming to Chriſt, John vi.
35. a fleeing for refuge, as one in hazard of his life by a
purſuer, Heb. vi. 18. and is often expreſſed, as Plalm ii.
12. by a word which properly fignifies to retire as unto a
fhadow, Judg. ix. 15. or as the chickens do under the
wings of the hen, Ruth ii. 12. The Lord God of Iſrael,
under whoſe wings thou art come to truſt;' properly to
retire. Compare Matth. xxiii. 37. « How often would
« I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
'gathereth her chickens under her wings.'
5. Laſtly, This truft of faith imports an affiance, con-
fidence, or truſt on Chriſt and his righteouſneſs, that he
will ſave us from fin and wrath, according to his promife
fet before us in the goſpel: "Whoſoever believeth in him,
« fhall not periſh, but have everlafting life.' Ila. xxv. 9.
* We have waited for him, and he will ſave us.' Heb.
wi. 6. • Whole houfe are we, if we hold faſt the confi-
. dence. Ifa. 1. 10. Let him truſt in the name of the
• Lord, and ſtay upon his God.' And that this truft of
faith is thus particular, is evident alſo from the nature of
the thing. For whoſoever trufts in a perſon for any thing,
hath a perfuafion of the fame degree of firmneſs with the
truſt that that perſon will do that thing for him. And
for a ſure token of this, where the party truſted fails, the
party truſting is aſhamed and confounded; as being diſap-
pointed in that which he trufted he would .do for him.
Wherefore, ſince the truſt of faith is never diſappointed,
the ſeripture doth therefore affure us, that he that be-
lieveth on him ſhall not be confounded,' 1. Pet. ii. 6. nor
alhamed, Rom. x. 11. The which doth fufficiently inti.
mate, that he that believeth on Jeſus Chrift for ſalvation,

272 Way of inftating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
doth truft that he will ſave him; otherwile there could
be no place for his being confounded or aſhamed, whatever
fhould be the event of his truſt. Accordingly the truſt of
faith doth, in proportion to the firmneſs-thereof, eſtabliſh
and fix the heart, Pfalm cxii. 7. His heart is fixed,,
* truſting in the Lord:' and hereof we have a plain in-
ftance in Paul's caſe, 2 Tim. i. 12. I am not aſhamed;
• for I know whom I have believed,' marg. or trufted.
Agreeable bereunto, faith is called in effect a building on
Chriſt, as upon a foundation that will bear our weight,
Ifa. xxviii. 16. with 1 Pet. ii. 6. It is called a leaning
upon him, Cant. vii. 5. a ſtaying on him, Ifa. xxvi. 3. a:
reſting or relying on him, 2 Chron. xiv. 11. and xvi. 8.
as upon one that will bear us up, a looking unto him, Ifa.
xlv. 22. having our eyes upon him, 2 Chron. xx. 12. as
one from whom we lock for help and ſalvation ; and fi-
nally, believing on him, 1 Pet. ii. 6. as one by whom we
fall be ſaved, A&s xv. 11.
The finger being ſhaken out of all confidence for life
and ſalvation in other things, ttays himſelf by faith on Je-
fus Chriſt and his righteouſneſs ; trufing on him, that he
fhall have life and ſalvation through his righteoufneſs. It
is true indeed, this particular truſt and confidence may be
aſſaulted with many doubts and fears: but theſe are things
that faith hath to conflict with, as its oppoſite ; and the
Atronger that faith is, the leſs they prevail; the weaker it
is, they prevail the more ;, Matth. xiv. 31. O thou of
• little faith, wherefore didit thou doubt? It is indeed of
very different degrees in different perſons, and in one and
the ſame perfon at different times : but if you remove all
truſt and confidence in Chrift for one's ſalvation, from
faith, the very nature and efſence of it is deſtroyed. Forr
at that rate, the finner, whoſe confidence in the fiefh for
his ſalvation is razed, having no confidence for it in Chrift
neither, is left quite unſettled and wavering, like a wave of
the fea, or a reed in the water : and where then is faith's
building, leaning, ſtaying, relying, and reſting the foul on
Chrift? Jamesi. 6.° Let him afk in faith, nothing waver-
• ing : for he that wavereth is like a wave of the ſea, dri-
6 ven with the wind, and toffed, verſe 7. For let not
• tbat man think that be ſhall receive any thing of the

The faith of particular Truſt for Salvation.
273
« Lord.' But the believing finger, finding his confidence
in the fleſh razed, dotb, by believing, call the anchor of
bis truit and confidence on Chriſt Jefus and bis sighteouſ-
neſs, confiding and truſting that he will ſave him. And howe.
ver he may indeed waver in that matter; being toffed with
doubts and fears about his ſalvation, weakening the actings
of that his confidence : and ſometimes prevailing ſo far, as
to cauſe ao intermitting of the exerciſe thereof: yet, even
in that caſe, under all that toſling, be doth net waver like
a wave of the ſea, that bath nothing to fix it ; but only
like a ſhip at anchor. His coöfidence is never quite root-
ed out, as to the habit thereof; but will again exert it.
ſelf: and in that reſpect every believer, as a real • partak-
er of Chrift, holds the beginning of his confidence fted.
• fait unto the end,' Heb. iii. 14. And his truſt and con.
fidence is what our reformers called aſſurance, and deſcrib-
ed faith by,
OBJECT. I. Since it is not true of all who hear the go-
ſpel, that they ſhall be faved; there cannot be, in the caſe
of every one of them, a ground on which this particular
truft may be warrantably founded. Ans. All and every
one of them, potwithſtanding that, have a folid ground for
it, even for trutting on Chriſt and his righteouſneſs for
their own ſalvation in particular. And that is the record
and teſtimony of God in his goſpel, that, ' whoſoever be.
• lieveth in bim, ſhall not periſh, but have everlaſting life,'
John iii. 16. The true ſenſe of which, as appears from
what is laid, is, that whoſoever ſhall have this truſt and
confidence in Chrift, ſhall not be diſappointed, but fall
certainly be ſaved. Here then is the faithfulneſs of God
in his word, for the foundation of this faith of particular
truft: and true faith is always built on that foundation.
It is certain indeed, that, in the event, many to whom the
goſpel comes will not be ſaved: but then it is as certain,
that thoſe who will not be faved, will not believe neither :
that is, they will not come up to this particular truſt and
confidence, we have deſcribed from the word, Ifa. liii. 1.
" Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm
6 of the Lord revealed ? Howbeit, at this rate, they have
a firm ground of particular confidence. If they will not
believe for all it, their ruin is of themſelves, they will

274 Way of inlating Sinners in the Covenant. Head 6.
riſh without excuſe ; and their unbelief will be the great
ground of their condemnation. Jeſus Chrift, with his
righteouſneſs and ſalvation, is ſo far made theirs, by the
Father's appointment, and his own offer, that they may
lawfully and warrantably truſt on him as their Saviour,
each one for his own ſalvation. If they will not believe
,
it or not truſt on him accordingly; they do by their un.
belief and diftruft, diſhonour the Father and the Son, and
moft juftly periſh.
OBJECT. 2. Many truſt in Chriſt as their Saviour, with
a particular confidence that he will ſave them; and yet
are groſsly ignorant, profane, or formal hypocrites; and
therefore are not true believers, nor united to Chriſt. ANS
The apoſtle Speaking of faith onfeigned, 1 Tim. i. 5. doth
ſuppoſe that there is a feigned faith. And indeed fuch
truſters in Chriſt have it : but as for this truft which we:
have deſcribed from the word, it is as certain they have it
not, as it is certain that true faith purifies the heart, Acta
xv. 9. and truly fauctihes, chap. xxvi. 18. As ſuch truft-
ers ſay, that they receive Chriſt, and rest on him alone for
ſalvation, embrace, accept and conſent to him in the gof.
pel offer: even ſo they ſay, that they truſt on bim. But
this truſt on him they really have not. For, firſt, they troft
not on bim for his whole falvation ; nay, as for the chief
part thereof, to wit, ſalvation from fin, they are by no
means reconciled thereto: wherefore it may well be an
object of their fear and averfion, but it cannot be an object
of their truft. Secondly, They truſt not on him alone for
the ſalvation they really deſire : they do not truſt him with
all their heart; but partly to him, and partly to their own
doings and ſufferings, bet wixt which and the Saviour their
heart is divided. This is clear from Matth. v. 3. Bleſſed
are the poor in fpirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Laſtly, Their truſt is not grounded on the faithfulneſs of
God in the free promiſe of the goſpel ; but reared upon
fome one or other fandy foundation : Ifa. liii. 1. Who hath
believed our report ? Matth. vii. 26. Every one that heareth
thefe ſayings of mine, and doth them not, ſhall be likened un-
to a fooliſh man which built bis houſe upon the fand.
And thus have we ſhown, what is that faith or believing
by which a finner unites with Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo enters.
a

The Faith of particular Trufi for Salvation. 275
favingly into the covenant of grace. Why God hath ap-
pointed it to be the means of union with Chriſt, may 'be
learned from Rom. iv. 6. Therefore it is of faith, that it
might be by grace; of which before. Here I ſhall only
obſerve, that this truſting wholly on Chriſt and his righte-
oufneſs for his whole falvation, is an apt means or inftru.
ment of union, betwixt Chriſt the party truſted, and the
ſoul truſting on him : foraſmuch as the ſoul is therein ſo
carried forth unto him, that from that moment is thereby
as if it were wholy to ſtand or fall with him ; as the fuper-
itructure with the foundation : the leaner with the leaning.
ftock ; the thing relying, refting, ſtaying upon another
thing, with the ſtay or baſe on which it is laid. Where-
fore, the object of faith being infallible, they that thus trufl
in the Lord ball be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed,
but abideth for ever, Pfal cxxv. 1. Thereby they are v-
nited to Chriſt, and being united to him, are perſonally in-
stated in the covenant to their eternal falvation.
The End of the View of the Covenant of Grace.

[ 276 ]
A
M E MORIAL
CONCERNING
PERSONAL AND FAMILY
FASTING AND HUMILIATION,
PRESENTED TO SAINTS AND SINNERS;
WHEREIN ALSO THE
NATURE OF PERSONAL COVENANTING WITH GOD
IS OCCASIONALLY OPENED.
ZECH. xii, 12.
And the land ſhall mourn, every family apart,---
their wives apart.
CHAP. I.
Of Perſonal and Family Faſting and Humiliation,
in the General.
R
Eligious faits, kept in fecret by a particular per-
fon apart by himſelf, a id by a particular family a-
part by themſelves, concerning which this Memorial is pre-
ſented both to faints and finners, are not indeed the ſtated
and ordinary duties of all times, to be performed daily, or
at ſet times recurring; ſuch as prayer, praiſe, and reading
of the word are: but they are extraordinary duties of fome
times; and to be performed occaſionally, as depending
tirely, in reſpect of the excerciſe of them, on the call of
providence, which is variable.
They are authoriſed, and injoined us, in the word of
God: and therefore, when we ſhall have performed them,
we muſt ſay, We are un profitable ſervants, we have done
that which was our duty to do; and muſt abhor the leaſt
thought of meriting thereby.

Of Faſting and Humiliation in general. 277
The particular ſeaſons of them are determined by provi-
dence. Wherefore, they who would be practiſers of them,
muſt be religious obſervers of providence : otherwiſe God
may be calling aloud for weeping and mourning, and girding
with ſackcloth, while they, not heeding it, are indulging
themſelves in joy and gladneſs, lfa. xxii. 12, 13. a danger-
ous, adventure! ver. 14. Surely this iniquity ſhall not be pur.
ged from you, till ye die, faith the Lord.
Hence the moft ſerious and tender among knowing
Chriftians will readily be found the moft frequent in theſe
exerciſes. It is on the pouring out of the Spirit, that the land
is to mourn, every family apart, and their wifes apart, Zech.
. xii. 10, 1 2. Paul was a ſcene wherein corrupt nature ſhew.
ed her curled vigour, he being, when he was bad, very bad:
and grace, in its turn, its ſacred power, he being, when he
was good, very good, and then faſtings often, 2 Cor. xi.
27.
Theſe duties conſiſt ofan external and circumſtantial part,
and internal and fubftantial part.
To the external'and circumſtantial part of them belong
time, place, and abſtinence.
I. Firſt of all, a proper time muſt be ſet apart for theſe
duties. And this is to be regulated by Chriſtian prue
dence, as beſt ſuits the circumitances of the perſon or fa-
mily.
We find the faints, in fcripture, ordinarily kept their
fafts by day. But we have an inſtance of a perſonal falt
kept by night, 2 Sam. xii. 16. • David fafted, and went
in, and lay all night upon the earth. This I do the ra-
ther notice, to obviate the excuſe of thoſe who quite ne-
glect this duty, under the pretence of their not being maſ-
ters of their own time. If the heart can be brought to it,
one will readily find ſome time or other for it, either by
day, or elſe by night. It is recorded to the honour of
one of the weaker ſex, namely Anna, that ſhe • ſerved
God with faſtings and prayers night and day,' Luke i.
And to the quantity of time to be ſpent in perſonal or
family faſting and humiliation; the duty, I judge, is to
regulate it ; and not it to regulate the duty. The family fait
of Ether with her maidens, obſerved alſo by all the Jews
36, 37
Аа

278 Of Fafting and Humiliation in general. Chap. i.
in Suihan, laſted three days, Ether iv. 16. We read of the
falling day, Jer. xxxvi. 16. Sometimes, it would ſeem, it
evas but a part of a day, that was ſpent in ſuch excrciſe ;
as in Cornelius his perſonal fat, which ſeems to have been
over before the ninth hour, that is, before three o'clock in
the aftern on ; Acts X. 30. Four days ago I was faſting until
this bour, cal at the ninth hour I prayed in my houſe, before
which time of the fourth day, Peter, to whom Cornelius
faith this, might be come; there being but 36 miles from
Joppa to Cefarea, whither he came on the ſecond day af-
ter he ſet ont from Joppa, verſes 23, 24. Compare verſes
8, 9, 17. Much about that time of the day, Daniel got
the anſwer of his prayers, made in his perſonal faft, name-
ly, about the time of the evening oblation, or the ninth hour,
Dan. ix. 21. And the people being aſſembled with faſting,
Neh. ix. 1. they read in the book of the law, one fourth part
of the day, and another fourth part they eonfeſſed and wor.
Shipped, verſe 3. So they continued in the work fix hours:
from nine o'clock in the morning, as it would ſeem, till
three afternoon : that is, from the time of the morning fa-
crifice, to the evening-facrifice, with which the work ſeems
to have been cloſed, as it may be preſumed, they ſpent the
morning in private preparation for the public duty.
Wherefore I judge, that none are to be ſolicitous, as to
what quantity of time, more or leſs, they ſpend in theſe
exerciſes, ſo that the work of the time be done. Nay, I
very much doubt, men lay a ſnare for themſelves, in tying
themſelves to a certain quantity of time in ſuch caſes.
is ſufficient to reſolve, that according to our ability, we
will take as much time as the work fhall be found to re.
quire.
II. A proper place is alſo to be choſen, where the per-
fon or family may perform the duty without difturbance
from others. Time and place are natural circumftances
of the action : and all places are alike now, under the go-
:
Spel; none more holy than another. Men may pray every
where, whether in the houſe or in the field, lifting up holy
hands, 1 Tim. ii. 8. Only foraſmuch as family-fatting is a
private duty, it requires a private place; and perſonal fal-
ting a ſecret duty, it requires a ſecret place; according to
the caution given us by our Saviour, Matth. vi. 18.
It

Of Fafting and Humiliation in general.
279
That thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Fa-
ther which is in ſecret.
III. Abſtinence is included in the nature of the thing :
abſtinence from meat and drink, and all bodily pleaſures
whatſoever, as well as ceafing from worldly buſinefs. The
Jews are taxed for finding pleaſure, and exacting their la«
bours in the day of their fait, Ifa. lviii. 3. A time of re-
ligious fafting, is a time for one's afflicting his foul, verſe
5.
By denying himſelf even thoſe lawful comforts and delights,
which he may freely uſe at other times : Exod. xxxiii. 4.
• The people-mourned ; and no man did put on him his
* ornaments.' Dan. ix. 3. • I ſet my face unto the Lord
* God, to ſeek by prayer, and fupplications, with faſling,
and lackcloth, and aſhes.' 1 Cor. vii. 5. "Defraud ye not
one the other, except it be with conſent for a time, that
ye may give yourſelves to fafting and prayer.'
The rule for abſtinence from meat and drink cannot be
the ſame as to all : for faſting, not being a part of wor-
fhip, but a means to diſpoſe and fit us for extraordinary
worſhipping, is to be uſed only as helping thereto; but it is
certain, that what meaſure of it would be helpful to ſome
for that end, would be a great hinderance to others.
Wherefore weakly perſons, whom total abftinence would
disfit and indiſpoſe for duty, are not called to faſt at that
rate : in their cafe, that ſaying takes place, Hof. vi. 6.
* I deſired mercy, and not ſacrifice. Yet ought they not
in that caſe, to indulge themſelves the uſe of meat and
drink, with the fame freedom as at other times; but to
uſe a partial' abftinence, altering the quantity or quality of
them, or both, fo as they may thereby be afflicted, as the
feripture expreffeth it, Lev. xxiii. 29. So Daniel in his
mourning, Dan. X. 3. ate no pleaſant bread, neither came
fieſh nor wine into his mouth.'
Meanwhile, all theſe things are but the outward ſhell of
theſe duties : the internal and fubftantial part of them,
lies in the following fpiritual exerciſes.
1. Serious meditation, and confideration of our ways,
Hag. i. 5. Such times are to be ſet apart from converſiog
with the world, that we may the more folemnly commune
with our own heart, as to the ſtate of matters between
God and us. In them we are diligently to review our
Аа 2

280 Of Faſting and Humiliation in general. Chap. 1.
pat life, • ſearch and try our ways,' Lam. iii. 40. And
we are to ſearch out our ſins, by a ſorrowful calling to re-
membrance the fins of our heart and life, and that, as
particularly as we can : and ſo fearch into them, by a deep
confideration of the evil of them, and of their aggravations,
the light, love, mercies, and warnings, we have fioned a.
gainſt ; tracing them up to the fin of our nature, the impoi-
foued fountain from whence they have all proceeded. And
the more fully and freely we converſe with ourſelves upon
shem, we will be the more fit to ſpeak unto God anent
them, in confeffion and pleading for pardon.
2. Deep bumiliation of foul before the Lord; the
which was ſignified by the ſackcloth and aſhes uſed un-
der the law, on ſuch occaſions. The conſideration of
our ways is to be purſued, till our ſoul be bumbled with.
in us ; our heart rent, not with remorſe for fin only, but
with regret and kindly forrow for it, as an offence to a
gracious and merciful God, Joel ii. 12, 13. Our face fil.
led with ſhame and bluſhing before him, in the view of our
ſpiritual nakedneſs, pollution, and defilement, Ezra ix. 6.
and we lothe ourſelves, as moſt vile in our own eyes, Ezek.
xxxvi. 31. Job xl. 4.
4
3. Free and open confeffion of ſin before God, without
reſerve. This is a very material part of the duty incum-
bent on us in religious fafting ; and the due conſideration
and deep humiliation juſt now mentioned, do natively iſſue
in it; producing, of courſe, extraordinary confeſſion of
fin, an exerciſe moſt ſuitable on ſuch an occafion. Hence,
the Jews fpent one fourth part of the day in confeffing
and worſhipping,' Neh. ix. 3. and the angel, who brought
the anſwer to Daniel's ſupplications, about the time of
* the evening oblation, found him ftill praying and confef-
ſing his ſin,' Dan. ix. 20, 21. For here the finner duly
humbled has much ado, acting againſt himſelf the part of
an accuſer, recounting before the Lord his tranfgreffions
of the holy law, ſo far as he is able to reach them; the
part of an advocate, opening up the particulars, in their
nature, and aggravating circumſtances; and the part of
a judge, juftifying God in all the evil he has brought up-
on him, and condemning himſelf as unworthy of the leaſt
of all his mercies, and deſerving to periſh under eternal
wrath.

Of Faſting and Humiliation in general. 281
4. The exerciſe of repentance, in turning from fin unto
God, both in heart and life; the native reſult of deep hu.
miliation and ſincere confeſſion : Joel ii. 12. Turn ye even
to me-- with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourning,
In vain will we faſt, and pretend to be humbled for our
fins, and make confeflion of them, if our love to fin be not
turned into hatred ; our liking of it into lothing; and
our cleaving to it, into a longing to be rid of it*; with full
purpoſe to refift the motions of it in our heart, and the
outbreaking thereof in our life : and if we turn not unto
God as our rightful Lord and mafter, and return to our
duty again. If we are indeed true penitents, we will turn
from ſin, not only becauſe it is dangerous and deſtructive
to us; but becauſe it is offenſive to God, diſhonours his
Son, grieves his Spirit, tranſgreffeth his law, and defaceth
his image : and we will caft away all our tranſgreſſions,
not only as one would caft away a live coal out of his bon
fom, for that it burns him ; but as one would caft away a
lothſome and filthy thing, for that it defiles him.
But withal, it is to be remembered, that the true way
to deal with a hard heart, to bring it to this temper, is to
believe the goſpel. As ravenous fowls firſt fly upward,
:
and then come down on their prey: ſo muſt we firft foar
aloft in believing, and then we ſhall come down in deep
humiliation, fincere and free confeflion, and true repente
ance: Zech. xii. 10. • They ſhall look upon me whom
• they have pierced, and fhall mourn.' Therefore the
ſeripture propoſeth the object of faith in the object of grace,,
as a motive to repentance, that by a believing application
thereof the hard heart may be moved and turned, Joel ii.
13, Turn unto the Lord your Ged, for he is gracious."
One may otherwiſe toil long with it; but all in vain.
Without faith it is impoſible to pleafe God, Heb. xi,
6. and therefore impoſſible to reach true humiliation, right
confeffion, and fincere repentance, which are very pleaſing
to him, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19, 20. The unbelieving finner may
be brought to roar under law horror ; but one will never
be a kindly mourner but under goſpel influences. When
guilt flares one in the face, unbelief locks up the heart, 29
23
a keen froft doth the waters : but faith in the Redeemer'ss
blood melts it, to flow in tears of godly ſorrow, Hard
A.a 3

282 Of Faſting and Humiliation in general. Chap. 1.
å
6
a
thoughts of God, which unbelief ſuggeſts to a foul itung
with guilt, alienate the ſoul more and more from him; they
render it like the worm, which when one offers to tread up.
on it, preſently contracts itſelf, and puts itſelf in the beſt
poſture of defence that it can: but the believing of the
proclaimed pardon touches the heart of the rebel ſo, that
he cafts down himſelf at the feet of his ſovereign, willing-
ly yielding himſelf to his duty.
5. Solemn covenanting with God, entering into, or re.
newing covenart with him in expreſs words. As a faſt-day
is a day to looſe the bands of wickedneſs, ſo it is a day for
coming explicitly into the bond of the holy covenant,
Jer. I. 4. Going and weeping : they ſhall go, and ſeek
:
" the Lord their God; ver. 5.-Saying, Come, and let us
join ourſelves to the Lord, in a perpetual covenant that
• ſhall not be forgotten.' Accordingly, this was an emi.
nent part of their faſt day's work, Neh. ix. 38. It follows
of courſe, on due humiliation, confeſſion and the exerciſe
of repentance, whereby the league with fin is broken.
And it lies in a ſolemn profeſſing before the Lord, that
we take hold of his covenant, believing on the name of his
Son as the Saviour of the world, and our Saviour, and that
in and through him he will be our God, and we ſhall be
his people : and that we are from the heart content, and
conſent to take him for our portion, Lord, and Maſter,
and reſign ourſelves to him only, wholly and for ever:
Heb. viii. 10. “This is the covenant, I will be to them
God, and they ſhall be to me a people. Ifa. xlix. 8.
• I will give thee for a covenant. Chap. lvi. 6. Every one
• that taketh hold of my covenant.' Johp i. 12. • As ma-
ny as received him,---that believe on his name.' Pſalm
xvi. 2. 'O my ſoul, thou haſt ſaid unto the Lord, Thou
art my Lord.' Iſa. xliv. 5. ' One fall ſay, I am the
• Lord's.
6. Laſtly, Extraordinary prayer, in importunate addreſ-
fes and petitions unto our covenanted God for that which
is the particular occafion of our faft. The confeſſion and
the covenanting are, both of them, to be done prayer. wiſe
as appears from Dan. ix. -4, 15. Neh. ix. 6,-38. But
beſides, there muſt be prayers, fupplications, and petitions
made for what the perſon or family hath particularly in
&
a

Of Fafting and Humiliation in general. 283
view, in their faſt: Pſalm xxxv. 13. · When they were
• fick, my clothing was fackcloth : I humbled my ſoul
* with faſting, and my prayer returned unto mine own bo-
' fom.' And, indeed, the great end and deſign for which
ſuch fafts are to be kept, is, that thereby the parties may
be the more ſtirred up unto, and fitted for wreſtling with
God in prayer, anent the caſe which they have particular-
ly at heart. So the Ninevites having their threatened o-
verthrow at heart, it was ordered, that man and beaſt
" ſhould be covered with fackcloth, and cry mightily unto
• God,' Jonah iii. 8. that is, that the men ſhould cry in
prayer for pity and ſparing : and to the end they might
be moved to the greater fervency in theſe their praying
cries, it is provided, that they and their beafts too ſhould
be covered with fackcloth ! and that their beafts, having
fodder and water with-held from them on that occafion,
ſhould be made to cry for hunger and thirft, even to cry
unto God, namely, interpretatively, as the young ravens
cry unto him, Job xxxviii. 41. At which rate, the cries of
the beaſis, being mixed with the cries of men, would make
the folemnity of that extraordinary mourning very great :
and the hearts of men being, every now and then during
that folemnity, pierced with the cries of the harmleſs brutes
would be ftirred up to a more carneſ, fervent, and impor-
tunate pleading with God for mercy.
Thus far of perſonal and family faſting and humiliation,
in the general.
a
CH A P. II.
Of Perſonal Faſting and Humiliation in particular.
ROM wbat is ſaid it appears, that a perſonal faft is
ing ſet apart ſome time from his ordinary buſineſs in the
world, ſpends it in ſome fecret place by himſelf, in acts of
devotion, tending to his humiliation and reformation, and
particularly in prayer, with fafting. Concerning the
which we ſhall confider, (1.) The divine warrant for it;
(2.) The call to it; and, (3.) Offer advice how to ma-
nage it.

284
Chap: 2,
of perſonal Faſting in particular.
F
S E C T I.
of the divine Warrant for perſonal Fafting
and Humiliation.
Oraſmuch as will-worthip is condemned by the word,
and that can never be obedience to God, wherefore
his revealed will is not the reaſon and rule ; it concerneth
all who would perform this duty in faith, ſo as to have it
accepted of him, to know who hath required it at their
hands. And to ſet that matter in a light fufficient to fa.
tisfy and bind it upon the conſcience, as a duty owing un-
to God, let thefe few things following be duly weighed.
1. God requires it in his word ; and that both directly
and indirectly.
It is directly required, James iv. 9. Be aflided and mourn
and weep. It is plain enough from the context, thoſe
things are propoſed as agreeing to particular perſons in
their perſonal capacity. See verfes 8, 10- And what it
is that is required of them in theſe words, could not miſs
to be as plain to thoſe unto whom they were originally dis
rected : to wit, that it is falling and humiliation that was
intended by them. For this epiftle was written to thoſe
who were Jews by nation, the twelve-tribes ſcattered abroad,
chap. i. 1. And this is the very language of the Old Teſ-
tament in that caſe, the ſame manner of expreſſion in which
their prophets called them to it; Lev. xxiii. 27, On the
tenth day of this ſeventh month, there ſhall be a day of atone-
ment, and ye ſhall afflia your
ſouls ; to wit, with fafting, Iſa.
Iviii. 5. Is it ſuch a faſt as I have choſen ? a day for a man
5
to afftia his ſoul? Or, more agreeable to the original, Shall
a faſt I will chuſe, a day of men's affliding their fout be like
this ? Joel ii. 12. Turn ye unto me-- with fafting, and with
weeping, and with mourning. And the mourning required
in theſe texts differs from the weeping, as the habit and
geſtures of mourners differ from their tears, Gen. xxxvii,
34. Eccleſ. vi. 4. direaly pointing unto the duty of faſt-
ing and humiliation.
It is alſo required indirectly in the word, which fuppof-
eth it to be a duty the ſaints will practiſe; inaſmuch as
divine directions are given anent it. Now it is incon-

Of the divine Warrant for perſonal Faſting. 285
fiftent with the holineſs of God, to give directions for re-
gulating of will-worſhip, which he doth fimply condemn,
Matth. xv. 9. Col. ii. 23. Jer. vii. 31. But our Saviour
gives directions about perſonal fafting, Matth. vi. 16.
When ye faſt, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance :
for they disfigure their faces, that they may apear unto men to
faft. Verily I ſay unto you, they have their reward, verſe
17. But thou when thou faſteſt, anoint thine head, and waſh
thy face ; ver. 18. That thou appear not unto men to faſt, but
unto thy Father which is in ſecret : and thy Father which
feeth in ſecret, shall reward thee openly. And it is evident,
that theſe directions do concern ſecret and perſonal fafting:
for beſides that the text ſpeaks expreſsly of that which is
done in ſecret, and therefore it is to be kept ſecret, con.
trary to the practice of the hypocritical Phariſees, who
made it their buſineſs to propale their ſecret devotions, the
outward figns of fafting are commended in the caſe of pub-
lic fafts, Exod. xxxii, 4. Jonah ii. 8. Joel ii. 15, 16, 17.
In like manner the apoſtle Paul gives a direction about
this duty, 1 Cor. vii. 5. • Defraud ye not one the other,
except
it be with conſent for a time, that ye may give
yourſelves to fafting and prayer;' where the conſent men-
tioned as neceſſary, determines the faſting to be perfonal;
foraſmuch as, in the caſe of public fafts, the matter is pre-
determined by a fuperior authority, and in the caſe of
family faſts, it follows of courſe on the appointment of
ſuch a faft.
2. It is promiſed that the ſaints ſhall perform this duty:
Zech. xii. 10. I will pour upon the houſe of David, and
upon the inhabitants of Jeruſalem, the ſpirit of grace and
of fupplication. ver. 12. And the land ſhall mourn, e.
very family apart,--and their wives apart.' Thus in vir.
tue of the grace of the covenant, this duty is made the
matter of a promiſe, even as other duties of holy obedience
are. Accordingly our Lord promiſed it, in the caſe of
his diſciples in particular, Matth. ix. 15. • The days will
come when the bridegroom ſhall be taken from them,
and then fhall they faft:' to wit, perſonally : for it was
not the negle&t of the public faſt appointed and ftated in
the law, Lev. xxiii. 27,-32. that they were taxed for ;
but the neglect of perſonal faſting, uſed by the diſciples of
a
-

286 Of perfonal Faſting in particular. Chap. 2.
John, upon the occaſion of their maſter, the friend of the
bridegroom, his being taken from them; and alſo by the
Phariſees, out of their ſuperllitious and vain-glorious dif
poſition, Matth. ix. 14. with Luke xviii. 12.
3. It is recommended unto us by the practice of the
faints mentioned in fcripture. It was, as we have already
feen, practiſed by David, a man according to God's own
heart, 2 Sam. xii. 16. Plal. xxxvi. 13. by Daniel, a man
greatly beloved, Dan. ix. 3. and X. 2, 3. and by the de-
vout Centurian, Acts x. 30. It was a frequent exerciſe
of Paul, the laborious apoſtle of the Gentiles, 2 Cor. xi.
27. Theſe all had the ſeal of God's good pleaſure with
their work ſet upon it, in the communion with God allow-
ed them therein. And it is our duty to go forth by the
footſteps of the flock, following their approved exampple.
4. Laſtly, That occafional religious fafting and humili.
ation is a duty required in the word of God, and to be
performed by ſocieties in public capacity, will not, I pre.
fume, be queſtioned. Now, upon that ground, the duty
of perſonal faſting and humiliation may be thus evinced.
iſt, There is nothing in the nature of religious fafting
and humiliation, that of itſelf is public, or neceſſarily re.
quiring a plurality of perſons to join therein. The preach-
ing of the word, and celebration of the facrament do, in
their own nature, require ſociety; and therefore are not
to be uſed by a fingle perſon alone in his cloſet. But it
is not fo in this caſe. One may keep a fait alone, as
well as he may pray, read the ſcriptures, and fing pſalms
alone. Now, whatever ordinance God hath appointed,
and hath not tied to ſocieties or aſſemblies, nor to any cer-
sain ſet of men, they are the duty of every one in particu-
lar, who is capable to perform them.
2dly, The ground upon which the duty of fafting and
humiliation is bound on ſocieties, in a public capacity, takes
place in the caſe of particular perſons, namely, that extra-
ordinary duties are called for on extraordinary emergents
and occaſions. If then a church or congregation is called
to fafting and humiliation, on ſuch occaſions in their caſe;
is not a particular perſon called tothefame, on fuch occafions,
in his cafe? If abounding fin or judgment threatened
or infli&ted on a land, require folemn public fafting and
.

Of the divine Warrant for perſonal Faſting. 287
one
а
humiliation ; do not the ſame things, in the caſe of a par-
ticular perſon, call for perſonal fafting and humiliation ?
Surely every one ought to keep his own vineyard, with the
fame diligence the public vineyard is to be kept ; if
does not fo, it will be bitterneſs in the end, Cant. i. 6.
3dly, Extraordinary duties to be performed by a whole
nation, church or congregation, cannot be ſoon overtaken
becauſe all great bodies are ſlow in their motions; and fome-
;
times the ſeaſon may be øver, ere they can move thereto
in a public capacity : yea, and oft-times God is calling a.
loud, by his providence, for national and congregational
faſting and humiliation, when the call is not heeded by
them, on which it is incumbent to appoint them. Now,
what ſhould particular perſons, diſcerning the call of pro-
vidence, do in ſuch caſes? Muſt they fit ftill, and not
anſwer the call as they may, becauſe they cannot an.
fwer it as they would ? Should they not rather keep per-
fonal and family fafts, for theſe cauſes, for which others
either cannot or will not keep public fafts; as in the caſe
of God's pleading with the land of Egypt, He that feared
the word of the Lord, amongſt the ſervants of Pharaoh,
made his ſervants and his cattle flee into the houſes, Exod.
ix. 20. When the Jews were diſperſed, ſome of them in
one country, fome in another, how ſhall the land mourn?
Muft they wait until they be gathered together? no, but
the land ſhall mourn, families apart, and particular perſons
apart: even as when our neighbour's houſe is on fire, we
do not tarry until the whole town or neighbourhood be
gathered; but immediately fall to work ourſelves, to do
what lies in our power for quenching the flames.
And thus much fhall fuffice to have ſpoken of the di-
vine warrant for this extraordinary duty.
SECT. II.
Of a providential Call to perfonal Falling and Humi-
liation.
HE caſe of the church, the caſe of a neighbour, and
one's own private caſe, may, each of them ſeparately,
and much more all of them conjun&tly, found a providen-
tial call to perſonal fafting and bumiliation. The prophet
TH

288
Of perfonal Faſting in particular. Chap. 2.
Daniel kept a perſonal faft on the church's account, Dan.
ix. 2, 3. David, on his neighbour's account, Pſal. xxxv.
13. and on his own, 2 Sam. xii. 16.
Zion's children ſhould reckon her intereft theirs : and as
ſecret perſonal fafting for public cauſes, argues a truly pub-
lic ſpirit; fo it is highly commendable, and being rightly
managed, is very acceptable in the fight of God, Dan. ix.
20, 21.
The communion of ſaints is an article of our creed, and
a thing moſt beneficial in the practice thereof. Confider-
ed only in theſe two parts of it, namely, a communion of
burdens, Gal. vi. 2. and a communion of prayers, James
v. 16. it is one of the beſt cordials the travellers towards
Zion have by the way. For one to love his neighbour as
himſelf, whereof ſecret fafting on his account is a good e.
'vidence, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and facri-
• fices,' Mark xii.
33.
And whether it do good to his
neighbour, or not, it will not fail, if rightly managed, to
return with a plentiful reward into his own boſom, accord,
ing to the Pfalmift's experience, Pfalm xxxv. 13.
Howbeit, it is hardly to be expected, that one will be
brought to the practice of this duty on the account of o-
thers, till once he has been engaged therein upon his own
But ſurely, if profeſſors of religion were more
exerciſed about their own ſpiritual caſe, this duty of per-
fonal fafting and humiliation would not be ſo rare as it is.
Paul, who had much of this kind of exerciſe, Acts xxiv. 16.
was in faſtings often, 2 Cor. xi. 27. Kept under his body,
and brought it into ſubjection,' 1 Cor. ix. 27.
Now, any or all of theſe caſes call for this extraordinary
duty, in three kinds of events, other circumſtances a-
greeing, and pointing thereto in the conduct of provi-
dence.
Either, 1. When there is any ſpecial evil actually lying
upon us, the church, or our neighbour, in whom we have
a ſpecial concern; whether it be a fioful or a penal evil.
There are ſome fins that leave ſuch guilt on the conſcience,
and ſuch a defilement on the heart and life, as call aloud
for fafting and humiliation, in order to recovery from the
diſmal effects thereof, James iv. 8. Cleanſe your hands,
ye anders, weep and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
-
account.

Of a providential Call to perſonal Fafting. 289
• Ver. 9. Be afflicted and mourn, and weep.' Accordingly
the Iſraelites gathered to Miſpeh, being ſenſible of the a-
bominable idolatries they had fallen into, ' fafted that
day, and ſaid, We have finned againſt the Lord,' 1 Sam.
vii. 6.
In like manner, when the tokens of God's high diſplea-
fure are gone out in affli&ting providences, it is time for us
to roll ourſelves in the duft : and ſo to accommodate our
ſpirit and way to the diſpenſation, humbling ourſelves be.
fore him with faſting. Thus Nehemiah found himſelf cal.
led to fafting, upon information received of the continued
ruins of Jeruſalem, and the affli&tion that the returned cap.
tives were in, Neh. i. 3, 4. David, and thoſe with bim,
upon the news of the defeat of Iſrael, and the death of Saul
and Jonathan, 2 Sam. i. 12. and the people, upon the con-
fideration of the daughter which the Benjamites had made
among them, Judges xx. 26.
Or, 2. When there is any ſpecial ſtroke threatened and
impending. Thus the inhabitants of Jeruſalem, being in
imminent danger from their enemies, were, providentially,
called to weeping and mourning, though they heeded it
not, Iſa. xxii. 12, 13. But the Ninevites took ſuch an a.
larm, and complied with the call of providence, Jonah iii.
4,-9. So did David, when God ſtruck his child with fick.
neſs, 2 Sam. xii. 15,16. Yea, and ſo did even Ahaz, when
he heard Elijah’s heavy meſſage againſt him and his hcuſe,
1 Kings xxi. 27. When the lion roars, it becomes us
to fear; when God's hand is lifted up, and he appears
to be about to ſtrike, it is high time for us to ſtrip our-
felves of our ornaments, and to lie in fackcloth and
aſhes.
Or elſe, 3. When there is ſome ſpecial mercy and fa-
vour to be defired of the Lord, as was the return of the
Babyloniſh captivity, for which Daniel kept his faft, Dan.
ix, 1, 2, 3. Chriftians exerciſed unto godlineſs, will rare.
ly, if ever, want their particular ſuits, and ſpecial errands
unto the throne of grace. The ſame God, who makes
ſome mercies fall into the lap of others, without their be-
ing at much pains about them, will give his own children
many an errand unto himſelf for them, ere they obtain them,
becauſe they muſt have them in the way of the covenant ;
въ

290 Of perſonal Faſting in particular. Chap: 2.
The mercy
whereas they come to others only in the way of common
providence, in which a blafting curſe may come along with
To fet this matter in a yet clearer light, we ſhall exem
plify theſe general heads, in one's own private caſe; and
that in ſeveral inſtances, to be accommodate to the caſe of
the church, and of our neighbour, by thoſe who are diſpoſ-
ed religiouſly to obſerve and conſider the diſpenſations of
providence. There is a variety of theſe particular caſes,
which, with agreeing circumſtances to be diſcerned by,
cach one for himſelf, call for perſonal fafting and humilia-
tion : As,
1. When through a long tract of finning and careleſs
walking, the caſe of one's ſoul is left quite in diſorder and
confufion; Iſa. xxxii. 11. • Tremble ye women that are
at eaſe: be troubled, ye careleſs ones: ftrip ye and make
ye bare, and gird fackcloth upon your loins.' Certain-
ly the voice of God unto ſuch is • Thus faith the Lord,
Conſider your ways' Hag. i. 5. Want of confideration
i.
ruins many. They deal with their fouls, as ſome fooliſh men
do with their eftates, running on without conſideration,
till they have run themſelves aground. But thoſe who ad.
venture ſo to take a time for finning, have need to take
alſo a fet time for mourning : for it is not to be expected,
that accounts which have been long running on, can be
cleared and adjuſted with a glance of one's eye. O care-
O
leſs finner, conſider how matters ftand betwixt God and
you: are you in any tolerable cafe for the other world,
for death and eternity? are not matters gone quite to wreck
with your ſouls ? are you not pining away in your iniqui-
ty? is not the ſtate and condition of your foul like that
of the luggard's vineyard, that was all grown over with
‘
• thorns, and nettles covered the face thereof, and the ſtone
¢ wall thereof was broken down ?? Prov. xxiv. 31. O ſet
about perſonal fafting and humiliation. Ordinary pains
will not ſerve to recover the long-neglected garden: it muſt
be trenched, digged deep. A little may help the caſe
that is timely ſeen to: but all this will be little enough
for thine, which hath lain fo long neglected.
2. When one is under convictions, entertaining fome
thought, to reform. On ſuch an occafion was that faft

Of a providential Call to perfonal Faſling. 291
a
kept, Neh. ix. 1, 2, and had very good effe&ts, verſe 38,
chap. X. 1, 28, 29. This method is, in ſuch a caſe, a pro-
per means to bring med to a point in the matter, and to
fix their reſolutions, otherwiſe ready to prove abortive.
Some have convictions, which at times, coming and paffing
away, like a ftitch in one's fide, ſet them now and then to
their
prayers : but never prevail to bring them to a ſetiled
courſe of reformation of life: their diſeaſe is too inveterate,
to be ſo eaſily carried off. But were they ſo wiſe, as to
make theſe convictions a matter of ſolemn ſeriouſneſs, fet.
ting fome time apart on that occafion for perſonal fafting
and humiliation, they might, through the divine blefling,
tarn to a good account, for the intereſt of their fools.
3. When the conſcience is defiled with the guilt of ſome
atrocious fin. Doth national guilt of that kind require
national fafting ? and doth not perfonal guilt of the ſame
kind require perſonal fafting? Yea, ſure, God calls mer., in
that cafe, to be affiliated, and mourn, and weep, James iv. 8,
9. Strong diſeaſes require ſtrong remedies; and conſcience.
waiting guilt, deep bumiliation, as in David's caſe, Pſalm
ii. and Peter's, Matth. xxvi. 75. This kind of guilt, deep-
ly wounding and flinging the ſoul, defiling and wafting the
conſcience, may be without any ſcandalous enormities of
life, appearing to the view of the world. God is witneſs
to ſecret fins, even to the fins of the heart: and men of
tender conſciences will be fick at the heart with ſuch fins
as are hid from all the world, and will never move others,
4. When one would fain get over a fnare he is often
caught in, and have victory over a luſt that has often mal-
tered him. There are not a few who have many good
things about them, yet lack one thing: and that one thing
is like to part between heaven and them ; marring all their
good things, both by way of evidence and of efficacy, Mark
X. 21. They know that it is wrong ; they often reſolve
to amend; and they would fain get above it: but when-
ever a new temptation comes, Satan attacking them on the
weak fide, down go all their reſolutions, like a bowing high
wall, whoſe breaking cometh ſuddenly at an inftant; and
they are hard and fall in the ſnare again. O conſider that
this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and faſting, Matth.
xvii. 21. Set therefore ſometime apart for perſonal fafting
and humiliation, en the account of that very thing, that
B b 2

292 of perſonal Fafling in particular. Chap. 2.
you may wreſtle with God in prayer anent it; and uſe
this method, time after time, until you prevail againſt it;
elſe that one thing may ruin you; and you will be con.
demned for it, not becauſe you could not help it, but be-
cauſe
you would not uſe the means appointed of God for
relief in that caſe.
5. When one is under a dead defertion : in which cafe
the Lord is departed, the wonted influences from heaven
are with-held, but, the wound not ſmarting, by reaſon of
fpiritual deadaeſs, the party is not much moved therewith,
This was the caſe of the ſpouſe, Cant. iii. 1. 'By night,
• on my bed, I ſought him whoin my ſoul loveth : I
fought him, but I found him not.' And, for a recove.
sy from it, ſhe made ſome extraordinary efforts in the
way of duty, verſes 2, 3, 4. The ſame appears to be the
cale of many, with whom ſome time a-day it was better
than now, God hides bis face from them; their incomes
from heaven are rare and ſcanty, in compariſon of what
they have formerly been: they are figbing, and going
backward. Though they go the round of ordinary re-
ligious exerciſes ftill; yet it is long fince they had a tok-
eu from the Beloved, acceſs to, or cominunion with God
in them. O fait and pray for a recovery, as did Iſrael,
when, after they had been long deſerted, and very little
affe&ted with it, they began at length to lament after the
Lord, 1 Sam. vii. 2, 6. It requires much in the way
of
ordinary means, for to go to the ground of ſuch a caſe,
I wherein by much ſlothfulneſs the building hath decayed,
* and through idleneſs of the hands the houſe droppeth
through.' Though true grace can never be totally loft ;
yet it may be brought to fuch a very low paſs, that, as
ſome fcholars, for retrieving the loſs ſuſtained through
long abſence from the ſchool, muſt begin anew again;
fo lome Chriſtians, in order to their recovery, muſt be car-
ried through the ſeveral fteps of converlion again, as we
may
learn from our Saviour's words to Peter, with rela-
tion to his fall, Luke xxii. 32. I have prayed for thee,
• that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted,
ftrengthen thy brethren.'
6. When one is under a felt and ſmarting defertion,
Ifa. xlix. 14. • Zion ſaid, the Lord hath forſaken me,

Of a providential Call to perſonal Fafting. 293
8
and my Lord hath forgotten me.' This is a more hope-
ful caſe than the former: howbeit it goes to the quick,
Prov. xviii. 14. * The ſpirit of a man will fuſtain his in-
firmity ; but a wounded ſpirit who can bear? There
are many bitter ingredients in it which make it a forrow.
ful cafe, exquiſitely painful to the foul, like that of a
woman forſaken, and grieved in ſpirit, even a wife of
youth,' Ifa. liv. 6. To one thus deferted, wrath ap-
pears in the face of God, and impreſſed on every diſpen-
ſation, Pſalm lxxxviii, 7, 8. To his ſenſe and feeling,
his prayer is ſhut out, Lam. iii. 8. and flaſhes of hell come
into his foul, Pfalm lxxxviii. 15, 16. Under the preſſure
hereof, ſome very grave and folid perſons have not been
able to contain themſelves, Job xxx. 28. I went mourn.
ing without the fun : I ſtood up, and I cried in the con-
gregation. This ſmarting defertion, in greater or
leſſer meaſure, has often been the fearful outgoing from
the dead defertion, as it was in the experience of the ſpouſe,
Cant. v. 3,--7. And it is a loud call to perſonal fafting
and humiliation, Matth. ix. 15. “When the bridegroom
* fhall be taken from them, then ſhall they faft."
7. When one is preſſed with ſome outward affliction,
whether in his body, relations, name, fubftance, or other-
wife. In ſuch a cafe, Job • rent his mantle, and ſhaved
« ,
his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worſhip-
ped,' Job i. 20. and · David's knees were weak throug ir
fafting,' Pfalm cix. 24. A time of affliction is a ſpecial
ſeaſon for faiting and prayer. The Lord often lays af-
.
fiction on his people, on purpoſe to awaken them to their
duty, and as it were to neceffitate them to it: even a3
Abſalom, who, having in vaia fent once and again for
Joab, obliged him at length to come unto him, by caufing
fet his corn-field on fire. This is the way to get afflictioa
ſanctified, and in due time removed, James iv. 10. • Hum.
ble yourſelves in the fight of the Lord, and he ſhall lift
you up. We ought therefore to take heed that we be
not of thofe who cry not when he bindeth them; but that
in this caſe we do as Benhadad's ſervants, who, upon a
fignal defeat of his army, put fackcloth on their loins,
and ropes on their heads, and went out,' as humble fup.
plicants, to the king of Iſrael, who had {mote them,
Kings XX, 31.
a
Bb 3

294
Of perfonal Faſling in particular Chap. 2.
8. When, by the a'pect of providence, one is threaten-
ed with ſome ſuch affliction. It is an ungracious hard.
neſs, not to be affected when the Lord is lifting up his
band againſt us. He was a man of an excellent ſpirit, who
faid, My fleſh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am a.
• fraid of thy judgments,? Pſalm exix. 120. Though he
was an hero that feared the face of no man, he laid aſide
that bravery of ſpirit when he had to do with bis God.
Wherefore, when the Lord was threatening the removal
of a child of his by death, though the continuing of that
child in life would have been a laſting memorial of his re-
proach, yet the impreſſion of the Lord's anger on that
threatening diſpenſation, moved him to betake himſelf to
perſonal fafting and humiliation before the Lord, for the
life of that child, 2 Sam. xii. 16,-22.
9. When one would have light and direction in fome
particular matter of ſpecial weight. It is much to be la-
.
inented, that men profeſſing the belief of a divine provi-
dence in human affairs, ſhould, in confidence of their own
wiſdom, take the weight of their matters on themſelves,
without acknowledging God in them; aiming only to
pleaſe themſelves therein, and their God: as if their fan-
cy, conveniency, or advantage, and not their conſcience,
were concerned in their determinations and reſolves.
Hence it is, that wife men are often left to fignal blunders
in conduct, and feel marks of God's indignation juftly
impreſſed on their raſh determinations. Thus Joſhua and
the princes of Iſrael, in the matter of the league with the
Gibeonites, finding no need of the exerciſe of their faith,
but of their wit, vainly imagining they could ſee well en-
ough with their own eyes, took of their victuals, and
• aſked not counſel at the mouth of the Lord,' and were
egregiouſly over-reached by them, as they ſaw afterward,
when it was too late, Joſh. ix. 14,--22.
We have a divine command and promiſe, extending to
our temporal, as well as to our ſpiritual concerns; and
very ſuitable to the neceſſary dependance we have on God
in all things, as creatures on their Creator, Prov. iii. 5.
• Lean not unto thine owo underſtanding. Verſe 6. In all
• thy ways acknowledge him, and he ſhall dire&t thy paths.'
We ought therefore, in all our matters, to eye him as our

Of a providential Call to perſonal Fafting. 295
a
4
director ; and ſteer our whole courſe, as he directs by his
word and providence. Since he hath ſaid, “I will teach
thee in the way which thou ſhalt go : I will guide
thee with mine eye,' Pfalm xxxii 8. it is unqueſtionably
our duty to ſet the Lord always before us, Plal. xvi. 8. to
regulate our acting, and ceaſing from action, by the divine
direction : even as the Ifraelites in the wilderneſs removed
and refted, juſt as the pillar of cloud and fire removed or
refted before them, Num. ix. 15,---23.
Sometimes indeed an affair may be in ſuch a ſituation, as
allows not an opportunity of making an addreſs unto God,
for light in it, by folemn prayer: but we are never ſocircum-
ftanced, but we have acceſs to lift up our eyes to the holy o.
racle, in a devout ejaculation; as Nehemiah did in ſuch a fi-
tuation, Neh. ii. 4, 5. And there is a promiſe relative to that
caſe, which has been often verified, in the comfortable experi-
ence of the faints taking that method to obtain the divine
direction, Prov. iv. 12. "When thou runneft thou ſhalt
not ſtumble.' But Chriſtians ſhould accuftom them.
ſelves to lay their matters before the Lord in ſolemn pray-
er, for light and direction therein, as far as circumſtances
do permit. So did Abraham's pious fervant with the
affair his maſter had committed to him, Gen. xxiv. 12,
13, 14. And accordingly he had a pleaſureable experi-
ence of the accompliſhment of the promiſe relative to
that cafe ; Prov. iv. 12. When thou goeft, thy ſteps ſhall
not be ftraitened.' And where they are to be deter-
mined in a matter of ſpecial weight, ſuch as the change of
their lot, the choice of an employment, fome momentous
undertaking, or any the like occurrences in life, whereof
ſerious Chriftians will find not a few, allowing them time
and opportunity to deliberate on them : that is a ſpecial
occaſion for extraordinary prayer with fafting, for light
from the Lord, the Father of lights, to diſcover what is
their duty therein, and what he is calling them to in the
matter.
So the captives returning from Babylon with
Ezra, kept a falt at the river Ahava, to ſeek of God a
right way, Ezra viii. 21.
10. When duty being cleared in a matter of ſpecial
weight, it comes to the ſetting to ; in which event one

296 of perſonal Fafting in particular. Chap. 2.
needs the preſence of God with him therein, the divine
bleſſing upon it, and ſucceſs in it. Thus Efther being to
go
in unto the king, to make requeft for her people,
there was a folemn fafting, on that occafion, ufed by her
and the Jews in Shuſhan, Enh. iv. 8, -16. And Bar-
Dabas and Saul being called of God unto a ſpecial work,
were not fent away to it, but after fafting and prayer,
Acts xiii. 2, 3. - We need not only light from the Lord
to diſcover unto us our duty in particular caſes ; but that
being obtained, we need alſo his preſence to go along
with us in the thing, that we may be enabled rightly to
make our way, in which he bids us go. Therefore faid
.
Moſes, Exod. xxxiii. 15. · Ifthy preſence go not with me,
carry us not up hence.' Sin hath defiled every thing to
us : and however promiſing any worldly ſtate, condition,
or thing' whatfoever, may appear in our eyes; yet if we
bave not the preſence of God in it, and his blefling upon
it, to purify it unto us, we will be mired in it, and find a
inare and a trap, if not a curſe, therein to us.
11. When one having ſome unordinary difficulty to
encounter, is in bazard of being infnared either into finor
danger. On fuch an oecafion was the forementioned faſt
at Shuſhan kept : Ether jeoparding her life, in going
in unto the king in the inner court, not called by him,
Eftb. iv. 11,-16. The ſhip has need to be well bal
lanced, that fails while the wind blows high: and in a
difficult and inſnaring time, there is need of faſting and
prayer for Heaven's fafe.conduct through it. Men's
truſting to themſelves in ſuch a caſe, cannot miſs of be-
traying them into ſnares.
12. Laſtly, When one hath in view ſome ſpecial folemn
approach unto God; in which caſe a ſpecial preparation
is requiſte. Thus Jacob called his family to ſuch prepa
ration, in the exerciſe of repentance, in order to their ap-
pearing before the Lord at Bethel, Gen. xxxv. 2, 3.
The Ifraelites were called to the ſame, in order to the
awful folemnity of the giving of the law on mount Sinai,
Exod. xix. 10, 11,--15. And it is obſervable, that,
,
whereas the feaſt of tabernacles was the moft joyful of all
the feaſts the Jews had throughout the year, a ſolemo fart
was appointed by God to be obſerved always before it,
,

Of a providential Call to perfonal Faſiing. 297
a
four free days only intervening, Lev. xxiii. 27,-34. For,
in the method of grace, none ſtand ſo fair for lifting up,
as thoſe who are moſt deeply humbled, Iſa. xl. 4. Luke
xviii. 14. James iv. 10.
Wherefore it is a laudable prac.
tice of our church, that congregations keep a congregation-
al fast, before the celebration of the feaſt of the facra.
ment of the Lord's Supper, among them, in order to
their preparation for a folemn approach unto God in that
holy ordinance. And for the ſame reaſon, ſecret fafting
by particular perſons apart, and private fafting by fami.
lies apart, eſpecially ſuch as have not acceſs to join in the
public falt, would be very ſeaſonable on ſuch an occaſion.
And if thoſe ſecret and private fafts could more generally
obtain, and get place in congregatione, fome little time be.
fore the communion work did begin, it would be a token
for good, and might prove like the noiſe and ſhaking a.
mong the dry bones, that uſhered in the breathing on the
Nain, and the cauſing them to ſtand up upon their feet,
Ezek. xxxvii. 7, 10.
Theſe things duly conſidered, each Chriſtian may be in
a caſe to judge for himſelf, when it is that he is under a
providential call to perſonal faſting and humiliation.
S E C T.
III.
Diredions anent perſonal Faſting and Humiliation.
HA
Aving feen the divine warrant for perſonal fafting
and humiliation, and conſidered the nature of a
pro-
vidential call to that extraordinary duty, it remains to of.
fer fome advices or directions for the profitable managing
of it in practice.
DIRECTION I.
When
you find that the Lord is calling you to this du-
ty, prudently make choice of a fit time and place for it a-
forehand, wherein you may have acceſs to go about it
without diſtraction. And carefully diſpoſe of your ordi-
.
1. y affairs before that time, ſo as you may have no let nor
hinderance from that part, which you can prevent. Works
of neceflity and mercy, which are lawfully done on the
Lord's day, are much more ſo in this caſe, wherein the

298 Of perſonal Faſting in particular. Chap. 2,
.
duty waits not the time, but the time on the duty. Yea,
in caſe ſomething of worldly bufineſs, which you could not
foreſee nor prevent, do fall out in the time of your faft,
and cannot be deferred or put off without ſome notable in-
conveniency, you may, without ſcruple, diſpatch it : for
the time is not holy. But, in that caſe, labour that, if
poffible, your work be not thereby marred; and carefully
keep up your frame of ſpirit for the duty you are engaged
in. But Chriſtian prudence to weigh circumſtances, for
which you are to look up unto the Lord, is neceſſary to
determine herein, according to the general rules of the
word, Matth. xii. 3, -7.
As for ſuch as are not mafters of their time, which is
the caſe of ſervants, they cannot lawfully diſpoſe of their
time at their own hand, even for this duty: for our God
• hates robbery for burnt-offerings,' Ifa. lxi. 8. But then
they may endeavour to procure the neceſſary time, at the
hand of their maſter; to whom, if they be godly and feri.
ous, they may modeſtly hint their deſign; pitching on a time
with ſo much diſcretion, as that their good may not be e-
vil fpoken of. And if any be fo unmindful of their Maſ.
ter which is in heaven, as to refuſe ſuch a diſcreet defire;
yet let not the party by any means think, that the ſacred
nature of the thing he has in view, gives him a power to
rob his maſter of ſo much of his time : for men can offer
nothing to God, with a good conſcience, but what is their
own; and exerciſes of devotion are ſo far from flacking the
tie of moral duty to our neighbour, that they are nothing
but an outward form of devotion, unacceptable to God, fo
far as they do not influence the party to a careful and re.
ligious obfervance of the duties of morality, ſuch as judg.
ment or juftice, mercy, and faith or faithfulneſs, Matth.
xxiii. 23. Neither yet let him imagine, on the other band,
that he is then no further concerned to look after that
extraordinary duty: for no reaſon can be aſiigned, why
one ought not to be willing to be at as much pains or ex-
pence, for procuring to himſelf an opportunity of commu-
nion with God in that duty, as he will be for an opportu-
nity of attending fome worldly buſineſs of his own, placing
another in his room. But if none of theſe can effe&tuate
.
it; then though the day or time of labouring is the mal-
ter's, yet the night or time of reſting is the ſervant’s ; let

Directions anent perſonal Faſting. 299
him give unto God what he has, and it ſhall be accepted
through Chrilt.
But excepting the caſe of a providential
neceſſity obliging one to take the night for this exerciſe,
the day is, generally ſpeaking, the moft proper time for it,
beginning the exerciſe in the morning.
DIRECT. II.
Make ſome preparation for it the night before, turning
your thoughts towards the exerciſe you have in view, con-
fidering it, and avoiding every thing that hath a tendency
to disfit or indiſpoſe for it. Shun carnal mirth, and fen-
fual delights: ſup ſparingly; to eat the more, that one is
to falt religiouſly after, is to mock God, and cheat one's
felf. In the intervals of ſleep, take heed that your thoughts
be not in vain, and much more that they be not vile : but
that they be ſuch as tend to fit you for the extraordinary
duty in view.
DIRECT. III. .
Riſe early in the morning, even ſooner than ordinary,
unleſs by reaſon of bodily weakneſs, that would tend to diſ-
fit you for the work: for then you are called, in a ſpecial
manner to watch unto prayer,' Eph. vi. 28. Sleep is a
fleſhly comfort, which howbeit it is neceffary, yet one is in
this caſe called to be ſparing of. Therefore the prieſts
were bid lie all night in fackcloth, Joeli. 13. and it is record-
ed of Ahab, that he in his faſt lay fo, 1 Kings xxi. 27. a
proper means to make one ſleep fparingly.
DIRECT. IV.
As ſoon as you awake in the morning, let holy thoughts,
with a view to this work, immediately have acceſs
into your heart. And beware that carnal or worldly
thoughts get not the ſtart of them ; for, if you allow that,
they will be to your ſoul like water poured upon fire wood,
that makes it hard to kindle. Surely, if one is at any time
to follow the example of the Pſalmiſt David, Pſal. cxxxix.
18. When I awake, I am ſtill with thee,' he is to do it
at ſuch a time.
DIRECT. V.
Let your ordinary duties of praying and reading of the

300 Of perſonal Fafting in particular. Chap. 2.
to.
a
word, be firft of all performed: for extraordinary duties
are not to juftle out the ordinary, but to be ſuperadded un-
to them. And, in ſuch prayers beg of God grace to ena-
ble you for the work before you, according to his promiſe.
Yea, it may be very expedient, that thereafter you go unto
God again by prayer, particularly and purpoſedly for his
grace to enable you unto the duty now come to the ſetting
And foraſmuch as our corrupt hearts are, upon a near
view of a difficult and laborious holy exerciſe, very apt to
wax faint, and our hands to hang down: albeit 'the way
• of the Lord is declared to be itrength to the upright,'
Prov. X. 29. do you therefore, by all means, ftudy to ex-
.
erciſe faith: and labour to believe ſtedfaſtly, that his grace
ſhall be ſufficient for you, to the making of his yoke
eaſy, and his burden light unto you, 2 Cor. xii. 9.
with
Matth. xi. 3o.
30
For no man ſhall ever be able to perform
a duty acceptably unto God, without a believing perſuaſion,
in greater or leſſer meaſure, of an allowance made him of
grace ſufficient for an acceptable performance of it, 2 Cor.
iii. 4, 5. Phil. ii. 12, 13. One will otherwiſe be but a
wicked and ſlothful ſervant, as our Saviour teacheth, Matt.
XXV, 24, 25, 26.
DIRECT. VI.
After prayer in faith, for the aid of divine grace, as in
the preceding direction, begin the work with a folemn re-
view of your fins, in deep meditation, and ſerious commun-
ing with your own heart thereupon : applying yourſelf to
think of them in ſuch a manner as you think of your affairs,
when conſidering how to manage them in caſes of difficul-
God calls for this at your hand, Hag. i. 5. Thus
«
• faith the Lord of hofts, Conſider your ways.' Lam. iii.
40. Let us ſearch and try our ways, and turn again to
& the Lord.' It is recommended unto us by the practice
of the ſaints, Pſal. lxxvii. 6. I communed with mine
• heart, and my ſpirit made diligent ſearch, and cxix. 59.
* I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy te-
• ftimonies.' The nature of a religious faft requires it:
for how can the deep humiliation therein to be aimed at,
be otherwiſe obtained ? or what way elſe can one be fitted
to make a confeffion ſuitable to ſuch an occaſion? It is ob-
ty.

Dire&tions anent perſonal Fafting 301
fervable, that in the faſt mentioned, Neh. ix. the reading of
the law went before the making of the confeffion, verle 3.
So the firſt work was to fet the looking-glaſs before their
eyes, that therein every one might ſee his foul face. And
the direction given to fallen Iſrael, in order to a recovery,
Hof. xiv. 2. • Take then with you words, and ſay,'&c. doth
plainly bear, that there ſhould, in that caſe, be ſolemn ſeri-
ous thinking before ſolemn prayer.
Now, to allift you in the practice of this part of your
work, the following advices are offered.
Firſt, Read ſome pertinent paſſage of holy ſcripture ;
and that with application, as reading your own heart and
life therein. Such are thoſe paffages, which contain dil-
coveries and confeflion of fin, as Iſa. lix, or litts of fins, or
of ſeveral ſorts of finners, as Rom. i. 29,---32. 2 Cor. vi,
9, 10. Gal. v, 19, 20, 21, 2 Tim. iii. 1,--5. Rev. xxi.
8. Particularly, I recommend for this purpoſe, Ezra ix.
Neh. ix. Dan. ix. Of theſe, or other ſcriptures of the
like nature, you may read ſuch as you ſhall judge meet.
Secondly, It will be expedient and uſeful, in this caſe, to
read alſo the Larger Catechiſm on the Ten Commands, in
the anſwers to the queſtions, What is required? and What
is forbidden? and eſpecially the latter. For by reading
thereof with application to yourſelf, you will find out your
guiltineſs in many points, which perhaps would not other-
wiſe come into your mind.
Thirdly, This done, apply yourſelf to think of your fins,
,
in order to your getting a broad and humbling view of
your Goful and wretched cafe. And for your help herein,
I ſuggeſt to you theſe things following:
1. You may compoſe yourſelf what way you find, by
experience, to be beſt for keeping the mind fixed. It is a
piece of Chriſtian prudence in this caſe, to diſpoſe of every
thing ſo, as you may the more readily reach that end, and
block up the avenues by which impertinent thoughts may
make their entrance. As, (1.) Becauſe the eyes often be-
tray the heart, through a variety of objects, whieb preſent
themſelves to one's view in the light: if you are in a houſe
you may darken it by ſtopping the light : if in the fields,
lie down upon your face, and cloſe your eyes. (2.)
IF
you can by no means keep your heart at ſimple think-
Cc
you may

302
Of perfonal Fafting in particular. Chap. 2.
a
ing, you may ſpeak to yourſelf with a low voice, that words
may help to fix the mind unto the thing. Theſe are on.
ly prudential advices, which they that need may uſe, they
that need not may let alone.
2. It will be very profitable to obſerve ſome method and
order, in thinking of our fins. A contufed and indetermi-
nate manner of thinking of our fins, doth, in ſeveral re-
fpects, fall ſhort of an orderly thought about them. It is
true, when the Spirit of the Lord is carrying on a ſpecial
work of conviction in the heart of a finner, the man's fins
will of courſe, be readily laid to hand, and ſet in order before
his eyes, Pſa!. l. 21. But it is another cale, where one is
ſearching out his fins, with an ordinary affiftance of the
Spirit: herein thoſe do not duly conſult their own intereſt,
who refuſe the help of method in the ſearch.
And there is a twofold method or order, which may be
helpful to you therein; to wit, the order of the time of life,
and the order of the ten commandments. Both theſe are
natural, and eaſy to the meaneſt capacity.
Thinking on your fins, in the order of the time of your
life, you will thereby get a general view of your own finful.
neſs, and that throughout your whole life. And in this
method,
iſt, You are to conſider the fin of your nature. You
are to look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to
o the hole of the pit whence ye are digged," Ifa. li. 1.
Think, what a finful lump thou waſt in thy conception and
birth, ſhapen in iniquity, conceived in fin, Pfal. li.
5.
how
thou cameft into the world, with cords of guilt wreathed
about thy neck, binding thee over to wrath under the curſe;
Atripped naked of original righteouſneſs; thy whole nature
corrupted, being the very reverſe of the holy nature of
God; thy ſoul in all its faculties quite perverted, ready to
diſcover with the firſt occaſion its wrong ſet, namely a pro
penfity to evil, and an averfion to good; and thy body in
all its members finful ficfh. In confideration whereof thou
mayeſt well ſay, with admiration of the divine patience,
* why did the knees prevent me! Or why the breaits
that I ſhould fuck!'
a
2 dly, Then turn your thoughts to the fins of
hood. Solomon in his penitentials tells us, that childhood
your child

Dire&tions anent perſonal Fafting. 303
and youth are vanity,' Eccleſ. xi. 10. Truly, the fins of
that early period of our life, are not to be remembered to
be laughed at, but mourned over ! and ſo they will be by
true penitents : for they are the early ſproutings and buds
of corrupt nature that might have been fatal to us, cre we
had gone further: • Behold, how in that period thou haſt
ſpoken and done evil things as thou couldft.' It is like-
ly that many of cheſe things are forgotten: but yet you
will fill ſearch cut as many of them, as may be matter of
deep humiliation unto you before the Lord. There may
be fins of childhood, that will make a bleeding wound in a
gracious heart, on every remembrance thereof, even unto
the dying day.
3dly, Then take a view of the fins of your youth. Job
got a moving view of his, when he was come to a good age,
Job. xiii. 26. Thou writejl bitter things againſt me, and
makeſt me to polleſs the iniquities of my youth. David's heart
bleeds at the remembrance of his, crying unto God, Re-
member not the fins of my youth, Pfalm xxv. 7. Youth is
vain, raſh and inconfiderate.; and therefore a dangerous
period of life, precipitating ſome into ſuch feps as make
them to halt all their life after, proving fatal to many, and
laying up matter of repentance to all. And if the follies
of it be not timely repented of, and mourned over by the
finger, they shall lie down with him in the duft, Job xx. 11.
and preſent themſelves again in full tale, lihen for all theſe
God will bring bim into judgment, Eccleſ. xi. 9. Therefore
do you take a mournful view of them, and judge yourſelves
in time.
4thly, If you are come to middle age, proceed to the
ſearching out of the fins of that period of your life. In
it you cannot miſs of matter of deep humiliation : for man
at bis beſt eſtate is altogether vanity, Pſalm xxxix. 5. Every
period of life is attended with its proper ſnares and temp-
tations. And he who, right or wrong, hath made his way
Through thoſe of youth, doth but enter into a new throng
of temptations of another kind, while he enters on the next
frate of life in the wbich men often, ere they are aware,
pierce themſelves through with many ſorrows, loſe themſelves
in a cloud of cares and buſineſs ; and, troubled about
many
things, forget the one thing needful.
сс 2

304 of perſonal Faſting in particular. Chap. 2.
Laſtly, If you are advanced into old age, go forward and
,
view your lins in that period. Whatever io firmities do at-
.
tend it, the fins of it muſt be fearehed out, and repented
of too: for it will not exeule a man, before a holy God,
that he is an aged fianer. The corruption of nature, the
longer it hath kept its ground, is the more hateful, and will
be the more humbhog to a gracious foul.
Thus you will have your whole life before you in parcels.
And that you may, with the greater diftinctneſs, review
any period thereot, which you have fully paft, or of which
you have pait a great part ; you say diftinguiſh the faine
into leller periods, according to the more notable events,
torns, or changes that were in it, and review thein ſeparate-
Ig; as for indtance, the time before you went to ſchool, by
itſelf; the time of your being at it, by itſelf; and fu ia o-
3
ther caſes,
But for a more full and particular view of your fins, do
you preceed in the order of the ten commandments. The
holy law, confidered in its ſpirituality and vaſt extent, is
the proper ineans for found conviction: it is the finner's
looking glaſs, whereby tu diſcern the valt multitude of his
pots and defilements, in order to his humiliation, Rom. vii.
7. I had not knowa fun, but by the law : for I had not known
iuft, except the luw had ſuid, Tbou fali not covet,
ut covet
. Where
fore by no means negle&t, in this review, to go through the
ten coin mandments; and paule upon every one of them,
conſidering the duties required therein, and wherein you
bave been guilty of omniſſion of them; and the fins forbid-
den therein, and wherein you have been guilty by commif-
dion of them; guilty in both kinds, ia thought, word, and
deed. This would be a proper means to ſew you the
multitude of your tranfgreflions.
Bat to proceed in both the ode and the other order joint-
ly, namely, by reviewing each period of your life ſeparate-
ly, in the order of the ten commandments, would, through
the divine blefing, be of the inoft fingular uſe for reaching
the molt humbling view of your whole life.
Thus far of the ſecond thing ſuggelted for your help to
think of your fins, in order to a bumbling view of your caſe.
And for your further help therein,
3. Be ſure that in a ſpecial manner you ſet before your
:

Directions anent perſonal Fafling. 305
eyes the ſignal miſcarriages of your life, thoſe fins that have
wounded your conſcience deepeſt. I doubt there are but
few, if any, of a tender conſcience, who ſee not ſome fuch
blots in their eſcutcheon ; fome remarkable treſpaſſes in
heart or life, that are ready to gall them on every rem.err.
brance ; though perhaps known unto none but God and
themſelves. Good Eli had ſuch a blot on hin, pointed
out to him under the name of The iniquity which he
• knoweth,' i Sam. i. 13. And the beſt of the ſaints
mentioned in fcripture, had ſomething of that nature to
humble them. Now, as ever you would be duly humbled
in your exerciſe of perſonal faſting, let theſe, in your re.
view of your lins, be brought forth by head mark; and ſet
before you
in the light of a holy God: and that, although
they be freely pardoned unto you long ago ; for the view
of theſe is moſt likely to affli&t you ; and pardoned hos
inaſmuch as they are pardoned, are humbling in the remem-
brance of them, Luke vii. 37, 38, 47. as Paul's par-
doned blafphemy and perſecution were to him, 1 Tim,
i.
13,
4. In thinking on your fins, take along with you the
aggravations of them. Repreſent to yourſelf the infinite
Majeſty of God, againſt whom you have finned; and as
ever you would be duly humbled, entertain high and ele-
vated thoughts of the Lord our Lawgiver. This will
make you ſay with David, Pſalm li. 4. · Againit thee,
'thee only have I linned, and done this evil in thy fight;'
underſtanding by your own experience what he meant there.
by. In your meditation, ſet God's way of dealing with
you, all along from your very birth, over againlt your way
of dealing with him : fo fhall conviction be brought home
on your confcience, with a peculiar edge; while, conſidera
ing the mercies he hath heaped on you, the light and warn-
ings he hath afforded you, your guilt will appear of a deep-
3
eit dye.
5. Having thus ſeen your extreme ſinfulneſs, conſider
in the next place the juſt demerit of your fin, even God's.
wrath and curle, both in this life and that which is to
For becauſe of theſe things cometh the wrath
of God upon the children of diſobedience,' Eph. v. 6s.
The law is a looking-glaſs for finners, not only in its com--
come.
C ¢ 3

306
of perſonal Fating in particular. Chap. z.
Pſalm li. 4.
mands, but alſo in its threatenings and curfe ; fhewing unto
all their curled ſtate by nature; to unbelievers, what they
are actually lying under for their fins, and to believers, what
theirs do deſerve. And therefore, after ye have, as before
directed, gone through all the ten commandments, for your
conviction and humiliation ; do you, for your further hu.
miliation, ſet your eyes upon the threatenings and curſe
of that holy law as a covenant of works; and ſee therein
your juſt deſerving, fo as “ that God may be joftified when
- he ſpeaketh againſt you, and clear when he judgeth,'
And think with thyſelf, how thou ſhouldeſt,
without peradventure, eternally perilh under his wrath, if
he ſhould proceed againſt thee according to law and juſtice :
as he bath a&tually proceeded againſt many, for thoſe very
fins wherewith thou art chargeable.
6. In this review of your fins, endeavour all along that
your eye may affect your heart. In vain will you rake in.
to that dunghill, if ſuitable affections or emotions of heart
be not thereby excited in
you.
And theſe ſuitable affec.
tions are, (1.) Hatred, detetation, and abhorrence of fin,
Pſalm cxix. 128. Rom. xii. 9. Wherefore pull the maſks
from off it, remove the paint and varniſh that has been laid
over it, that you may ſee it in its native deformity; and
look on it until your ftomach turn on the ſometimes ſweet
morſel
. (2.) Grief and ſorrow of heart for it, Pfalm xxxviii.
18. Let your heart be rent, in conſideration of the offence
thereby given to a gracious God, its contrariety to his ho.
ly nature and will, its diſhonouring of his Son who gave
himſelf a ſacrifice for fin, and grieving of his Spirit who
fan&tifies us. (3:) Holy ſhame upon the account of it, ſer:
xxxi. 19. Behold it as a filthy thing, the very reverſe of
the beauty of holineſs, the holineſs of God expreffed in his
law; and be confounded at the fight. Behold it as a baſe
sequital of divine favour, and bluſh before him. (4.) Self-
lothing, Ezek. xxxvi. 31. Purſue the thought of the fil-
thineſs of your fin, till you lothe yourſelf in your own fight
as rendereď unclean all over, by abominations of heart and
I fe. (5.) A lənging to be rid of fin, the guilt, defilement,
prevailing, and indwelling of it. Dwell on the thought of
your finfuloeſs, till your heart, pained and burdened there.
with, groan out longing deſires of deliverance, as Rom, vil

Direâions anent perſonal Faſting. 307
that laugh
24. Owretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from
• the body of this death ?" Who ſhall draw this dagger
out of my bowels ! This fting out of my confcience! this
poiſon out of my fleſh! who will take this load off my
back.
All this will be no more than neceſſary humiliation.
For it will be the lot of every finner, either in time or in
eternity, to be like the fiſh that is boiled in the water which
it ſome time a day ſwimmed in. But ' bleſſed are they
that weep now, Luke vi. 21. Wo unto you
now: for ye fhall mourn and weep,' verſe 25.
Laſtly, It will be very neceſſary, that the whole of this
work be mixed with devout ejaculations. For be ſure Sa.
tan will be at your right hand, to reſiſt you, and to marr
your work: your heart w
heart will be ready to miſgive you in it,
to ftop and turn aſide: therefore preſs forward in it,
lifting your eyes every now and then to the Lord for
help.
With this review of your own fins, let a view of the pu-
blic fins of the church and land wherein you live, be joined ;
vfing the ſame helps, as in your own particular caſe, which
need not be here repeated.
And in relation to this, I ſubjoin only three advices.
1. Begin always with your own fins; even though the
principal caufe of your faft be the ſtate of the church or
land. This has been the manner of the ſaints: Ifa. vi.
5
" Then ſaid 1, Wo is me, for I am undone, becauſe I am
"a man of unclean lipg, and I dwell in the midſt of a peo.
ple of unclean lips.' Dan. ix. 20 . And whild I was
ſpeaking, and praying, and confeffing my fin, and the fin
of my people Ifrael.' The reaſon hereof is manifeft :
for one will never be duly humbled for the fins of o.
thers, who is not in the firſt place fo humbled for his
own.
2.
Repreſent public fins to yourſelf, under fach notions
as may tend to excite fuitable affections and emotions of
heart in you. Look on them as they are diſhonouring
to our gracious God, wounding or ruining to the ſouls of
men, diſgraceful to our holy Chriſtian profeffion, and
pro-
voking God to wrath againſt the land. Hate and lothe
them, be afnamed of them, and mourn over them, on thele
accounts; and long for the day of purging them away.

308
Of perfonal Fafting in particular. Chap 3
3.
See your own fiful part in them, by all means.
Bring them home to your own conſcience, before the Lord
ſearch out, and ſee what of the guilt thereof you are, ei-
ther directly or indirectly, chargeable with in his fight ;
and be deeply humbled for the ſame.
Thus far of the review of fin.
in DIRECT. VII.
After this review of your lips made, go unto God by
prayer, and make confeffion of them. And bere, confel.
fion is to be the chief part of your prayer: yea, and if the
whole of it almoſt be confeffion, it will not be amiſs. Cer.
tainly extraordinary confeſſion of (in is a great part of the
work of a religious fact, Neh. ix. 3. Dan. ix, 20. and the
folemn review, in which one's fins are ſo particularly ſearch.
ed out, natively ifſues therein.
For the more profitable management of this confeſſion
of fin, the following advices are offered.
1. Take no thought of your voice, farther than to keep
it from being unſealonably high. For the voice in itſelf
is nothing before the heart-ſearching God, who regards
not the found of men's throats, but of their heart and af.
fections. The true worſhippers ball worſhip the Father in
Spirit and in truth: for the Father ſeeketh ſuch to worſkip bim,
John iv. 23.
But ſometimes there is a deceit in the voice,
to the beguiling of the foul, as it fared with Ezekiel's
hearers, with the mouth fhewing much love, Ezek. xxxiii,
31. And one, by indiſcreet management of it, may be
fruitleſsly weakened, and disfitted for continuing at the
work, ſo as need may require. The affections are the beſt
rulers of the voice.
2. Endeavour to bring along into your confeffion, and
carry along, thoſe affections aod einotions of heart, of
which before ; namely, hatred and deteftation of fin, god-
ly forrow, hcly ſhame, ſelf-lothing, and longing to be rid
of fin, Pſalm xxxviii. 18. I will declare mine iniquity: 1
will be forry for my fin. When the leper was to cry un-
clean, unclean, his clothes were to be rent, his head bare,
and there was to be a covering upon his upper lip, Lev,
A confelling tongue requires a broken heart, a
fpirit really weighted with a ſenſe of fin. And the mar
xii. 45.

Directions anent perfonal Faſing. 309
ble that ſweats in foul weather, but yet is never a whit the
fofter, ſhall be an emblem of one confefling his fins with a
bele heart. Yet let pone ſenſible of the hardneſs of their
heart, be thereby made to ſtand aloof from 'confeffion, fay-
ing, Who will roll away the ſtone! Let them go forward,
and effy it: let them confefs their hardnefs of heart, and
unfitneſs to make confeffion; for fo they may find the
fone rolled away to their hand.
3. Be as full as you can in your confeflion, laying all
your ſpiritual fores before the Lord, ſo far as you know
them. Oase wound concealed from the phyſician may
prove fatal to the patient : and one fin industriouſly palled
over in confefhon may prove fatal to the finger; for be
thist covereth, bis fins ſhall not proſper, Prov. xxxvii. 13.
David was aware of this, Pſalm xxxii. 5. I acknowlenged
my fan unto thee, and mine iniqui'y have I not bid. It fared
ill with Ananias and Sapphira, for that, in another caſe,
they lied unto God, and kept back a part, A&sv. And he
is no true penitent, that delires to hide any ſweet morfel
under his tongue, and not willing to take ſhame to himſelf
for every know fin.
4. Be very particular in your confeßion, opening out
your fpiritual fores before the Lord, Píal. li. 4. I bave
done this evil in thy fight. Joſh. vii. 20. I have finned,- and
thus have I done. To confeſs the ſeveral kiods of
your
Gn
in general, without deſcending to particulars, is too fuper-
ficial work on ſuch an occaſion. The particular abomi- .
nations of your heart and life are raiſed up in meditation,
to be laid before the Lord in humble confeffion.
poſe
you
to be at this work in a ſecret place, where you
may freely utter before him, what it would not be proper
you ſhould ſay in the hearing of others. No doubt, a
great deal of freedom may be uſed in ſecret prayer, in nar.
rating of thoughts and actions, with the defignation of
time, place, and perſons, fo as may tend to one's deeper
humiliation; which would not be to edification in ſocial
prayer.
Now, in order to your being the more full and particu-
lar in your confeffion, I would recommend the ſame method
and order to be obſerved therein, as in the review of your
fins. I believe, that, ſo doing, you will find the advantage
-
I ſup-

310 Of perſonal Faſiing in particular, Chap. 2.
of it. Go orderly through the ſeveral periods of your life,
and through all the ten commandments, making your con-
feffion; where alſo you may take in the confeffion of pu- .
blic lips, always ſo as may belt tend to the further humili-
ation of yourſelf. In a ſpecial manner, be very particular as
to the ſignal miſcarriages of your life: and aggravate your
guilt, acknowledging the aggravating circumſtances there.
of. And unto the confeffion of your known fins, againſt
all the ten commandments, add a humble acknowledgement
of a large void and blank to be left for your unknown fins
againſt every one of them; which you can by no ineans fill
up, but the all-knowing God can; for who can underſtand
his errors ? Pſal. xix. 12. And conſidering the cominands
of the perfect law, as binding you to embrace the goſpel
,
confeſs your atrocious guilt in finning againit the remedy
of fin, therein revealed, offered and exhibited unto you.
5. It will be profitable, that all along through your
confeſſion, you approve of the law as hoły juſt and good,
Rom. vii. 12. For as black doth beſt appear, when fet by
white; fo fin appears moft clearly in its native hue, exceed-
ing finful, when ſet over agaiift the pure, holy, juit, and
good commandment. As for example, when you are to
confeſs your fins againſt the firſt commandment, you may
ſay to this purpoſe, “ Lord, thou commandeft me, ſaying,
“'Thou ſhalt have no other gods before me. I acknowledge
" this thy command is molt juiſt and reaſonable in itſelf
,
" and moſt good for me. It was thou alone who made
me, thou alone haſt preſerved me. I never needed an-
“ other god beſides thee, and none but thee could ever do
es the part of a god to me--Thou didit magnify thy rich
grace, in condeſceading to be in Chriſt a God to me, a
“ moſt wretched creature. Nevertheleſs, over the belly of
“ this law of love, my duty, and my intereft, I have had
“ many other gods before thee: I have ſet up my curſed
“ ſelf in thy room and ſtead, made the vain world
" --&c.” And ſo in other caſes.
6. Laſtly, Let your confeffion be cloſed with ſelf-con-
• demniog, ſelf-emptying, and a look of faith."
11, Condemn yourſelf, as did the returning prodigal
,
Luke xv. 18. • Father, I have finned againſt heaven, and
• before thee; ver. 19. and I am no more worthy to be
-
6
а
my god,

Directions anent perfonal Fafting. 311
And here,
(called thy fon.' As you looked to the commandments
before, and confeffed your ſin; fo look now to the threat- .
enings and curſe of the law, and confeſs your juſt deſerv.
ing. Read there your deſerved doom, and paſs ſentence
againft yourſelf. Nothing is more natural, than that now
you call yourſelf fool and beaft, for that you have follow-
ed the wild fire of your corrupt inclinatious, to the miring
of yourſelf thus in fin and guilt ; and have broken over
the hedge, where now you find the ſerpent biting you.
(1.) Confeſs you deſerve no good, but all evil, in time.
If the cauſe of your faft be fome evil you are at preſent
ſmarting under, acknowledge God to be juft, very juſt in
it. If it is ſome ſtroke threatened, and hanging over your
head, confeſs that you well deſerve it ſhould fall on you in
its full weight. If it is light that you want, confeſs you de-
ſerve to be left in darkneſs : or whatever be the mercy
you come to make fupplication for, acknowledge from the
heart, that you have forfeited it. Surely, in caſe your « un-
circumciſed heart be humbled, you will accept of the pu-
niſhment of your iniquity,' Lev. xxvi. 41. And then if
your fins have found you out, you will own the procedure
to be righteous and holy: if your broken bones
ſmart, you will ſay it is juſt : if the Lord hath turned his
former fmiles into frowns, mixed your comforts with gall
and wormwood, fouring them fo as to ſet your teeth on
edge, blaſted your enjoyments, and ſqueezed the ſap out of
,
them, you will after confeſſion of fin, ſay, from your very
heart, My folly makes it ſo.
(2.) Confeſs you deſerve eternally to periſh, and that
(
it is of the Lord's mercies you are not conſumed,' Lam.
iii. 22. that God might in juſtice wrap you up in the fil-
thy garments of your fin, and caſt you out of his fight, in-
to the lake burning with fire and brimſtone,' as the fitteſt
place for ſuch a finful lamp. Acknowledge yourſelf to
be, in yourſelf, a wretched creature, juftly under the curſe
and condemnatory ſentence of the law, having nothing to
ſay for yourſelf, at the bar of juſtice, why it may not be
fully executed againſt you, a ſelf-condemned, as well as a
law condemned ſinner, Pſalm li. 4. Whatever
Whatever your ſtate
be in the fight of God, it is altogether juft, that your libel
againft yourſelf be not concluded without this.
againſt you
a

312 Of Perſonal Fafting in particular.
Chap 3,
2dly, Be emptied of yourſelf, in humble and hearty ac-
knowledgment of utter inability to help yourſelf. Having
taken a view of the load of fin lying upon you, and laid
before the Lord the particulars of your burden, with the
finking weight thereof, acknowledge that it is quite beyond
your power to move it from off you. Say, from the heart,
« Lord, here is a load of guilt lying upon me, which by
no doing or ſuffering of mine can be moved; here is a
mighty power of lin I am no more able to grapple with,
“than a little child with a giant ; a dead weight I can no
more remuve, than I can remove a mountain, If thou
“ leave me under it, as thou juſtly mayeſt, I periſh.”
This is true humiliation, where the poor broken fin- .
ner lies at the Lord's feet, fenfible that he is bound with
ten thouſand cords of guilt, but unable to looſe the weak.
efl of them ; that his ſoul is preyed upon, and like to be
devoured, by a ſwarm of living lufts, yet unable to kill or
fhake off any of them.
of them. If we are duly humbled, our hu-
miliation will be carried thus far ; for it is the ruin of ma-
ny, that they ſee not the abſolute need of the blood of Chriſt
for removing of their guilt ; and far leſs the abſolute need
of his Spirit, for breaking of the power of fin in them.
Lafly, Let there be a look of faith out of the low dun-
geon ; look unto God in Chrift, and ſay, God be merciful
to me a finner, Luke xviii. 13. And turn thou me, and I ſhall
be turned, Jer. xxxi. 18. Tell him, that, fince according to
his holy goſpel, there is yet hope in Iſrael concerning this
thing, you muſt and will take the benefit of the goſpel-
proclamation of grace and mercy, and lay hold of the
horns of the altar : and therefore, thovgh your weight be
heavier than mountains of braſs, you do, with humble con-
fidence at the Father's bidding, lay it wholly over on the
blood of his Son, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, truſting thereon
allenarly for remiffion of fin, fan&tification, and complete
ſalvation.
Now, as to the two directions laſt mentioned, I mean
not, that what is propoſed in either of them, muſt needs
be done all at once, without intermiſſion. You may uſe
thém, as you are beft able to reach them.
It is not very
likely, that thoſe who ſpent one fourth part of the day in
confefling and worſhipping, Neh. ix. 3. did made but one

Diretiions anent perſonal Fafting. 313
of re-
confeſſion continued without intermiffion. So you may
make ſuch intermiſſion in either or both of them, as you
find neceſſary. Chriſtian prudence moſt direct in the
matter, to uſe the means, ſo as may beX conduce to the
end.
DIRECT. VIII.
After confeſſion of fin, apply yourſelf to the duty of
perſonal covenanting, explicit entering into, or renewing
covenant with God, by taking hold of God's covenant of
grace in expreſs words. That this is a neceſſary part of
the work of a perſonal faſt, may be gathered from Jer. 1.
* and Neh. ix. 38. both cited before. And it is clear
from the nature of the thing ; for to what purpoſe ſhall
men lay open their wounds before the Phyſician of ſouls,
if they mind not to put themſelves in his hand for cure,
in the way of the covenant? or how can they pretend to
mourn for fin, if they are not to enter on the way
formation? A time of perſonal fafting is a time for the
runaway to return to his duty, and to ſet matters right
again, that were put wrong by turning alide from God
and his way. And one unwilling to enter into covenant
with God, cannot be fincere in his confeſſion of ſip and
mourning over it, whatever he may pretend.
For the right managing of this duty of perſonal cove-
nanting, theſe three following advices are offered.
1. See that you underſtand and rightly take up
venant, the covenant of grace, together with the way and
manner of a finper's perſonal entering into it, and being
inſtated in it unto ſalvationthe which are to be learned
from the holy ſcripture alone, as being revealed in it only.
Miſtakes and misapprehenſions of theſe things may be of
very bad conſequence in the practice of this duty : for
which cauſe men ought earneſtly to pray, that God would,
by his own word and Spirit ſhew thein his covenant, ac-
cording to the promiſe, Pſal. xxv. 14.
According to the ſcripture, the covenant, namely, the
covenant of grace for life and falvation, is not left unto
you to make, in whole nor in part, by propofing and con-
deſcending on the terms thereof, as a party.contractor :
it is made already, completely made and concluded in all
D d
the co-

314 of perſonal Faſting in particular. Chap. 2,
6
the articles thereof, whether conditionary or, promiffory;
and that between God the party.contractor on Heaven's
fide, and Chriſt as Mediator and ſecond Adam, the party.
contractor on loit man's fide. And it is regiſtered in the
facred records, the holy fcripture. And you are invited
unto the fellowſhip of it, Pſal. lxxxix. 3. • I have made a
* covenant with my chofen, --- David my fervant.'
Cor. xv. 45. · The laſt Adam.' i John. i. 3. • That
• which we have ſeen and heard, declare we unto you, that
ye alſo may have fellowſhip with us: and truly our tel.
lowſhip is with the Father, and with his Son Jeſus
< Chrift.'
The condition of it is, Chriſt's fulfilling all righteouſ-
neſs in the name of his fpiritual ſeed, Matth. ii. 15. I hus
it becometh us to fulfil all righteouſneſs. This righteouſneſs
was ſtated from the broken covenant of works; and
that in three things, namely perfect holineſs of nature,
fighteouſneſs of life, and ſatisfaction for fin ; all which
Chriſt did fulfil, in his being born perfectly huly, living per-
feally righteous, and making complete fatisfaction by his
death and ſufferings. And thus the condition of the co-
venant, on which is founded the right and claim to the
pro.
miſes of it, is fulfiled already to your hand.
The promiſe of it, reſpecting loſt finners, is the promiſe
of eternal life in its full latitude, comprehending all things
neceffary to make a finner holy and happy: that God in
Chrilt will be their God, and they ſhall be his people, Tit.i.
2. In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promiſed
before the world began. Heb. viji. 10. This is the covenant ;
I will be to them a God, and they ſhall be to me a people
,
And it is begun to be fulfilled to all who have taken bold
of the covenant : and is ready to be fulfilled unto all, who
yet
ſhall take hold thereof.
This covenant is the plan laid by infinite wiſdom for the
falvation of loft linners; upon which they may fafely ven-
fure themſelves, for time and eternity, as upon a bottom
infallibly fure, Ifa. lv. 3. I will make an everlaſting cove-
nant with you ( Heb. I will cut to you an everlaſting covenant,)
even the fure mercies of David. i Cor. i. 23, 24. We preach
Chriſt ---Chrill the power of God, and the wiſdom of God.
11 is Heaven's device for repairing the loſs we fullained by

Directions anent perſonal Faſting. 315
Adam's fall, whereby we become unholy and miſerable,
lying in ignorance, which we could not cure ; under guilt
and the curſe, which we could not remove ; and under
bondage to fin and Satan, which we could not break, verſe
30. But of him are ye in Chriſt Jeſus, who of God is made
unto us wiſdom, and righteouſneſs, and fanitification, and re-
demption.
The great defign of it is, to exalt the free grace of God,
in the ſalvation of finners; to fhew therein the exceeding
riches of his grace to them, in Chrilt. It is a plan laid
for cutting off all ground of b afting from the creature ; to
make Chriſt all, and the creature nothing in its own ſalva-
tion, as being indebted to free grace for the whole thereof,
Eph. i. 6. To the praiſe of the glory of his grace. Chap. ii.
.
7. That he might ſhow the exceeding riches of his grace, in
his kindneſs towards us through Chriſt Jefus. Ver. 9. Not
of works, lefi any man ſhould boaſt. It is much like unto a
contract of marriage, deviſed and drawn by a wealthy and
wiſe phyſician, of his own proper motion alone, between
himſelf and a poor woman, drowned in debt, weak and
witleſs, and withal over run with lothſome fires, render-
ing her incapable to do any thing, whether for her own
relief, or for his ſervice; and this upon a deſign to have
her wholly indebted to him for relief, the payment of her
debt, the management of her perſon, and her recovery for
action and bufineſs.
This covenant is offered and exhibited to you in the
goſpel, as really as that contract drawn and figoed by the
phyſician, would be offered and exhibited to the woman, if
he ſhould come and preſent it to her, for her acceptance :
Rom. x. 6. “Say not jó thine heart, Who ſhall afcend in-
' to heaven? (that is, to bring Chrift down from above :)
Ver. 7. Or, Who ſhall deſcend into the deep? (that is
'to bring up Chrift again from the dead.) Ver. 8. But
what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth
and in thy heart : that is the word of faith which we
preach.' So that the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, to wit,
the holineſs of nature where with he was born, and which
he retained unſpotted till death, the righteouſneſs of his
life, and his fatisfaction made by bis ſufferings, is in that
word freely offered and exhibited to you, as the fulfilled
Dd 2

316
of perſonal Fafling in particular. Chap. 2.
condition of the covenant, being therein revealed unto faith,
Rom. i. 17. Gr. as alſo, the promiſe of eternal life, as the
promiſe of the covenant to be fulfilled, being therein left
you, Heb. iv, 1.
Hence it appears, that the duty of perſonal covenanting
is much miſtaken and miſmanaged, where the party ap-
prehending that God, in the word, declares himſelf willing
to be his God, upon certain terms to be by him performed,
different from accepting God's full and free covenant of
promiſe, does accordingly make a covenant with God,
folemnly taking him for his God upon theſe terms; pro-
rring and vowing, that if God will be his God, pardon
his fine, be at peace with him, and ſave his ſoul, he will,
for his part, be one of his people, and faithfully ſerve him
all the days of his life, watching againſt all known ſin, and
performing every known duty. This is juſt as if the wo-
man in the cafe before put, ſhould tell him who offers her
the contract, that ſhe is content to take him for her huſ.
band, upon certain terms; particularly, that if he will be
her huſband, and do the duty of a huſband to her, ſhe will,
for her part, be a faithful wife to bim all the days of her
life, doing all that ſhe is able to do for paying of her debt,
managing herſelf and his houſehold to the beſt of her fkill,
and taking all pains on her fores, to make her lovely in
his eyes : 'the which being quite contrary to the defign and
end of that unuſual kind of contract, which is, to have the
wife wholly indebted to the huſband for all, doth alter
the nature of the propoſal, and would quite marr the fur.
priſing match, which was in a fair way to be carried
OD.
a
But likeas in that caſe nothing remains for the woman
to do, to eptitle her to the benefit of the contract, but be-
lieving it to be a real and ſerious, not a ludicrous deed, to
Sign her acceptance ; which figning with the hand is ne.
ceffary, becauſe her belief of the reality of the offered con-
tract, and trufting to it accordingly, being inward acts of
the foul, cannot be known among men, but by a proper
external lign: even fo all that remains for you, to initate
you ſavingly in God's covenant of grace, offered and exhi-
bired to you in the goſpel, is to take hold of it, Ila.
lvi. 4.

Diregions anent perſonal Fafling, 317
And to the end that, in your aiming to take hold of the
covenant, you may not be at a loſs, fearing that you may
miſs any part or parts thereof, lying ſcattered through
the bleſſed Bible; know, that Jeſus Chrift, the ſecond A-
dam, head of the covenant, is by his Father given for a
covenant to you, Iſa. xlix 8. So that you have the whole
covenant in him; and you take hold of it, by taking hold
of him offered and exhibited to you in the free promiſe of
the goſpel.
And this is done by faith, or believing on his name, ac-
cording to John i. 12. • As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them
(that believe on his name.' Wherefore, by believing on
the name of Chriſt, we take hold on the covenant, and are
inſtated in it unto ſalvation. And God hath made believe
ing to be the means of inftating finners perſonally and ſav.
ingly in the covenant, in confonancy with the great deſign
and end thereof, declared in the word, and of which before :
Rom. iv. 16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by
grace. Chap. iii. 27. Where is boaſting then? It is
excluded. By what law ? of works? Nay; but by the
• law of faith.
Now, to believe on the name of Chrift, is to believe or
credit the free promiſe of the goſpel with application to
yourſelf, and accordingly to truſt on him as the Saviour of
the world and your Saviour, in whom God will be your
God, and you ſhall be one of his people, unto your falva-
tion from fin and from wrath: Mark i. 15. Believe the
goſpel. Gal. iii. 2. The hearing of faith. 1 Theff. i.
5. Oar goſpel came not unto you in word only, but alſo
in power, and in the Holy Ghoft, and in much affurance.'
1 Cor. ii. 4. • In demonftration of the Spirit, and of pow-
er : verfe 5. That your faith ſhould ftand--in the pow-
-
• er of God.' And As xvi. 31. • Believe on the Lord
Jeſus Chrift, and thou ſhalt be ſaved.' Pſalm xxxvii.
40.
• He ſhall fave them, becauſe they truſt in him And ii.
• 12. Bleſſed are all they that put their trut in him.' A&s
XV, 11. We believe, that, through the grace of the Lord
Jeſus Chrift, we ſhall be ſaved.' This believing, or cre-
diting the word, and truſting on the perſon of Chrift, is
that which of all things is fart heft removed from the nature
D d 3

318
Of perfonal Fafing in particular. Chap. 2.
of a work, according to the ſcripture uſe of that word ;
and therefore is the moſt agreeable means of faving entrance
into that covenant, which is of faith, that it might be by
grace ; not of works, left any man ſhould boaſt.
A finner, being by this believing on Chrift united to
him as the head of the covenant, is thereby perſonally en-
tered into the covenant; fo as, in his right, to have a ſav-
ing intereſt in the condition, promiſe, and privileges there-
of, unto his eternal ſalvation : even as becoming, through
natural generation, children of Adam, the head of the co-
venant of works, we are perſonally entered into that cove-
Dant, ſo as to be involved in the guilt of the breach of it,
and laid under the curſe thereof: Rom. v. 19. For as by
one man's diſobedience many were made finners : ſo by the o-
bedience of one fall many be made righteous. John X. 9. I
am the door : by me if any man enter in, he ſhall be ſaved.
Eph. iii. 17. That Chrifl may
dawell in
your
hearts by faith.
Upon this believing on the name of Chriſt, crediting and
truſting in manner ſaid before, do neceffarily follow, an ab-
folute conſent to take him for our Huſband, Head, and
Lord, and God in him for our God; an unconditional re-
figration of ourſelves unto him, ſoul and body, to be his
only, wholly and for ever ; with an unlimited renunciation
of all other for him: even as, in the caſe before put, upon
the woman's believing the reality of the offer of the con.
tract of marriage between the phyſician and her, and ac.
cordingly, that he will indeed be her huſband, follows her
conſenting to take him for her huſband, head, and lord,
giving up herſelf unto him, and renouncing all other for
him, abſolutely, unconditionally, without limitation or re
fervation ; the which ſhe can never do, till once ſhe believe
1
that. And thus, to the word of grace, the covenant of-
fered and exhibited in the goſpel, I will be to them a
God, and they ſhall be to me a people, the believing ſoul
anſwereth, as an echo, My beloved is mine, and I am
bis, Cant. ii. 16.
2. Having underſtood the covenant aright, together
with the way and manner of being perſonally and ſavingly
entered into it, examine yourſelf anent it impartially, as
ever you would make ſure work in this weighty matter.
Inquire into your ſenſe of your need of the covenant, your
6

Dire&ions anent perfonal Fafting, 319
belief of it, and the diſpoſition of your heart towards it.
And
upon
theſe beads, poſe yourſelf with theſe or the like
queſtions,
In the firſt place, “ O my ſoul, do I verily believe, that
“ I was loft, ruined, and undone in Adam, by his break-
« ing of the covenant of works : and that I have ruined
“ myſelf more and more, by my actual tranſgreffiops? Do
“ I believe that I am by nature wholly corrupt and Gnful,
“ averſe to good, prone to evil, and juftly laid under the
“ curſe, binding me over to the revenging wrath of God
“ for time and eternity? Am I convinced, that I am ut-
" terly unable to help myſelf, in whole or in part, out of
“ this gulf of fin and miſery into which I am plunged :
“ and that I muft needs periſh under the guilt, dominion,
" and pollution of my an, without being juſtified or fanc-
fr tified, for ever, if I be not relieved by Heaven's own
« hand,
Next, “ O my ſoul, do I believe, that there is a cove-
u naot of grace, for the relief of loft fingers, eftabliſhed
« between God the Father, and his Son Jeſus Chriſt as
“ fecond Adam, wherein, upon condition of Chriſt's ful-
filling all righteouſneſs, as a public perſon, is promiſed
" eternal life to them, that God in Chrift will be their
« God, and they ſhall be his people? Do I believe, that
* this is the plan and device of Heaven, for life and fal-
" vation to loft fingers, for making of them holy, and for
" making of them happy? Do I believe, that Jeſus Chriſt
" hath, by his holy birth, righteous life, fatisfactory death
" and ſufferings, performed that condition of the covenant,
" and thereby purchaſed and ſecured the benefit therein
“ promiſed, for poor fioners? Then, do I indeed believe,
" that this covenant, already fulfilled in its condition, and
certainly to be fulfilled in its promiſe, is in Chriſt crucifi-
" ed, really offered and exhibited to me in the goſpel: and
" that I am called to the fellowſhip of it in him? And
" then, do I verily believe on the name of Chriſt crucified,
« offered and exhibited to me as the great High Prieft,
" who, by the ſacrifice of himſelf, hath made the atone-
ment, paid the ranſom, and brought in everlaſting righ-
“ teouſneſs for poor finners? That is to ſay, (1.) Can I
* credit his word of grace to me, that he with his righte
6

320 Of perſonal Faſling in particular. Chap. 2,
my God,
66
66
6 ouſneſs will be mine, and, in him, God will be
« and I ſhall be one of his people. (2.) And, can I, as
« on a ſafe bottom, truſt on him as my Saviour, that in
4 him it ſhall be ſo unto me, to my eternal life and ſalva,
e tion, to the making of me holy and happy?
Finally, “O my ſoul, how do I like the covenant? Am
6 I pleaſed with the frame of it, whereby Chriſt was from
" eternity appointed, not only the Prieſt of the covenant,
" to fulfil the condition of it, but alſo the Prophet and
65 the King thereof, to adminiſter it? And can I find in
my heart to acquieſce in that device for ſalvation as all
• my ſalvation, and all my deſire, for making me holy and
happy? Am I content to take Chrift, the Son of God,
6 for my only Prieſt, Surety, Interceffor, and Redeemer;
«s and in him, the Father for my Father, and the Holy
64 Ghoft for my Sanctifier ; God in Chrift for my God?
.
« Am I willing wholly to reſign myſelf, ſoul and body, to
« him, to be ſaved by his blood alone, renouncing all con-
a fidence in my own righteouſneſs, doings, and ſufferings?
“Am I content to take him for my Head and Huſband?
« Particularly, Am I content to take him for my alone
5 Prophet, Oracle, and Guide: to refign, and give up
myſelf wholly to him, to be taught, guided, and direct.
" ed in all things, by his word and Spirit
, renouncing
a mine own wiſdom, and the wiſdom of this world ? Am
• I content to take him for my alone King and Lord:
« to reſign myſelf wholly, foul and body, unto him, to be
« reſcued by his power, from fin, death, the devil, and
" this prelent evil world, for to ſerve him for ever, and to
« be ruled by the will of his command, as to my duty,
" and the will of his providence, as to my lot? And am I
“ heartily content to part with, and renounce every known
« fin, and particularly that which moſt eaſily beſets me ;
" together with my own fooliſh will, and all other lords
« beſides him ; without reſervation, and without excep
“ tion againſt his croſs ? and I am really, as in his fight,
“ willing to have diſcovered unto me, and upon diſcovery,
“ to part with every fin in me, that I know not?”
Now, howbeit all doubting as to fuch of theſe points, as
are points of faith, and every the leaſt degree of averfion to
the conſenting, reſignation, and renunciation, is fin before

Directions anent perfonal Faſting. 321
ye would,"
the Lord, and needs to be purged away by the Redeemer's
blood; yet they ought not to ſtop your proceeding, unleſs
they be predominant over your belief and willingneſs in the
matter: Mark ix. 24. • Lord, I believe ; help thou mine
I unbelief.' Gal. v. 17. • The fleſh lufteth againſt the fpi-
(rit ;--ſo that ye cannot do the things that
namely, in that perfection that ye fain would do them.
But indeed, if they be predominant, keeping your mind and
heart quite unſettled, and wavering like a wave of the ſea,
that hath nothing to fix it ; one cannot adviſe proceeding
in that caſe : for that would be to lie unto the Lord, with
a witneſs: Jamesi. 6. For he that wavereth is like a wave
of the ſea, driven with the wind, and toſjed : Ver. 7
For
let not that man think that he ſhall receive any thing of the
Lord. Howbeit, a fincere belief and willingneſs in theſe
points, may indeed waver like a ſhip at anchor, which is
ftill held faſt in the place, not withſtanding of all its waver.
ing therein. And one may take hold of God's covenant
of
grace, unto ſalvation, even with a trembling hand.
3. Laſtly, Having in your ſelf-examination, ſatisfied
your conſcience as to theſe points, go unto God by prayer,
and therein folemnly, and in expreſs words, take hold of
the covenant: The which may be done in words to this
purpoſe :
“ O Lord, the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus
" Chrift, I confeſs I am by nature a loft finner, wholly
" corrupted, and laid under the curſe, in Adam, through
" the breach of the covenant of works : and have ruined
“ mylelf more and more by my actual tranſgreſſions innu.
“ merable. I am convinced, and do acknowledge, that I
am utterly unable to belp myſelf, in whole or in part,
" out of this gulf of fin and miſery into which I am plun-
" ged; and that it is beyond the reach of the whole cre-
“ation to help me out of it: fo that I muſt inevitably
periſh for ever, if thine own ſtrong hand do not make
4 help to me.
“ But forafmuch as there is a covenant of grace for life
a
€* and ſalvation to loft finners, eſtabliſhed between thee and
« thine own Son, the Lord Jeſus Chrift, as ſecond Adam;
" wherein, upon condition of his fulfilling all righteouſneſs,
* which is now performed in his baving been born per.
64

322 Of perfonal Falling in particular. Chap. 2.
66
ner,
66
&
fe&ly holy, lived altogether righteouſly, and made per-
“ feet ſatisfaction to juſtice by his death and ſufferings,
* thou haſt promiſed, that thou wilt be their God, and
" they ſhall be thy people, to the making of them holy
" and happy for ever : and that this covenant is, in Chrift
" the head thereof, offered and exhibited to me in thy
" goſpel: and thou calleft me into the fellowſhip of it in
“ him: Therefore, upon the warrant of, and in obedi-
" ence to thy command and call, I, a poor periſhing fin-
do take hold of that covenant, for life and ſalvation
to me; believing on the name of Christ crucified, the
“ head thereof, offered and exhibited to me as the great
High Prieſt, who, by the facrifice of himſelf, hath
“ made atonement, paid the ranſom, and brought in e-
verlaſting righteouineſs for poor finners. I credit his
“ word of grace to me, and accordingly truſt on him,
" that he with his righteouſneſs will be mine, and that,
“ in and through him, God will be my God, and I fhall
« be one of his people, to the making of me holy and
happy for ever.
“ O my God, I do, by thy grace, acquieſce in that co-
“ venant, as all my falvation, and all my defire. With
my
whole heart and foul, the Son incarnate is my only
“ Prieſt, my Surety, my Interceffor, and my Redeemer ;
« and, in him, the Father my Father, the Holy Ghoſt
my
Sanctifier: God in Chriſt my God. I refign my-
“ felf, foul and body, to him, to be ſaved by his blood a-
“ lone ; renouncing all confidence in mine own righte
u ouſneſs, doings, and ſufferings. With my whole heart
" and ſoul, he is my Head and Huſband. And I am his
“ only, wholly, and for ever, to live by him, and for him.
“ I take him for my alone Prophet, Oracle, and Guide;
give up myſelf wholly to him, to be taught, guided;
" and directed, in all things, by his word and Spirit ; and
“ renounce mine own wiſdom, and the wiſdom of this
“ world. He is, with my heart's conſent, my alone
“ King and Lord. And I rehgo myſelf wholly, ſoul
“ and body, unto him, to be reſcued by the ſtrength of
* his mighty hand, from fin, death, and the devil, and
“ this preſent evil world, for to ſerve him for ever, and to
a he ruled by the will of his command, as to my duty's
66

Directions anent perſonal Fafting. 323
I am,
65
4 and the will of his providence, as to my lot.
" with my whole heart, content (Lord, thou knoweft)
" to part with, and do renounce every known fin, luft,
or idol, and particularly, my -- the fin which moſt
eaſily beſets me; together with my own fooliſh will,
" and all other lords befides him; without reſervation,
" and without exception againſt his croſs; proteſting in
" thy fight, O Lord, that I am, through grace, willing
s to have diſcovered unto me, and upon diſcovery to part
" with every fin in me that I know not: and that the
doubtings and averſeneſs of heart mixed with this my
" accepting of thy covenant, are what I allow nut; and
sk that notwithſtanding thereof, I look to be accepted of
“ thee herein, in the Beloved, thine only Son, and my
“ Saviour, purging away theſe, with all my other fing,
* by his precious blood.
s Let it be recorded in heaven, O Lord, and let -
6 and whatever is here preſent, bear witneſs, that I,
though moſt unworthy, have this day here taken hold
" of, and come unto thy covenant of grace, offered
" and exhibited to me in thy goſpel; and that thou art
God in the tenor of that covenant, and I am one
" of thy people, froin henceforth and for ever."
DIRECT. IX.
After covenanting with God, fet yourſelf to ply the
throne of grace by prayer and ſupplication, with reference
to what is the particular cauſe or cauſes of your fait.
This is ſurely the proper order : for then is one in belt
caſe to make ſpecial requefts unto the Lord, when, by ap-
plication of the blood of Chriſt, in taking hold of the co.
venant, his conſcience is purged: whereas, if one falls to
that work before this, he cannot have the confidenceto-
wards God neceſſary in this caſe, 1 John iii. 20, 21.
And, for the right managing hereof, the following ad-
vices are offered.
1. As it is fit you ſhould, the night before, condeſcend
in
your own mind, on the cauſes of your faft: ſo now a-
gain you ſhould review them, partly, that the things
which
you are to lay before the Lord in prayer and ſup-
plication, inay be ready before you; and partly, that you
may be duly affected there with.
my

324
Of perſonal Fafting in particular. Chap. 2.
a
2. Then go to prayer, and preſent your petitions a-
,
nent them, to your covenanted God. And pray again
and again on theſe heads, as you ſhall find your caſe to re.
quire : for the time is ſet apart for that very end, that you
may have opportunity to wreſtle with God in prayers and
fupplications thereanent.
3. In theſe prayers, let there be a holy mixture of hu-
mility ſuitable to our unworthineſs, of fervency ſuitable to
our preſſing needs, and of confidence in God, ſuitable to
the acceſs unto him allowed up by the covenant; the
which are the ſpecial ingredients in prevailing prayer.
iſt, In all your addreſſes to the throne of grace, con-
tinue a humble ſupplicant, not forgetting but maintaining
a due ſenſe of your finfulneſs, vileneſs, and unworthineſs
of the mercies you make ſuit for. • Lord, I am not wor-
«thy that thou ſhouldeſt come under my roof,' faith the
Centurian, Matth. viii. 8. • I am not worthy of the
« leaſt of all the mercies,' faith Jacob, Gen. xxxii, 10.
Due humility will oblige you to look on yourſelf as abfo-
lutely unworthy of ſpiritual mercies, though, in the mean-
time, you ſee an abſolute need of them : it will keep you
from being peremptory in the matter of temporal mercies,
and difpofe you to a holy ſubmiſſion unto the will of God
therein; and it will engage you, in matters of light, to
lay yourſelf fairly open to the divine determination.
If, in this laſt caſe, your own inclination do fway you
to any one ſide; yet be fure to have no regard to it be-
fore the Lord, but come unto him, as it were, in an equi-
poiſe, to be caſt to what fide he will. Such are the
meek he will guide in judgment, the meek he will teach
• his way,' Pſalm xxv. 9. Unfair dealing with God in
this caſe is exceeding finful and dangerous. They who
venture on it, are therein diffemblers; and will readily
throw off their maſk, if the anſwer of God fall not in with
the fide that their inclination is on : they will repel it ;
they will not fee it; but will take their own way, not-
withſtanding, to the provoking of the eyes of his glory.
Whereof we have a remarkable inſtance, in the Jews con-
ſulting God as to what they ſhould do, while, in the mean-
time, they were aforehand reſolved what to do, being
bent to go to Egypt, Jer. xli. 17. Chap xlii, 1,--6,19, 20.
.

Direétions anent perfonal Faſting- 325
Chap. xliii. 2.-7. Such dealing with God, in the mat-
ter of light, ſometimes provokes him to give men their
will, with a vengeance. Thus Balaam got an anſwer
from God, plainly notifying to him, that he ſhould not go
with Balak's meſſengers, Numb. xxii. 12. But that an-
fwer not ſuiting his inclinations, which were towards the
wages of unrighteouſneſs, 2 Peter ii. 15. he went back for
another anſwer more agreeable thereto, and in wrath he
got it, verſes 19, 20, 21, 22.
2dly, Be fervent in your addreſſes, labouring fervently
in prayers, Col. iv. 12. On ſuch occafions, the body is
afflicted, that the ſpirit may become the more earneft in
fupplication: the ordinary weight of worldly incum-
brances is laid afide, that the ſoul may the more readily
take wing, and mount heavenward. • The effectual fervent.
prayer of a righteous man availeth much,' James. v. 16.
3dly, Pray with confidence in God, thro' Jeſus Chrift,
believingly, not doubtingly and diſtruftfully: Matth. xxi.
22. • And all things whatſoever ye ſhall aſk in prayer, be-
• lieving, ye ſhall receive.' Whether your petitions be for
temporal or ſpiritual mercies, preſent them to the Father
in the name of Chriſt, according to the promiſes of the co-
venant relative thereto; believing, and being confident on
the ground of the merit and intercefſion of the Mediator,
that God will do the beſt in your caſe, that your labour
fhall not be in vain in the Lord, and that what is for his
glory and your good ſhall not be with-held from you,
Pfal.l xxxv. 1 2. 1 Cor. xv. 58. Pfal. Ixxxiv. 11.
4. In the intervals of prayer, give yourſelf to fome godly
exerciſe ; ſuch as finging of pfalms, reading of the word,
or meditation. And particularly, if you be ſeeking light
into a matter, you may enter on thinking about it, in ora
der to your clearing therein ; weighing circumſtances with
dependence on the Lord, according to the promiſe, Pfalim
xxxii. 8. • I will inftruct thee, and teach thee in the
way
* which thou ſhalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.'
And, ſpecially, if you are ſeeking light into the ſtate of
your ſoul; here is a favourable nick of time for it; the
marks and evidences of a gracious itate being, upon the
back of covenanting with God, in a fair way to be diſcover-
ed, to the fatisfaction of the Ancere ſoul.
a
Еe

326
Of perſona! Faſting in particular. Chap. 2.
5. Laſtly, Lay no weight on the quantity of your pray-
ers; that is to tay, how long, or how many they are.
Theſe things avail nothing with God, by whom prayers
are not meaſured, but weighed. And what makes the
weight in them, is the faith, fervency, and humility there-
in ; ſo that one of thoſe groanings mentioned, Rom. viii.
26. will down.weigh a whole day's prayers, in which theſe
things are wanting. Do you labour to get near God in
prayer, and preſs forward to obtain that.
DIRECT. X.
As you have ability and opportunity, let works of charity
and mercy be joined with your faſt; doing them, whether in
time of it, or before it, or after it; Iſa. lviii. 6. Is not this
the faſt that I have choſen ? --verſe 7.-- to deal thy bread to
ibe hungry, and that thou bring the poor, that are call out to
thy houſe? when thou feefl the naked, that thou cover him,
and that thou hide not thyſelf from thine own flesh ? Let
the
poor be gainers by your fait ; for it is the promiſe of
God, that she that watereth, ſhall be watered alſo him-
• felf,' Prov. ix 25. and one's finding mercy with God,
natively iſſues in a merciful dipofition towards one's fel-
low.creatures, Matth. xviii. 33. Eph. iv. 32.
DIRE C T. XI.
Before you give over your work, you will do well to
confider ſeriouſly, that you are now the Lord's and no
more your own; and foraſmuch as your covenanting with
God, ſuppoſeth that you are reſolved to reform, and to
walk more cloſely with God; lay down reſolutions, in the
itrength of your covenanted God, to watch. And by all
means forget not to conſider, what are thoſe things where-
by, in a ſpecial manner, your ſpiritual condition hath for.
merly been worted; and by what means it may be kept
right; and fincerely reſolve to eſchew the one, and purlue
the other; that ſo what gaps have been in your converſa-
; fo
tion, may be filled up, whereby it will appear, that by
your faſt you have been ſet forward in your Chriſtian courſe.
And withal review your failures in all the parts of the ex-
erciſe you have now been employed in.
DIRECT. XII. .
You may conclude the work with prayer, wherein you

Diregions anent perſonal Fafting.
327
6
may humbly confeſs your failures in the management of
this duty, and apply anew to the blood of Sprinkling, for
purging them away; avouch your covenant intereft in God,
and his in you; and lay the cauſes of your faſt again be-
fore him, and folemnly leave them on him. The laying
over a matter on the Lord believingly, in prayer, gives
great eaſe to a burdened heart : it turns a faſt ſometimes
into a ſpiritual feat. When Hannah had done fo with
her caſe, the went away, and did eat, and her countenance
' was no more ſad,' 1 Sam. i. 18. And lay over yourſelf
.
upon him, for the grace of the covenant, to ſubdue your
corruptions, bear you up againſt temptations, and carry on
your reſolutions ; that you may go out into the world a.
gain, in the faith of his grace fuflicient for you in all exi-
gencies.
DI RECT. XIII.
When the work is over, take heed to your ſpirit. And,
--1. Beware of fpiritual pride. Do not value yourſelf up.
on the account of the work done, as they did who feitt,
Wherefore have we faſted, and thou ſeeft nui? Ila. lviii.
The opinion of the merit of good works, is what the heart
of man eaſily goes off into, by its natural bias: and there
is ſo much of the old man in the beſt, that they are apt to
think highly of their religious performances and ſervices.
Wherefore be on your guard, particularly on that fide ;
and conſider the perfection required by the holy law, and
keep in view your own miſmanagements, fo as when you
fall have done all thoſe things, you may be obliged to ſay, We
are unprofitable ſervants, Lake xvii. 10.
2. Beware of carnal ſecurity. Saints fometimes fall aſleep
quickly after a full meal of ſpiritual enjoyment; as it fared
with the ſpouſe, Cant. v. 1, 2. And Satan watching the ad-
vantage, rallies his ſcattered forces, and, with his wounded
men, burns the city. So it comes to paſs, that, according
to Salomon's obſerve, Prov. xii. 27. The Nothful roafieth
not that which he took in hunting: what was gathered with
much pain, is loſt through unwatchfulneſs, ere he gets the
uſe of it.
3. Laſtly, Beware of forgetting the cauſes of your faft;
but, in your ordinary addreſſes to God, remember them;
E e 2

328
Of perfonal Faſting in particular.
Chap 3
and wait on for an anſwer: Pſal. v. 3. I will direct my
nzy
prayer unto thee, and will look up. Prayers may be accept-
ed, and yet not prefently anſwered. In which caſe, it is
neceſſary, that, with patience, we wait for a return from
Heaven, meanwhile uſing the appointed means for obtain.
ing the end. The neglecting hereof, may provoke the
Lord to continue the fymptoms of his anger, or ſtroke of
his hand, which otherwiſe might fooner be removed : and
to leave one perplexed and embarraſſed, in matters wherein
light is needed.
But, in your waiting for light, whatever the ſovereign
Lord may do, do not you look for impreſſions, far leſs for
voices, nor extraordinary revelations any manner of
way,
to diſcover your duty in particular caſes, 2 Pet. i. 18, 19.
But, having laid yourſelf fairly open to the divine deter-
mination, and inade humble and earreſt ſupplication unto
God for light in your particular cele; believe that you ſhall
be guided, taught, and directed by him, according to his
promiſe, Pſal. xxv. 9. Prov. iij. 6. And then, in depend.
ence on the Lord, weigh the matter and circumftantiate
cafe in the balance of ſanctified reaſon, according to the
general directions of the word, fuch as Philip, iv. 8. What
Saever things are true, whatſoever things are honeſt, whatſo:
ever things are juſt, what foever things are pure, whatſoever
things are lovely, whatſoever things are of good report; if
there be
any
virtue, and if there be any praiſe, think on theſe
things. And carefully obſerve the conduct and motions of
providence, with reference to it, ſtill comparing them with
the word. And you will find, that he will guide you
with
his
eye, according to the promiſe, Pſal. xxxii. 8. And
with reſpect thereto, you may put up that petition unto
him, in faith, Pfal. Ixxxvi. 17. Shew me a token for good.
Thus far of perſonal fafting and humiliation.
CH A P. III.
Of Family Faſting and Humiliation in particular.
WHere in the ſubſtance of this duty, which is the ſame
in all religious faits whatſoever, doth confift, is al.
ready declared. And there being many things common
to family fafts, with perſonal ones, of which we have treat-

Of the Divine Warrant for family Faſting. 329
ed at large; it remains only to add here fome few things
peculiar to family faſting. And,
Firſt, As to the divine warrant for it, one may be fa-
tisfied upon theſe grounds.
1. Foraſmuch as every Chriſtian family ought to be a
church, Rom. xvi. 5. to receive all ordinances appointed of
God, and competent to them in their family capacity; and
that religious fafting is an ordinance of divine appointment,
in the nature whereof there is nothing to hinder its being
performed by a family in their family capacity; it is evi-
dent, that family faſting and humiliation is a part of family
worſhip; namely, an extraordinary part thereof, to be oc-
caſionally performed. Accordingly, it is promiſed, as an
effect of the pouring out of the Spirit, Zech. xii. 12. • The
• land ſhall mourn, every family apart. We have alſo a
plain inſtance of it, in Ether's family, on the occaſion of
the miſchievous deeree againſt the Jews, procured by Ha-
man, Eth, iv. 16. I alſo and my maidens will faft like-
'wiſe.' And the faſting of the Jews, on the fame occaſion,
in every province whitherſoever that decree came,' men-
tioned ver 3. ſeems to have been moſtly, if not altogether,
of the fame kind, to wit, family faſting; not only, in rer
fpect of their circumſtances in thoſe provinces where they
were diſperſed, Chap. iii. 8. but alſo, that the thankſgiving
for their deliverance was appointed to be kept through-
out every family,' Chap. ix. 28.
2. The ground upon which the duty of falling and hu-
miliation is bound upon public worſhipping ſocieties, and
upon particular perfons, takes place alſo in the caſe of fa-
milies. If national, congregational, and perfonal fins to be
mourned over, judgments to be deprecated, and mercies to
be fought, do found a call to a nation, congregation, or
perfon, reſpectively, to humble themſelves with faſting :
can there be any reaſon aligned, why the fame ſhould not
hold in like manner, in the caſe of families? Surely, as
there are times wherein it goes ill with a land, or with a par-
ticular congregation or perſon ; ſo there are times wherein
* it goes evil with one's houſe,' 1 Chron. vii. 23. in reſpect
of ſpecial family fins or ſtrokes; and in which there are
ſpecial fainily mereies needed. And families are obliged
to the uſing of the fame appointed means for getting rid
Еe 3

330 of family Faſting in particular.
Chap 3
$
of the one, and obtaining the other; as other worſhipping
ſocieties, and particular perſons,are, in their reſpe&ive caſes.
And where the concern of members of a family is common,
although it be not equal, all of them ought in reaſon, to
take part of the burden.
3. Lofily, The promiſe made to joint prayers hath weight
here, Matth. xviii. 19. “ If two of you ſhall agree on earth,
as touching any thing that they fall aſk, it ſhall be done
* for them of my Father which is in heaven. Ver. 20. For
* where two or three are gathered together in my name,
« there am I in the midſt of them.' It is certain, there is
fuch a thing as extraordinary prayer, which hath a ſhare in
the benefit of this promiſe: and if the Lord is pleaſed to
lay ſuch a weight on ſome of his people their agreeing to.
gether to aſk a thing of him, or their founding together, as
the word properly lignifies; it is not to be doubted, but
extraordinary prayer in families, upon ſome fpecial occa-
fions, is both required by him, and acceptable unto him
through Jefus Chrift his Son.
Secondly, As for a providential call to family fafting and
humiliation : by what is ſaid before for clearing of one's
call to perfonal fafting, it may be judged of and diſcerned;
the circumſtances of the family being duly conſidered, and
what the conduct of providence towards it appears to point
unte. The caſe of others, in whom the family hath a par-
ticular concern, eſpecially the caſe of the church, may
found a call to family fafting : as is clear from the pra&ice
of Either with her maids, Efth. iv. 16. And ſo
may
the
private caſe of the family itſelf; whether in reſpect of fa-
mily fins, faraily-itrokes threatened or inflicted, or ſome
ſpecial family-mercies to be deſired. And fince the exem.
plification of theſe general heads, in one's private caſe,
made in the ſecond ſection of the foregoing chapter, may,
without difficulty be accommodated to the caſe of one's
family, by perfons of the meaneſt capacity diſpoſed to con-
fider them, it is not neceſſary here to deſcend to particu-
lars again.
Laſtly, For directions towards family fafting: there are
but few that need to be added unto thoſe given before in
the caſe of perſonal fafting. It is plain from the nature
of the thing that the external ordering and management

Diregions anent family Fafling.
331
of this matter belongs to the head of the family: and he
or ſhe is diſcreetly to chuſe and appoint the time and place,
wherein the family may perform the duty with leaſt difturb-
ance; and to ſee that all be done decently and in order.
And,
1. Let the head of the family, fome competent time,
at leait the night before, give notice to them, that ſuch a
time is fet apart for, and to be ſpent in that exerciſe : and
withal ſhew them the cauſes of it, and exhort them to ftir
up themſelves to the duties of ſuch a ſolemn approach unto
God. Common prudence will direct, as well as Chriftian
duty doth oblige, the huſband to conſult his wife aforehand,
as to the fixing of the time to be ſet apart in the family
for that extraordinary piece of devotion.
2. In the morning, let each member in the family go a-
part by himſelf into fome ſecret place, and there fpend ſome
time in reviewing, confeffing, covenanting, praying, and
fupplicating, as directed in the caſe of perſonal fafting, ſo
far as he can overtake them. The more conſeientiouſly
this fecret work is managed, it will readily fare the better
with the family when met together.
3. Let the head of the family, having taken to himſelf,
and allowed to them, a competent time for their extraordi.
nary ſecret devotions, thereafter call them together. And
the family being convened, he may again, if need be, lay
before them the cauſes of their fait, with ſuitable exhorta-
tions and encouragements, for exciting them unto the du-
ty. And, after calling on God for the aid of his Holy
Spirit, let him fing with them fome pſalm or part of a
pſalm, ſuitable to ſuch an occafion, fuch as Pſalm 1xxx. I.
and downwards, Pſalm xxxix. 6. to the end, Pfalm li. I.
and downwards; read before them ſome pertinent paffage
of fcripture, ſuch as thoſe mentioned in the 6th direction
of the preceding chapter;. and then pray with them. Af-
ter prayer made by the head of the family, let the miſtreſs
of the family, and ſuch others as he judgeth fit, pray, one
after another. It is very deſirable, that each member of
the family, being through grace fit to be employed, do take
a part in that work. In the intervals of prayer, there may
be Ginging, reading, or conference, as may be found moſt
expedient

332
Motives and Exhortations.
4. It is fit that in theſe prayers there be extraordinary
confeffion of fin, as particularly as may be expedient; to-
gether with profeſſion of repentance, and hearty ſorrow for
fin, and of unfeigned deſire tº return unto God, and unto
the duties of a Chriſtian life: and then, fervent and earneſt
fupplications, upon the matters that are the peculiar cauſes
of the faſt.
5. It is proper, that the concluding prayer be made by
the head of the family, and that therein be reſume the
confeſſions, profeſſions, and fupplications on the matters of
the faſt; humbly acknowledge their failures in the manage.
ment of the work; and profeſs their looking for pardon
and acceptance through the blood of Jeſus Chriſt alone,
and alſo for grace to walk in the ways of new obedience,
,
through the fame atoning blood. Then the joint exerciſe
may be cloſed, with finging ſome part of a pſalm, ſuch as
Pſalm xc. 13. to the end, Pſalm lxxxv. 6. to the end, or
Pſalm Ixix, 30. and downward.
6. Laſtly, The joint exerciſe of the family being over,
let each of them go apart by himſelf again, and ſpend ſome
time in a review of what they have been employed in, and
in ſecret prayer: the which is but a ſuitable conclufion to
ſuch ſolemp work. And family reformation ought to fol-
low hereupon; every member of the family watching over
himſelf, and all of them watching one over another; that
by their holy walking, in peace and unity, and a conſcien-
tinus performance of their relative duties, it may appear,
that they have been fincere and upright before the Lord,
in their fait.
THE CONCLUSION.
ND now, to recommend the practice of thoſe duties,
to perſons and families, theſe five things are offered
in favour thereof; namely, that the practice of them is a
proper means, 1. To bring ftrangers to religion acquainted
with it; 2. To recover backſliders; 3. To prevent relapſes;
4. To prepare for a time of trial; and laſtly, to get mat-
ters clear for eternity.
Firſt, The practice of perſonal and family faſting and
humiliation, is a proper means to bring itrangers to religion
acquainted with it; that thoſe who have not yet dipt into
А

Motives and Exhortations.
333
ed,
practical religion, may begin to enter into it. The work
of convertion unto God begins at ſolemn ſerious confide-
ration of one's own ſpiritual fate and cafe ; the which if
finners could once be brought unto, there would be fome
hope of them, as of the prodigal, when he came to him.
ſelf, Luke xv. 17. And if they would ſet themſelves to the
duty of perſonal fafting, and maſters of families would now
and then uſe family falts, they might at length be brought
to conſider of their ſpiritual ſtate and caſe. Wherefore,
1. Ye who are young, and have not yet dipt into the
heart of religion, this memorial is for you. It is preſum-
ye were baptized in your infancy, and that now ye are
come to the years of diſcretion : but have you ever as
yet taken a ſolemn deliberate view of your loſt and un-
done flate by nature under fin and the curfe; and of the
remedy provided for you in Jeſus Chriſt ? And have you
ever as yet perſonally entered into covenant with God, by
taking hold of his covenant of grace? You eat, you drink,
you ſleep, you work, you play or divert yourſelves; and
lo do young beaſts too, the wireh, when they are dead,
are done: but you have an immortal ſoul, that ruft eternal-
hy live happy in heaven, or miſerable ip bell. It may
bes
you ſay your prayers too: but have you as yet perſonally
renounced the devil, the vain world, and the fleſh ? You
cannot but fee, that death ſeizeth ſome as young and
{prightly as you are; and you know not how foon God
may call you off; have you then laid your meaſures for e-
ternity? Alas! you are beadleſsly running about the de-
vil's trap, playing yourſelf about the pit's mouth: and
fhould your foot flip now, you are undone for ever, . Thus
faith the Lord of hofts, Conſider your ways.'
2. Careleſs finners, careleſs about the concerns of the
other world, whatever your age or years be, this memori-
al is for you. Ye careleſs ones, ſtrip ye, and make ye
bare, and gird fackcloth upon your loins,' Iſa. xxxii.
11. What is your religion? Is it not like the foam on the
water, no ſubſtance in it? What is your life and conver-
fation? See your own picture, Jer. ii. 24. «A wild afs
uſed to the wilderneſs, that fnuffeth up the wind at her
pleaſure.' What condition is your ſoul in? The em-
blem of it is the luggard's vineyard, . All grown over

334
Motives and Exhortations.
' with thorns, nettles covering the face thereof, and the
• ftone wall thereof broken down,' Prov. xxiv. 30, 31.
Can you really perſuade yourſelves, that you are going
forth by the footſteps of the flock? that the faints now
in glory took the finful liberty of thinking, ſpeaking, and
acting, that
you do; that their ſoul's ſtate and caſe coft
them as few ſerious thoughts as yours hath coft you? Do
you
think to fumble on a ſaving intereſt in Chrift, a par.
don, a heaven? No, you will not find it fo. Up, then,
and be doing: ſet apart ſome time for conſidering of, and
doing ſomething effectually in your ſoul's caſe ; that you
may go to the ground of the matter, and get it rectified.
.
Secondly, It is a proper means for the recovery of back.
ſliders, that they may remember whence they are fallen,
' and repent, and do the firſt works' Rev. ii. 5. There
are not a few, who fome time a day bloſſomed fair, in
hopeful beginnings of religion, who are now withered.
Their bones are dried, and there is no ſap of that kind in
them now: and by their finning againſt light, they bave
provoked God to depart from them, ſo as there is no fap
in ordinances, nor in providences, to them, neither , but
theſe are all, as it were, blaited to them, and they are left
in the unhappy caſe of the vineyard, Lía. v. 6. I will alſo
• command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
And ſome are not only withered, but are become noiſome in
their life and converſation: they have not only loft
any
life of religion they fometimes ſeemed to have, but their
lufts are become rampant in them, as given up to vile af-
fections, defiling the very outward man. It has happened
vnto them according to the true proverb, • The dog is
turned to bis own vomit again ; and, The fow that was
* waſhed, to her wallowing, in the mire,' 2 Pet. ii. 22.
O backſliders ! your cafe is a fearful one: Heb. x.
• If any man draw back, my ſoul ſhall have no pleaſure in
• him. What mind ye to do with it? Will ye continue
in it, to your eternal ruin? Oh! no, pity your own ſouls.
There is hope in Iſrael concerning this thing,' as bad as
it is. Perhaps you heart tells you, that your caſe is now
gone on too far, to be mended: but it is not fo; that is
but a ſatanical ſuggeſtion. God's word ſays otherwiſe :
Jer. iii. 1. • Though thou haſt played the harlot with
38.
6

Motives and Exhortations.
335
many
lovers ; yet return again to me, ſaith the Lord,'
Ifa. liv. 6. • I have called thee as--a wife of youth, when
.
thou waft refuſed, faith thy God.' Wherefore, O back-
fider, beftir thyſelf to anſwer the Lord's call, and remem-
ber that ſome devils égo not out but by prayer and fafting,'
Matth. xvii. 22. Try this method then for your recovery:
try it, as you would not be guilty of wilful dying of
your
diſeaſe. Our heavenly Father kindly meets returning pro-
digals: the returning backſider will be treated by him as
a dear fon, a pleaſant child,' Jer. xxxi. 20. • Return ye
' then, and he will reſtore to you the years that the locuſt
hath eaten,' Joel ü. 25. • And as yet, your bones ſhall
Aouriſh like an herb,' Iſa. Ixvi. 14.
Thirdly, It is a proper means to prevent relapſes, and
to keep one's ſpiritual caſe right, when once it is right.
Frequent ftating of accounts, keeps matters clear, which
otherwiſe might come to be perplexed and involved. And
the caſe which, being on the decline, is taken in time, is
eaſily righted, in compariſon of that which has long run on :
éven as when Chriſt raiſed to life the young man
of Nain,
whom they were carrying out to the grave, he only touch-
6
• ed the bier and ſaid, Young man, I ſay unto thee ariſe,'
Luke vii. 14. but he wept and groaned once and again at
the railing of Lazarus, who had been four days dead,
John xi. 33, 35, 38. The unhealthy and fickly diſpofi-
tion of the fouls of men, by reaſon of the remains of cor-
ruption that are always in the beſt, while here, makes the
occaſional performance of extraordinary duties now and then
neceſſary, over and above the courſe of their ordinary and
ftated devotions.
Fourthly, It is a proper means of preparation for a time
of trial. It is a piece of Chriſtian prudence to foreſee the
a
evil, and hide one's ſelf, while ' the ſimple paſs on, and are
puniſhed,' Prov. xxii. 3. When God is threatening a
land with his judgments, it becomes the inhabitants to take
the alarm, and prepare to meet their God! and perſonal
and family faſts are proper expedients for that end ; ſince
they who in finning times“ figh and cry for all the abomi-
nations done in the midt thereof,' ſtand fair to receive
the mark for ſpecial favour in fuffering times, Ezek. ix. 4.
For all the leſſer Arokes and deliverances theſe nations have

336
Motives and Exhortations.
met with of late years, it is, alas! viſible to ſober men of
whatever denomination, that we are not thereby reformed,
mor duly convinced of, far leſs humbled under, the caufes
of God's faming controverſy with us. And while there
is a God to judge on the earth, we can have no reaſon to
think that a generation chargeable with the guilt which we
are chargeable with, is in ſafety with ſuch a load upon
them ; but that either God will, by an unordinary pouring
out of his Spirit, awaken, humble, and make the land to
mozrn; or elſe by ſome rouſing ſtroke of judgment, will
vindicate his own honour, injured to a pitch that our fa-
thers arrived not at. And the leſs appearance there is of
the former, there is the greater appearance of the latter.
However, we ſeem to have no ſuch ſecurity againſt it, as
to render it unſeaſonable to keep perſonal and family faſts
io that view; that we may mourn over our own fins, and
the fins of the nations, and may folemnly commit ourſelves
and our families to the divine grace, mercy, and protection
whatever may be the occurrences of providence in our day.
None know what dark fteps may be between them and
the grave; and therefore it cannot be an unwiſe courſe,
timely to take God in Chrift for our guide, through
the mountains of darkneſs, for our protector in all dan-
gers, and for our ſupporter and helper in the midlt of
trouble.
Laſtly, It is a proper means to get matters clear for e.
ternity, and ſo make us a ſafe and comfortable paflage out
of this world. It was David's unſpeakable comfort on his
death-bed, that he could fay of the God unto whom his
fpirit was about to return, He hath made with me an
• everlaſting covenant,' 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Jacob being an
old man and a dying, comfortably reflected on the place
and time, where and when, in the days of his youth, he
had remarkable communion with God, received the blef-
ſing, and vowed the vow, Gen. xlviii. 3. with chap. xxxviii.
3
10,
--23. Would one be in a condition to look death
in the face ? to paſs ſafely and comfortably to the other
world? there is not a more ſenſible means to reach it than
this. Therefore,
1. Ye who are under doubts and fears, complaining,
that ye can never reach clear evidences for heaven, this

Motives and Exhortations.
337
toemorial is for you. No wonder they walk in the dark,
who will not be at ſo much pains to get light into their
ftate. The obtaining of ſuch light, might of itſelf be a
fufficient ground for ſuch an exerciſe. Clear evidences for
heaven are ſuch an unſpeakable comfort, and ſo hard to
Taiſe up amidu ſo much corruption of heart and life, that
it is not at all ftrange, they require ſomething beyond the
ordinary courſe of devotion and application, to obtain the
fame. And this is a moſt feaſible means for that purpoſe :
for after one has got his foul humbled by a review of his
fins, hath poured out his heart before the Lord in folemn
confeſſion of fin, and perſonally entered into, or renewed
covenant with God, by taking hold of God's covenant of
grace ; if he ſhall then take the matter in hand, and exa-
mine himſelf as to the evidences of ſaving grace in him,
they will then be as likely to appear clearly as ever.
2. Ye who are, one way or other, getting warnings of
approaching death, this memorial is for you, Do you
obſerve your equals in years, or younger than you, carried
off by death? Have you been at any time reſcued from
imminent danger of your life ariſing from ſome accident,
or unforeſeen occurrence? Are you now and then viſited
with fickneſs? Do you perceive your ftrength begin to
fail, the pins of your tabernacle begin to be looſed ? Theſe
and the like are loud providential calls to you to prepare
for the other world. And preparation for that world, is
fufficient to found a call unto ſuch extraordinary devotion :
a proſpect of approaching death, may be well allowed to
call one to fet ſome time a part, in order to prepare for it.
.
Preparation for death is work to be done in time of health:
and why ſhould it be delayed, ſince you ſee that death is
approaching? How unreaſonable is it for men, to leave
that work to the ſick-bed, where they will have enough
ado to die, or may be deprived of their judgment, if they
do at all get a fick-bed, and be not ſuddenly ſnatched a-
way ere they or their friends are aware ? No, firs; ye
know that death is coming : therefore while ye are able,
fet fome time apart for that very end, to prepare for it,
and to itate matters clearly for eternity; otherwiſe ye are
cruel to your own ſouls, by your negligence, making of
death a leap in the dark into the other world,
F

338
Motives and Exhortaliona.
3. Laſtly, All without exception, who believe a heaven
and a hell, this memorial is for you. The eternal ſtate
is not a matter to venture upon at random. If
you
do
really believe a life to come, ye cannot reaſonably think,
that this is too much to make a ſuitable preparation for it.
Their hearts are certainly more ftout than holy, who amidtt
ſo many inſtances of mortality, as the world is fill afford-
ing, are not thereby excited to ſet their own fouls' caſe in
order, with an eye to death's coming about to their own
door, and thus to ſet ſome time apart for that end, is little
enough in a caſe of ſuch vaſt importance.
a
FINIS

THE
C O N T E N T S.
Page.
3
HE Introduction and general ſcheme
HEAD 1. The Parties in the Covenant of Grace
IT
ib.
I 2
14
15
20
23
27
1. God the party.contractor on Heaven's fide
Confidered in a threefold view
II. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt the party-contractor on
man's fide
The covenant of grace made with Chriſt, as the
,
Laſt Adam, head and reprefentative of his ſpiri-
tual ſeed,
Evinced from five confiderations
Five reaſons why it was fo made
Inferences
III. The party contracted and undertaken for
The ele&t were the party repreſented and contract-
ed for in the covenant
Four proofs of it
Three ways they are viewed in this covenant:
repreſentation
Inferences
Object. I fear I am none of thofe whom Chrift
repre-
ſented in the covenant ; how then can I take hold
of it by believing? Anſwer
Queft. Are there no marks whereby a finner may
know himſelf to be one of thoſe who are repreſent-
ed by Chriſt in the ſecond covenant? Antwer
巧​。9四​。
28
ib.
31
32
34
36
HEAD II. The Making of the Covenant of Grace 38
How Chrilt the Son of God became the Second A.
dam
39
Ff 2

THE CONTENTS.
41
a
Page.
How the corenant was made with Chriſt as the Se.
cond Adam
Chriſt giving his conſent to the covenant, took upon
him a threefold character
1. The Kinſman-redeemer in the covenant ib.
Performances of the Kinſman-redeemer four
44
II. The ſurety of the covenant
47
For whom Chrift became ſurety
ib.
For what he became furety
50
Whether or not Chriſt's ſuretiſhip is alſo of the
nature of ſuretiſhip for one's performing of a
deed? Anſwer
III. The prieſt of the covenant
60
The neceffity of this proved
61
Inferences from the ſecond head
仍​归​。
58
64
HEAD HI. The Parts of the Covenant of Grace
70
71
76
77
78
ANCO CO
Oo oo
83
I. The conditionary part of the covenant
ib.
Condition, the word explained
ib.
Chriſt's righteouſneſs the condition of the cove-
nant
Proved by five arguments
ib.
Cafe, How ſhall I know that Chriſt's righteouſneſs
is indeed mine in poffeffion? Anſwered
Chriſt's righteouſneſs confifts of three parts
Holineſs of nature
Righteouſnefs of life
80
Satisfaction for fin
Inferences from the conditionary part of the
covenant
Of perſons that have Chriſt's righteouſneſs imput-
ed to them, three characters
94
II. The promiffory part of the covenant
Importance of the promiſſory part of the covenant
cleared by feven confiderations
Two general kiods of promiſes
103
To whom they were made
104
Ioferences
107
Promiſes peculiar to Chrift
90
100
IOI

THE CONTENT S.
III
II2
121
Page.
Affiftance
Acceptance
Reward
113
Promiſe of eternal life to the elect
115
More generally conſidered
116
More particularly in three periods
118
1. Before their union with Chriſt
119
Promiſe of preſervation
ib.
Promiſe of the Spirit
2. From their union with Chriſt until death
125
Promiſe of juftification
ib.
of a new and ſaving covenant-relation
to God
129
Sanctification
132
Perleverance
152
Temporal benefits
157
3. From death through eternity
161
Promiſe of victory over death
162
Everlaſting life in heaven
164
Inference from the promiſe of eternal life 168
No proper penalty of the covenant of grace 170
HEAD IV. The Adminiſtration of the Covenant
of Grace.
172
ib.
Chrift the Adminiſtrator of the covenant
Sinners of mankind the object of the adminiſtra.
tion of the covenant
Confirmed by five arguments
Ends of the adminiſtration of the covenant
The bringing of finners into the covenant
The management of them therein
The completing of their happinefs
The nature of the adminiftration of the covenant
The relations Chrift hath to the covenant as the
Adminiſtrator thereof
3. The Truttee of the covenant, in nine particulars
II. The Tettator of the covenant: and here are
opened
The making of the teſtament
176
177
182
ib.
183
ib.
185
186
ib.
192
193

THE CONTENTS
Page.
197
20L
202
Who are the legatees
Who is the executor of the teſtament
What are the legacies left
III. The Prophet of the covenant
IV. The King of the covenant
V. The Interceſſor of the covenant.
207
212
223
HEAD V. The Trial of a faving perſonal In-
being in the Covenant of Grace
228
Characters of thoſe who are ſavingly within the co-
venant
229
HEAD VI. The way of inftating finner's perſonal-
ly and ſavingly in the Covenant of Grace
242
The means of inftating a finner in the covenant, is
faith
243
It is moſt agreeable to the nature and end of the
covenant
245
The import of the word believing, in the ſcrip-
ture uſe of it
247
A twofold word to be believed: the law and the
goſpel
ib.
The faith of the law preparatory for the covenant 248
The faith of the goſpel, inftating in the covenant,
carries in it four things
251
I. The faith of Chriſt's ſufficiency
ib.
II. The faith of the goſpel-offer
253
Object. 1. But Chriſt is now in heaven, and I hear
no voice from thence : how then can I believe
that he offereth himſelf to me in particular?
Anſwer
255
Object. 2. But Chriſt in the word of the goſpel
doth not name me: how then can I believe that
he offereth himſelf to me in particular? An-
swer
Obje&. 3. I fear I want the qualifications deter-
minative of thoſe to whom the goſpel offer is
256

THE CONTENTS.
Page.
directed, &c. how then can I believe that
Chriſt offers himſelf to me in particular? Anf. 256
III. The faith of our right to Chriſt
259
Queft. How can I, a poor finner, by nature under
the curſe, believe that Chriſt is my Saviour,
that his righteouſneſs, and eternal life are mine?
Anſwer
260
Object. 1. If it be true, that Chriſt is my Saviour,
that his righteouſneſs, and eternal life in him,
are mine; then I may be eaſy, I will certainly
be ſaved without any more ado? Anſwer 264
Objedt. 2. But Chrift a Saviour, his righteouſneſs,
and eternal life, are things ſo exceeding preci-
ous, and I am ſo very finful and unworthy, that
it is mighty hard for me to believe they are
mine. Anſwer
265
IV. The faith of particular truft for ſalvation
Object. 1. Since it is not true of all who hear the
goſpel, that they ſhall be ſaved ; there cannot
be, in the caſe of every one of them, a ground
on which this particular truft may be warrant-
ably founded. Anſwer
273
Obje&t. 2. Many truſt in Chriſt as their Saviour
with a particular confidence that he will ſave
them; and yet are groſsly ignorant, profane, or
formal hypocrites ; and therefore not true be.
lievers. Anſwer
266
274

THE CONTENT S.
MEMORIAL anent FASTING,
Pages
276
NOO 00
15.10 bus 287
Chap. I. OF religious fafting and humiliation in
general
Chap. II. Of perſonal fafting in particular
283
Sect. 1. Of the divine warrant for it
284
Sea. 2. Of a providential call to perſonal fafting
and humiliation, in twelve particulars
Sect. 3. Directions for managing the duty cm 297
Of perſonal fafting
ib.
Advices for the right managing of it
Set 308
The form of a perſonal covenant
Chap. III. Of family-fafting in particular
Directions for the managing of it
The conclufion
in this
to stay
332
321
328
331
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