A Discourse of the Two Covenants, Book 2 · Chapter 2 · Section 3

A Discourse of the Two Covenants · Book 2 · Chapter 2 · Section 3

p. 147SECT. III. Chriſts Headſhip in the Covenant applied.

Ʋſe 1 §. 1. IT inſtructs us firſt to obſerve the rich and free Grace of God, that hath given his Son as a Covenant to the Nations, which mercy the Prophet Iſaiah exalts;Iſa. 42.6.Isa 42:6 To us a child is born, to us a ſon is given; and the giving of his perſon was the higheſt honour, and the greateſt gift; but yet it will be more heightned in our thoughts, if we conſider the ends for which he is given, and the glorious retinue of all grace that follows him: For he is given as a head with a Covenant, and an Image, and we admire God that hath laid up all grace in Chriſt to diſpenſe unto us, that of his fulneſs we may receive grace for grace: This is to give him but half of his glory, as he is the Churches head, and the ſecond Adam; for p. 148he doth bring a Covenant into the World as well as an Image, and in this reſpect happily amongſt others, he is called the Angel of the Covenant.

1ſt. It is a free gift; there are three things in a gift, (1) It is not ex debito, of debt, God did not owe unto man a Covenant, it was all free grace, it was that made him enter into a Covenant at firſt, barely to ſweeten mans obedience; and therefore that man might be willing to be bound to obey, God himſelf is content to be bound to reward him: But when man had broken the firſt Covenant, and was perfidious before God, now to enter into a ſecond Covenant, this makes the Grace of God the greater, becauſe otherwiſe he ſhould have periſhed under the curſe of the firſt. (2) It is not ex pretio, by price; there is no price, that did purchaſe the Covenant; though all the benefits and bleſſings of the Covenant are purchaſed by Chriſt, yet the Covenant it ſelf is grounded only upon free grace; and it is this Covenant that is the ground of all the acts of Chriſt, and the acceptation of them all is grounded only upon free Grace in the Covenant and compact between him and his Father. (3) Not ex merito, of merit, from any thing that we can do; for there is not the leaſt bleſſing in the ſecond Covenant but it is of Grace, and the reward is not reckoned of debt, but of grace; and if all the benefits of the Covenant be ſo, much more the Covenant it ſelf, from whence comes all the grace we have to do any thing pleaſing in the ſight of God.

2dly. The greatneſs of the gift is ſeen in the love of the giver. There was a love manifeſted in the firſt Covenant; but yet it was not ſuch by which he did intend that any of the Sons of men ſhould be ſaved: He has ſaid, That by the works of the law ſhall no man be juſtified; and the inheritance is not by the law, &c. But the ſecond Covenant did proceed from Gods electing love, which is exactly ſuited thereunto; for Epheſ. 1.3, 4. he doth obſerve the ſame order in the benediction, that he did in election: And the more difficulties love breaks through, the greater it is, Cant. 8.7. Now our Covenant-breaking might provoke God to withdraw his love; and yet the greatneſs of his love is ſeen in the duration of it: The firſt Covenant was broken, and thereby that love was turned into hatred, and God became our enemy, as common love will end in everlaſting hatred; but this is from his everlaſting love, and therefore it is an everlaſting Covenant.

3dly. The greatneſs of it is ſeen in our neceſſity. We were (1) under a Covenant broken, and therefore under the curſe of it. (2) It was a Covenant without a Mediator; for God could not enter into Covenant immediately with us being fallen, as we have heard at large; therefore there was in the firſt Covenant no commutation of the perſon; we muſt anſwer for it in our own perſons; the ſoul that ſins, muſt dye. (3) A Covenant that promiſes no ſpark of repentance. (4) A Covenant that promiſes no mercy or acceptance upon repentance; and therefore man had been left in a remedileſs condition, even as the Devil at this day,2 Pet. 2.4.2 Pet 2:4 being bound in the chains of darkneſs, 2 Pet. 2.4. which is nothing elſe but the curſe of their Covenant. Now in this condition, it is the Goſpel of Chriſt, the Grace of God that brings ſalvation, Tit. 2.11. Life and immortality is brought to light thereby.

4thly. Conſider the excellency of this Covenant. The firſt Covenant indeed is that under which the Angels ſtand, by which they do injoy happineſs and glory; but this is the Covenant under which Chriſt ſtands, of which he is the Glory, the Prince, the Meſſenger; the Mediator of a better Covenant, which the Angels admire, and were it offered to them, would change their Covenant, and caſt away their own righteouſneſs, that they might come under the Covenant of Grace, by which Covenant the Saints enjoy all their happineſs and glory in Heaven, and have the promiſes of the life that now is, and that which is to come.

5thly. That Chriſt is given as a Covenant, doth heighten the promiſes thereof, and make them of a far more glorious nature,Rev. 21.7.Rev 21:7 than thoſe under the firſt Covenant: For I will be thy God, and thou ſhalt have an intereſt in all that is in me for thy good; as truly as it is mine for my own glory: The promiſes are infinitely heightned, becauſe he that is the Prince of the Covenant was worthy and capable, which no meer creature could be.

6thly. This makes the promiſes of it ſure unto all the ſeed; for with Chriſt, God cannot break Covenant; and there is nothing in this Covenant but is purchaſed as well as promiſed; and the righteouſneſs is everlaſting, ſin can never ſpend it: Heb. 7.22. Surety of a better teſtament: A ſurety not only of the old Covenant to pay the debt, but alſo of the new to perform the duty; ſo that God expects all from him, and accepts all as it doth proceed from his hand.

2. This inſtructs us alſo that we are to admire, honour, and exalt the Lord Jeſus, given as a Covenant to the Nations; 1ſt. That he would conſent thereunto; for whatever Chriſt is made for us, and whatſoever he is given to us, is by his own conſent; and there is a concurrence of his will with God the Father's therein; for as he is the Son, he is God equal p. 149with the Father, and thought it no robbery ſo to be; Phil. 2.7, 8.Phil 2:7Phil 2:8and therefore he cannot come under an act of Gods will, but by his own conſent; whence in the very election of Chriſt, there is a concurrence of the will of Chriſt unto it; Chriſts generation is an act of nature, but his election is an act of will; and as Chriſt is God, he cannot come under an act of Gods will, without his own conſent: He is ſaid, to be foreknown, 1 Pet. 1.20. Heb. 1.2.1 Pet 1:20Heb 1:2and foreordained before the world began; and to be appointed heir of all things: God having an abſolute dominion over us, we being in his hand, as clay in the hand of a Potter, our election is meerly an act of his ſovereignty, God having abſolute power to appoint us to what end he will, as well as to give us what being he will: but it is not ſo in the election of Chriſt, nor in any of the conſequents of his election, he coming not under an act of Gods will but by his own conſent. Hence, that Chriſt ſhould come under this Covenant, and be made a Covenant unto us, doth exceedingly exalt the Lord Jeſus. We look upon it as a great condeſcenſion in God the Father, that when he had made his creature he would be bound to him, and not only be his God by creation, but alſo by ſtipulation; he pays debts that owes none, he forgives debts as not valuing them: But the condeſcenſion of Chriſt is exceeding great, to enter into Covenant by way of obedience and ſubjection; and this honours God more than the obedience of all the creatures in Heaven and Earth, that his Son ſhould be in ſubjection to him; and this honours the Law more than any thing elſe, that he that is the Lord of the Law, ſhould be made under the Law; and that he that was equal with God in nature, ſhould come under the counſel of his will; it is much more than for all the creatures to obey him, that did owe all that they were by the right of their creation: for all the Stars to vail their faces before the Son, it's nothing; but for one Sun to be willing to be Eclipſed, that the other may ſhine: for all the Subjects in Kingdom to ſerve a Prince is nothing, but for a Prince equal with himſelf in ſtate and honour, to come and be a Servant and wait upon him on his knees, and be at his command, honours him more.

2dly. That hereby you ſhould have the benefit of this eternal tranſaction between the Father and the Son before the World began, and of that mutual agreement that was between them; for the whole Covenant was in reference unto you: Chriſt came into the World under an ingagement, and therefore he ſaith, Lo I come to do thy will; and the Lord calls him his Servant, I will bring forth my righteous ſervant the branch, and by his knowledge ſhall my righteous ſervant juſtifie many; and it was a ſervice undertaken and conſented unto, and that which he was appointed before the world began, 1 Pet. 1.20.Titus 1.2. 2 Tim. 1.9.Titus 1:22 Tim 1:9 And of this I conceive theſe places of Scripture are to be underſtood: John 17.6. Thine they were, and thou gaveſt them unto me: And Rev. 3.8. And all that dwell upon the earth ſhall worſhip him, whoſe names are not writen in the lambs book, &c. It cannot be ſpoken of election, for though election being an act ad extra, is common unto all the perſons, and therefore the Son and Spirit had a hand in the choice, as well as the Father; I know whom I have choſen; yet that is an act of Chriſt as God, but this is ſpoken of him as he is the Mediator: as he is the Lamb, ſo he hath a Book of life, which can be underſtood no otherwiſe, but in reference unto the Covenant that the Lord did work with him as Mediator, and in reference to the Souls that the Lord did then indent with him for to ſave, all thoſe that he had choſen unto life, that were in the Covenant between Chriſt and him, and he did give unto Chriſt by Covenant, and Chriſt did therein tranſcribe their names out of the Lords Book of election into the Lambs Book, which is a meer tranſcript of the Father's Book of life: And thus you have the benefit of this great tranſaction between the Father and the Son, by vertue of this Covenant; and thereby you become part of Chriſts care, and have your names written in his heart, from all eternity, and thereby have, as it were, a being in Chriſt, before you had a being in your ſelves; he bore you in his boſom, had your names in his Book before the World was.

3dly. That to introduce this Covenant of Grace, Mercy and Reconciliation (for it was not to take place till after the fall) he ſhould put himſelf under another Covenant, and that upon the worſt terms, a Covenant broken; and ſo he muſt not only come under the duty, but alſo under the curſe of it, be made under the law, Gal. 4.4.Gal 4:4to redeem us that were under the law: To undertake the duty had been much, to fulfill all righteouſneſs; but to bear the curſe, to be made a curſe for us, was more: But above all, to lye under the guilt as an offender, that was the greateſt abaſement; to be reputed a ſinner by men, and to have ſin imputed to him by God; to be made ſin, and to confeſs your ſins as his own, Pſal. 40.2.2 Cor. 5.21.2 Cor 5:21 to be circumciſed and ſtand in the Temple for purification, as if he were born in ſin, and for the iniquity of us all to meet upon him, is a greater condeſcenſion:Iſa. 33.6.Isa 33:6 Had Chriſt undertaken to have been, when that Covenant was broken, but a Mediator by way of interceſſion and intreaty, being beloved of God, and powerful with him, as the Woman of Tekoah was with David for Abſolom, and the Saints are ſo Miniſters one for another, pray one for another, p. 150that you may be healed; yea, and the Angels alſo, for they are Interceders with the Lord, in the behalf of his people, Dan. 4.17. had the Lord Chriſt but improved his power and intereſt with God, that when we had broken the firſt Covenant, he would have tried us with a ſecond, to ſee if we would be more …aithful unto God in that, than we had been in the firſt, it had been a great mercy, and a wonderful act of love, ſo far to have appeared for us: but for the Lord Chriſt to become a ſurety, that is, a Mediator of ſatisfaction, to pay our debt, and not to do it by and by, but to come into bond to do it hereafter, and in the mean while to ſtand in our ſtead, and to be looked upon as ingaged unto God for what we did owe, this ſtill was a far greater condeſcenſion in Chriſt: For to bring in the Covenant of Grace that it might take place for us, he muſt come under another Covenant, and into that alſo upon the worſt terms that could be.

4thly. When the Lord had brought in this ſecond Covenant by coming under the firſt, fulfilling it, and thereby aboliſhing it, cancelling the hand-writing that was againſt us, and nailing it to his Croſs. Now had he in the ſecond Covenant, only undertaken the commanding part, which is that which is honourable in it, and laid upon us the others, that we had ſtood bound unto God to obey; and ſo have left us under a better Covenant, the former being taken out of the way, it had been leſs: but in this new Covenant he muſt undertake all, and be all in all in the Covenant; not only that he undertakes to diſpenſe all from God unto us, and is the great ſteward therein, the ſun of righteouſneſs, (for God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son, John 5.11.) but as all the glory that God will beſtow he doth diſpenſe by Chriſt, ſo all the duties that we owe to God Chriſt hath undertaken for, even both parts of the Covenant; his faithfulneſs is ingaged to us, that we ſhall have acceptance with God, and all bleſſing… …om him; and unto God he is ingaged, that he ſhall have all duties; and therefore we be… fruit in him, Joh. 15.5. and without me you can do nothing: I can do all things through Chriſt ſtrengthening me, Phil. 4.13. He works in you to will and to do of his own good pleaſure; Hoſ. 14.8.Hos 14:8and upon him is all our fruit found: And he hath ingaged himſelf to work all your works in you and for you. Our duties are his, though we do them, for he inables us to do them; we move but as we are moved, we act but as we are acted; the duty is ours, but the efficacy is his, from him alone we have the ſupply of the ſpirit that inables us to bear fruit unto God; and he is ingaged to preſent us unto his Father, without ſpot or wrinkle, becauſe he doth give up his Kingdom unto the Father, that God may be all in all.Heb. 7.22.Heb 7:22 Thus Chriſt is the ſurety of a better Covenant.

3. Hence believers ſhould learn to know their place and ſtation under the ſecond Covenant, that they come in only as acceſſories into this Covenant, only at ſecond hand, under the grace, and favour, and acceptance of another, and no otherwiſe. We commonly, through our ignorance of the Covenant of Grace, do think, that when the firſt Covenant was broken, Chriſt did come and pay the debt, and ſatisfie the Curſe for us, and as a Mediator, did procure God to make a new Covenant with us, as if we were the perſons with whom this Covenant was made, and to whom the grace, mercies, priviledges and promiſes of the Covenant do belong; only Chriſt as Mediator, by ſatisfying of the debt of the firſt Covenant, and taking it away, did procure it for us: But we are herein utterly miſtaken, for he hath ſo brought in, a ſecond Covenant, that he himſelf is the primus foederatus, the firſt federate therein, and hath the ſame place as the ſecond Adam, that the firſt Adam had in the firſt Covenant; it was made primarily with him, and it comes upon all his poſterity in the Curſe of it, only as they are in him; in him all have ſinned, Rom. 5 2. So all the Saints are ſaid to be the ſeed of Chriſt the ſecond Adam, and the Covenant is made with him, and all the graces of the Covenant, and the promiſes of the Covenant are made unto him as unto the head, and unto us only as we are in him, and no otherwiſe; ſo that it is by our Union that we come under Chriſts Covenant, and thereby have a right and title unto all the promiſes of the Covenant,Gal. 3. laſt. 2 Cor. 1.20.Gal 32 Cor 1:20 and priviledges thereof, In him are all the promiſes of God yea, and Amen, and your duties and obedience are no further accepted, than as they are done in him; we have acceſs in the beloved, we are juſtified, and ſanctified in him, accepted and glorified in him; even our glory in Heaven is not properly our own, we enter into our Maſters joy. Matt. 25.21.Matt 25:21And it is of great concernment that we ſhould know our place in this Covenant, (1) that we may give Chriſt the Glory, which is part of that name above every name that God hath given him,Phil. 2.9. Iſa. 28.16. 2 Tim 2.19.Phil 2:9Isa 28:162 Tim 2:19 that he ſhould be the Prince of the ſecond Covenant, the ſecond Adam, that he ſhould be the foundation of foundations; The foundation of God remains ſure, that is, the election of God, as he hath choſen us in Chriſt, who is the foundation upon whom all the building of the Church is laid; and therefore is the corner-ſtone in a double ſenſe, [1] Loweſt, as that which bears the ſtreſs and weight of the whole building, as it is, Iſa. 28.16. 1 Pet. 2.6. And [2] as it is the top of the building, and ſo in the reſurrection,Pſal. 118.22.Ps 118:22 he is glorified and manifeſted to be the head of the corner: It hath p. 151been the great thing that the Lord aims at in all things, That men might glorifie and honour his Son, as they honour the Father: This is Gods great purpoſe in the Covenant of Grace, that in every thing Chriſt might be exalted; if there be any duties to be done, the Soul is to look upon Chriſt as ingaged in it, and it belongs unto him only, as he is one with Chriſt; and therefore the ſtrength and ſupply muſt come from him alone: and therefore behold the man whoſe name is the branch. If any ſervice be to be accepted,Zach. … 12.Zech 12 it belongs unto Chriſt, and it is accepted of us no otherwiſe, but as it comes out of the Angels hand; and if it be never ſo mean, yet as it comes from Chriſt it ſhall be accepted, though but a Cup of cold water, if offered in the name of Chriſt, and by his hand unto the Father: And if any promiſe be to be fulfilled, the Soul looks upon Chriſt and his worthineſs, and Gods ingagement to him for its performance; it is in him that all promiſes are accompliſhed; and this hath made Chriſt all in all, ſo ſweet unto all the Saints; God would have us look on him as all in the new Covenant, and to give him the honour, and the preheminence, which we ſhall never do, unleſs we know our own place and ſtation. (2) This is the only way to abaſe us, and to keep us low in our own eyes. Conſider thy place and tenure in the ſecond Covenant, thou holdeſt by another, and comeſt in under this Covenant only upon his account; thou art by ſin cut off from God, the fountain of all bleſſings, and thou muſt receive nothing from him immediately, but in the hand of a Mediator. It is as a King gives ſome great thing to a ſtranger at the requeſt of a Favorite, the man can only look upon himſelf as one that hath received his favour, …ut it is not for his own ſake but for anothers; my perſon is not accepted as in my ſelf, but in him, nor my duties, but as in him; if God ſpeak to us it is by him, and if we ſpeak to God it is by him; ſo that we have nothing to do with God immediately, nor receive any thing from him immediately, but it is through the Angels hand, the Angel of his preſence, and it belongs to us only by Union; the debt i… paid in him, and our duty performed in him. Here is nothing but matter of ſelf-denial and abaſement for us, and we have a continual need, for there is a proneneſs in all men being brought unto God, to be too forward to c…me unto him in their own names, and not to exerciſe thoughts of Faith upon their Prieſt, by whom they have acceſs to God, as they ſhould do; and there is no way to keep the Soul humble more than this**Tota vita noſtra tentatio eſt, & ab inſidiante ſuperbiâ nec ipſa tuta eſt victoria. Ambroſ..Epheſ. 7.3, 12. (3) It is of great uſe for a man to know his place and ſtation for his conſolation. [1] In this, that it being the Covenant made with Chriſt, a man comes under Chriſts Covenant, which is a better Covenant than that which Adam had given him, or of the Angels themſelves, he now ſtands under the ſame Covenant that Chriſt himſelf is under as Mediator. [2] It is of great conſolation in this, that whatever is required in the Covenant, he is the ſurety; ſo that the Lord hath laid help upon one that is mighty, and it is primarily required of him, and of us in him, as he hath undertaken for us; therefore though we want ability, yet there is ſtrength in him, and he is ingaged to diſpenſe it; there is no worthineſs in us, but there is enough in him, and he is ingaged by Covenant to preſent it to his Father; for all the duties of the Covenant are required firſt of him, and all the promiſes of the Covenant are diſpenſed firſt unto him.

Ʋſe 2 §. 2. The ſecond Uſe is of Exhortation. If the Covenant of Grace be made with Chriſt, then if you would have an intereſt in Chriſts Covenant, you muſt become one with him. Thou art bound unto God by a double bond, of creation and ſtipulation; and that Covenant under which thou art by nature, makes thee one with the firſt Adam; and that bond of the Covenant hath held the Devil in chains of darkneſs, which none can looſe, but he that looſed the pains of death; he can looſe the chains of darkneſs, the curſe and bond of the Covenant, and that is by a tranſlation into a better Covenant; which is only by Union. And to allure you and ſpeak to your hearts, conſider the glories of that Covenant that was made with Chriſt, into which I deſire you to be tranſlated. (1) In this Covenant the Lord ſhall be thy God, as he is Chriſts God, and thy Father, as he is Chriſts Father. (2) Thou ſhalt be freed from the dominion of the Law. The law has dominion over a man whilſt he lives, but, ſaith Paul, I through the law, am dead to the law; all that is good in the Law thou ſhalt have, but all that is evil and hurtful thou ſhalt be freed from. (3) From the guilt and dominion of ſin; from the guilt of ſin, for here is a righteouſneſs without works in this Covenant, God juſtifies the ungodly; and from the dominion of ſin, Rom. 6.14. Sin ſhall not have dominion over thee. (4) By this Covenant the Spirit is given in all the gifts and graces of it, 2 Cor. 3.6. (5) By this Covenant the Angels are your ſervants, and all the creatures are yours. (6) By this Covenant the World ſtands, and the government of the World is changed, Iſa. 49.8. He has committed all government to the ſon, John 5.22. a Kingdom he hath received from his Father; and there is yet a further addition to his dominion that he is to receive when all the perſecuting Monarchies ſhall be taken down, Dan. 7.14. and when the reſidue of the Gentiles ſhall come in, Iſa. 66.19. p. 152Pul, Lud, and they that have not heard of his name ſhall come unto him; for the coming in of the Jews ſhall be a new reſurrection, even life from the dead.

If this be ſo, that the Covenant of Grace is made with Chriſt as the ſecond Adam, then there are not two Covenants, one made with Chriſt, and another with the Saints, but as they make up one body with him, ſo it is one and the ſame Covenant under which they both ſtand; only in this Covenant Chriſt hath the preeminence, he being the head and we the members, and therefore it is made with him primarily, and with us as in him; ſo that without an intereſt in him, we have no title to it.

1. Conſider that Chriſt is not alone in this Covenant, it was not a Covenant made with him for himſelf, but as a common perſon, a repreſentative head, a ſecond Adam, that thereby he might become an everlaſting Father to all the elect of God; but the Covenant was made with him for your ſake, and that you might come under it, as you were under the Covenant of the firſt Adam: And therefore the Lord is ſaid, to give him as a Covenant to the Nations, Iſa. 42.6. and chap. 49.8. The Covenant was not therefore made with him for himſelf,Iſa. 42.6. and 49.8.Isa 42:6Isa 49:8 but for our ſake. It's queſtioned amongſt Interpreters, Why Chriſt is called the Covenant it ſelf, and not the perſon with whom it is made? I find in Scripture, that when the Lord would expreſs any thing eminently, he doth it in abſtracto, in the abſtract,Pſal. 12.2.Ps 12:2 that being put for the concrete with a commutation alſo of the ſubject, the faithful fail, [it is fidelitates] from the ſons of men: So Pſal. 68.19. He ſhall lead captivity captive; that is, a multitude captives: And Ezek. 44.6. Thou ſhalt ſay unto the rebellion, that is,Jer. 50.31.Jer 50:31 to the rebellious houſe, &c. Pride is put for the perſon that was eminently proud. So when the Lord would expreſs the eminent and great hand that Chriſt hath in the Covenant of Grace, he doth ſay, he is the Covenant it ſelf; as he is ſaid to be our righteouſneſs, our ſanctification, our reconciliation, and our peace; becauſe theſe are gloriouſly wrought by him, and he hath the chief and only hand in them; and ſo he is here ſaid to be the Covenant, and that in two reſpects. (1) Becauſe the Covenant is made with him in himſelf, and for his own ſake but made with us as in him, and for his ſake: as fire is hot in it ſelf, and the Sun light in it ſelf, and all things elſe by participation, as they receive from theſe; ſo Chriſt is the Covenant, becauſe it is with him in himſelf originally, and with us but as we are one with him. (2) Becauſe all parts of the Covenant lye upon him, whatever is to be done in it; if the Covenant be to be made, he is the Mediator of it; if it be to be confirmed, he is the witneſs of it, Iſa. 55.4. if to be publiſhed, he is the Angel; and if to be performed, he is the ſurety: And he is not a ſurety as other ſureties are, that enter into one and the ſame bond, ſo as the creditor may ſeize on whom he will, the debter or the ſurety, and on the debter firſt, for him we commonly call the principal; but in this Covenant God takes Chriſts ſingle bond for us all, that ſo he might be ſure of ſatisfaction; and therefore he is ſaid, to lay help upon one that is mighty, one able to pay, and ſo to diſcharge us; ſo God was in Chriſt reconciling the world to himſelf, 2 Cor. 5.19.2 Cor 5:19not imputing their treſpaſſes.

2. If you have not an intereſt in this Covenant, you are undone; for all the happineſs that the antient Saints had, was by an intereſt in that Covenant, and all the glory that they or we ſhall have, is by vertue of this Covenant. All the benefits of this Covenant are branched into theſe three ſorts, (1) Promiſes, (and they belong to none but the heirs of promiſe). (2) Graces. (3) Priviledges. Gal. 4. we read there of a company of men that are Abrahams ſeed, the children of the free-woman, that are begotten under the Covenant of Grace; and there is no promiſe, or grace, or priviledge, whether in this life, or the life to co…, that belongs unto any but thoſe that are in the Covenant, and have accepted it, as it appears in the matter of the Sacraments, in that of the Lords Supper, for a mans ſelf, and that of Baptiſm for his child; if a man be not himſelf within the Covenant, the ſeal can do him no good, no more than if a man that had gotten the writings of an heireſs, ſhould conclude that he ſhould inherit the Lands, becauſe he hath the writing; whereas the ground thereof is intereſt in the perſon firſt, and being made one with her, then he doth ſeize upon the Land by a legal title, and never till then; ſo they are Abrahams ſeed, to whom the Sacraments do belong: And for that of Baptiſm, the Lord gives a title from the parent to the child, he doth not ſo in the other, Acts 2.39. And the thing ſignified in Baptiſm (the Soul being paſſive in a Child) hath as good ground by Gods Covenant, as by the mans profeſſion, yea better (the mans profeſſion being fallible) than he can have any other way; and it is a mans own intereſt in the Covenant, that gives him title unto all thoſe priviledges: There are indeed membra praeſumptiva of the Church of God, to whom theſe priviledges do in appearance belong; but not in truth and in reality, unleſs they are within the Covenant.

3. This is not a Covenant that is conveyed by nature, but by conſent. Conſider here, (1) that there is a twofold Union, the one natural, and the other voluntary, and by way p. 153of ſuretiſhip: now we come under Adams Covenant by nature, our union with him being natural; for we are born under it; but the Covenant of the ſecond Adam is not ſo; and therefore we come under Chriſts Covenant freely and by conſent, for our new birth is voluntary, and our conſent is free; we are drawn and yet we come, for Gods drawing makes men willing to come; and therefore faith is commonly expreſſed by conſent; who ever will let him come, Rev. 22. There is therefore no way of getting into Chriſts Covenant but by our conſent, by laying hold of his Covenant, Eſa. 56.4.Eſay 56.4.Isa 56:4 and this is that I would exhort you to; the word in the original ſignifies to take faſt hold of a thing, and that ſtrongly and with all a mans might, as in Job 2.3. it is ſaid of Job, Job 2.3.Job 2:3that he did hold faſt his integrity; Satan and his friends would have plucked it from him, and have made him to conclude againſt himſelf, that he was an Hypocrite, and his heart unſound before God, but he yet held it, and ſaid, I will not part with my integrity till I die; and ſo Job 8.15. it's ſaid of a Hypocrite, that made himſelf a houſe of gifts, and common graces,Job 8.15.Job 8:15 and outward performances, and upon this houſe he leans, puts all his confidence; and when God by the way comes and ſhews him the deceit of it, and that it is but a ſandy foundation upon which it is built, the ſelf-flattery of his own ſpirit, and that it is but a Caſtle in the Air, and will do him no good, in the evil day the ſtorm will overflow his hiding place, yet the man holds it faſt, he will live and dye with them, and will not caſt away his own righteouſneſs: it is ſuch a taking hold of the Covenant that is here meant, with all a mans heart and might. But you'l ſay, What is it for a man to take hold of Chriſts Covenant? We have formerly heard, that there are two wayes of conveyance, either by way of gift, or by way of dowry. The promiſes and all the graces of the Covenant, yea the Covenant it ſelf is not beſtowed upon us, as a man would give a gift to another without any farther relation; but it is by way of a dowry, which you cannot have without the perſon: ſo it is here, Chriſt in the Covenant is a common perſon, a ſecond Adam; and if we have an intereſt in him, and be repreſented by him, the Covenant belongs unto us; but there can be no benefit in his Covenant, without intereſt in his perſon. As we ſee the ground and intendment of union is,1 John 5.11.12.1 John 5:111 John 5:12 that there may be a communion, and a communication; and all communion is grounded upon union, and is the fruit of it;Gal. 3. ult.Gal 3 it's our union with the firſt Adam that brings us under his Covenant; wherefore as ſoon as a man becomes a man, his Covenant and the curſe of it takes hold on him; and therefore Infants die: ſo it was the union of Chriſt with us that brought him under our Covenant; he was made of a woman, under the Law: Gal. 4.4.Gal 4:4had he not been one with us, he could never have ſtood in our ſtead living and dying; ſo it is our being one with him, that gives us an intereſt in his Covenant, and brings us under it.

(2.) The terms and condition of this union is, that you ſhall receive and accept him, and give up your ſelves to him: I am my Beloveds, and my Beloved is mine: Cant. 6.3.Song 6:3you muſt cut off your right Hand, and pluck out your right Eye, deny your ſelves, that nothing ſhall be exalted in the heart but Chriſt; and nothing muſt be dear to a man in compariſon of Chriſt; he muſt ſell all to buy the Pearl, Matt. 13.45. and part with it with joy, not only part with a mans ſins, but his righteouſneſs, and priviledges, and take them up by a new title; as Paul, he ſuffered the loſs of all things, Phil. 3.8, 9.Phil 3:8Phil 3:9but found them all in Chriſt, and attained them by a far better and more glorious title. A man muſt do it as you do in Copy-holds, a man muſt bring in his old Copy into the Court, and there muſt be a ſurrender made, and then you ſhall take it up again, and have a new, and a better ſtate in it, &c. A man muſt part with ſin as a ſnare, and with ſelf as a ſacrifice, and lay them all down at Chriſts feet, he muſt be his utmoſt end, that gives order and meaſure to all the means tending thereunto, &c.

(3.) The will of man is deſperately ſhut againſt Chriſt, and againſt this way of cloſing with him, partly from a mans ungodlineſs, becauſe it is the higheſt way in which God will be honoured, and partly becauſe a man hates the terms and conditions that Chriſt muſt be received upon; a man cannot give up all unto Chriſt, ſin is ſweet and ſelf is dear, and the great God of the world, the Idol that a man has worſhipped all his life time; now for a man to come and change his God, it is that which the will of man is hardly brought unto; and therefore Chriſt puts it upon the will, John 5.40. You will not come to me: who ever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely; Rev. 22.Rev 22I would have gathered you, but you would not. The Lord does knock at this everlaſting door, and men bar the door againſt him, and harden their hearts, and will rather cleave to the Law, and ſeek to patch up a broken Covenant, and will venture their eternal eſtates upon it; nay if they be convinced that there is no life to be had elſewhere, they will venture to ſit down in a ſtate and way of death, rather than they will come unto Chriſt that they may have life.

p. 154(4.) When the Lord brings a man into the bond of Chriſts Covenant, and he becomes an heir of Promiſe, there is an almighty power put forth upon the will to perſwade it, and to open the heart to accept of Chriſt, and to be ſubject unto him upon his own terms: Gen. 9.27. The Lord ſhall perſwade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Sem: which all the rhetorick of the Angels in Heaven, and Miniſters the Angels upon Earth could never do; none but the Spirit of Chriſt can open the heart, it is alone in his power that has the Keys of Hell and Death, Ut velimu, ſine nobis operatur: cùm volumus nobiſcum cooperatur. Auguſt de Grat & Lib. arb. Chap. 17. Phil. 3.8.Phil 3:8praebendo vires efficaciſſimas voluntati, giving power to the will to chooſe Chriſt, and ſo determining a mans will upon this glorious object, that a man ſeeing Chriſt to be the chiefeſt of ten thouſands, he alſo deſires him, and ſo by preventing grace he does work the will, and by aſſiſting grace he works, the deed, that a man chooſes the Lord for his portion, and as that which above all things he deſires to injoy, and place his happineſs in, and unto him he cleaves with full purpoſe of heart for ever, Act. 11. 23. And thus a man looking upon Chriſt as the perſon in whom there is a Covenant and an Image laid up, and ſeeing the glory of that Covenant, and the beauty of holineſs that is in that Image, of both he deſires to be made partaker; but there is the greater excellency, becauſe the perſon goes with them; there is an excellency in the dowry, but there is more in the perſon; the ſoul thus accepting of Chriſt and catching at the terms of the Covenant, as a dying man does at any thing, looks upon it as a golden Septer held forth to him by the law condemned, and as the brazen Serpent exalted upon the Pole to a ſin-ſtung ſoul; and the heart does greedily and with all its might take hold of it, as a man would do a Cord let down as the only means to pluck him out of a dungeon, or to ſave him from drowning and periſhing.

Now to give you ſome arguments to inforce this, that men ſhould take hold of Chriſts Covenant. 1. He is given by God the Father as a Covenant to the Nations, Iſa. 49.8. And it will prove a high act of unthankfulneſs not to accept of him as a gift from God; their ſin was much aggravated,John 1.11.John 1:11 John 1.11. He came to his own, and his own received him not; a man does not receive Chriſt that does not take him in this manner as offered by God the Father as a Covenant; our ends in taking of Chriſt ſhould anſwer Gods ends in giving of him; now God did give him as a Covenant and an Image, and we ſhould receive him for both thoſe ends, and the Lord has uſed all means to inforce you to it that you may lay hold of this Covenant: he did ſo with Adam at firſt, Adam ſtill thought that his former Covenant continued, and would have given life, and therefore he ſtill had a mind to the Tree of Life; but God to let him ſee there was no hope by that Covenant, ſent an Angel there with a flaming Sword, and all that man might come to Chriſt,…ev. 2.7. who is the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden of God, and came in the place of the old Tree of Life; and he hath taught men, that by the works of the Law no fleſh can be juſtified; and that that way to Heaven is ſtopped and that door barr'd for ever; God ſets the guilt of ſin and terrors of the law upon any man that would be juſtified by his works.

2. It is Chriſts Covenant, and therefore lay hold of it; for Chriſt is the ſtandard of all excellency, and the more any thing relates to him or holds forth of him, the more glorious it is: The ſecond Temple was more glorious than the firſt, becauſe of Chriſts preſence in it, and John Baptiſts Miniſtry the greateſt of all that were born of women, and yet the leaſt in the Kingdom of God was greater than he: and therefore to you that believe he is precious; 1 Pet. 2.7.1 Pet 2:7and when he ſhall raign over Iſrael, and they be converted to him, he ſhall be the glory of his people Iſrael. How ſhould we therefore lay hold of him, and take him as worthy of all acceptation!

3. Conſider the glory of this Covenant. (1.) In it thou haſt an intereſt in God, in all the perſons in Trinity; for, I will be thy God is the grand promiſe thereof. Now to have the Lord for a mans God is to have an intereſt in infinite mercy, and power, and grace; the God of my mercy and the God of my ſtrength, &c. and have the Lord thine in a way of communion and fruition, that the Lord will impart himſelf ſo as to become my portion, the Covenant of Grace being a Covenant of Friendſhip: and this is much more if we conſider, it is not in our own but in Chriſts right, and therefore I having naturally no diſtinct title unto God, yet being under his Covenant he is become my God, as he is Chriſts God;John. 20.17.John 20:17 I aſcend unto my Father and your Father, my God and your God. (2.) This Covenant brings in a righteouſneſs beyond that of the Angels; [1.] It is the righteouſneſs of God,Dan 9.24.Dan 9:24 and not meerly of a creature. [2.] It is a righteouſneſs that ſin can never ſpend, an everlaſting righteouſneſs; it is a Garment that will cover all the ſins of the Elect of God; a Sun of righteouſneſs, that though it enlighten all the Stars and the Earth, yet every day it goes forth as a Bridgroom out of his Chamber, as full of glory as ever it was. [3.] It is a Covenant by which Heaven is opened, which was before ſhut againſt p. 155all the ſons of men:Heb. 10.20.Heb 10:20 we have acceſs with boldneſs into the moſt holy place by the blood of Jeſus, by a new and a living way which he has conſecrated through the veil, &c. when Heaven was ſhut by ſin, there was no way to open it, but the Lord himſelf to deſcend from Heaven, and to take upon himſelf a created nature; ſo that the way to Heaven is by Chriſts Incarnation and Satisfaction in the Fleſh, and it is the way that Chriſt has made new, becauſe the old way was ſhut and man caſt out of Paradiſe, (a Type of Heaven) and it is a new way, becauſe it ſhall never wax old as the former Covenant did; and a livingway, becauſe it gives life unto the Paſſenger that walks to Heaven in it; and in the way of the Law there is no Life to be found; but this is a living way, a man finds life in it, though the Law indeed was a way to Heaven, but a man muſt bring life with him that will walk in it. And by this opening of Heaven we have a double benefit: [1] All good comes out of Heaven to us:John 1. ult.John 1 [2] We aſcend up to Heaven to receive the manſions that are prepared for us; and ſo Heaven is our home, our Houſe not made with hands, and all by this Covenant. (4) It is by this Covenant that a man hath the ſervice of all the Angels, and the inheritance of all the creatures; it's Chriſt whom the Angels ſerve, and they aſcend and deſcend upon the ſon of man; there was no ſuch thing under the firſt Covenant, they were our fellow ſervants, but our ſervants they were not, till the grace of the ſecond Covenant was made manifeſt: it is firſt Chriſt that they ſerve; the Lord bringing his only begotten Son into the world, he ſaith,Heb. 1.6. 1 Cor. 3.21. Fidelibus eſt totus mundus divitiarum. Jo. 5.22.Heb 1:61 Cor 3:21John 5:22 and let all the Angels of God worſhip him; and of all the creatures 'tis ſaid, all things are yours; for they are Chriſts Inheritance, and ours only as we are in him; there is dominium Politicum and Evangelicum, a Politick and Evangelick dominion: they have the uſe and the good of all the creatures. (5) It's by this Covenant that your Government of the World is changed and committed into another hand; the Lord hath committed all judgement to the Son; Chriſt is now King of Nations, as well as of Saints; and he has as Mediator a providential Kingdom, as well as a Spiritual, he is the Head over all things to the Church, Epheſ. 1.22.Eph 1:22a head of Guidance, as well as of eminence; the Keys of Hell and Death are committed to him, the Government is upon his Shoulder, as the great Officer that the Lord employs;Eſa. 9.6.Isa 9:6 and it is our happineſs, that he that is our Head and Husband, hath the rule of all things in his hand: ſhould the Lord have continued to have governed the world, he muſt without a Mediator, have deſtroyed it according to the firſt Covenant, and the rules of his Government; therefore the Lord ſaith, I cannot go before you, but I will ſend mine Angel, take heed of him and obey his voice; and it's the happineſs of the world that the Lord Chriſt raigns; Let the earth rejoyce, &c. (6) It is by this Covenant that the world ſtands: he upholds all things by the word of his power; had not he put under his hand,Heb. 1.Heb 1 the Earth had melted and come to nothing; he eſtabliſhes the earth; for the curſe of the firſt Covenant coming upon the creatures, muſt have received them all. Yet that's not all, but that the earth ſhould ſtand firm, and that by his word he ſhall raiſe the earth, and elevate the creatures, this is much more; for there is an earneſt expectation of all the creatures for a deliverance, as well as of the Saints; and hence we look for a new Heaven and a new Earth. What change ſoever ſhall be made in the creatures at the laſt day, whether in ſubſtance or in quality, it ſhall be perfective not deſtructive; for it is a promiſe that the Saints expect, and pray for, and all the creatures do groan and wait for, when the glory of the Sons of God ſhall be made manifeſt.

Ʋſe 3 §. 3. It's for conſolation: it is this in which the ſoul lives, and the privation thereof is the death of the ſoul in Hell, where it is utter darkneſs. Now as in the firſt Covenant there is a life of Comfort in the duties of it, he that doth them ſhall live in them; Heb. 10.38. Gal. 2.20.Heb 10:38Gal 2:20ſo there is the ſecond Covenant alſo, and therefore the juſt is ſaid to live by faith; as the other by doing ſhall live in it, ſo he ſhall by believing; in believing, he ſhall live not only a life of holineſs, but a life of comfort: and therefore as the ſecond Covenant is the better Covenant, becauſe it is eſtabliſhed or founded upon better promiſes; ſo the comforts that do flow from thoſe promiſes are higher, and more glorious conſolations: and therefore all the ordinances and promiſes of it are called the breaſts of conſolation, Eſa. 66.11. Heb. 6.18.Isa 66:11Heb 6:18out of which a man may ſuck and be ſatisfied; the comforts of the ſecond Covenant are ſtrong conſolations, that which is powerful and able to bear up the ſpirit in the greateſt aſſaults of temptation, either from ſin or Satan:2 Theſſ. 2.16.2 Thess 2:16 and it is everlaſting conſolation and good hope through grace; and ſuch were not the comforts and conſolations of the firſt Covenant. But the more immediate any mercy and comfort is, and the nearer it is to the fountain of Conſolation, the ſweeter it is; now Chriſt is the fountain of Conſolation, and is therefore called in the abſtract the Conſolation of Iſrael: Luke 2.25.Luke 2:25and the more immediate the Lord appears in ordinances, the more ſweet and powerful they are, as it ſhall be in the Ordinances of the later dayes, Rev. 21.22. I ſaw no Temple there: all dark diſcoveries of p. 156God that were in former ages ſhall be done away: and yet it is not ſpoken of Heaven; for verſ. 3. it is, the Tabernacle of the Lord is with men, and a Tabernacle is to be removed, and no abiding habitation; verſ. 23. The glory of the Lord and the Lamb ſhall be the Light thereof, v. 23.and therefore no need of the Sun or the Moon, that is, of any creature influences or comforts, but it is foreign Lucerna, ſuch a light as doth not make it a perfect day, it is a light that doth argue its night ſtill, in compariſon of what it ſhall be when the Sun of Righteouſneſs ſhall ariſe in glory; and yet this more immediate preſence made them both more ſweet and more powerful, and that makes glory ſo infinitely ſweet, becauſe the comfort that we ſhall have there, ſhall come in immediately from the Lord: here though Ordinances, and Providences, and Comforts be ſweet, yet they are conveyed by the creature, and therefore they loſe much of their ſweetneſs and glory; but then he will make us to drink of the Rivers of his pleaſures. Now for a mans comfort to come in from Chriſt immediately, by partaking with him in the ſame Covenant, and the promiſes thereof, to have it in the ſame Fountain with the Lord of Life, the conſolation of Iſrael, it doth very much ſweeten them unto the ſoul; and therefore it's a Chriſtians wiſdom to drink his comforts as near the Fountain as he can, and the greater cordials they will prove, and the more reviving: and therefore be you much in theſe things, and your ſouls ſhall live; they are the moſt quickning and reviving conſiderations that are in the whole Book of God. To be much in creature comforts, whether in delighting in them or depending upon them,2 Chron. 16.12.2 Chr 16:12 is a ſnare. It's ſaid of Aſa, That in his ſickneſs he ſought not to the Lord; and the reaſon is given, becauſe his heart was wholly in the Phyſicians, and his hope and expectation from them. But to be in theſe conſolations is your duty; becauſe as Hezekiah obſerves,Eſa. 38.15.Isa 38:15 by, or upon, theſe things men live, by ſuch experiments as theſe are, by ſuch promiſes, and in all theſe is the life of my ſpirit. And this was Davids conſolation at the laſt when he came to dye,2 Sam. 23.5.2 Sam 23:5 2 Sam. 23.5. Though my Houſe is not ſo with God, yet he has made with me an everlaſting Covenant, in all things ordered and ſure; there is a threefold property of the Covenant that he takes comfort in, it was everlaſting, it was ſure, it was ordered in all things; the word in the Hebrew is the ſame with that in the Proverbs, chap. 16. 1. The ordering and diſpoſing of the heart is from the Lord: and the word is uſed in a double ſenſe in the Scripture,Prov. 9.2.Prov 9:2 ſometimes for the furniſhing of a Table, and for the ordering and marſhalling of an Army, 1 Sam. 4. they put the Battel in array, every one keeps his rank; and ſo it is in this Covenant, every thing keeps its place, Chriſt is firſt in it, and then faith in its place, and the Saints in their places, and there is much comfort to be taken from this order of the Covenant; and this will appear to us in ſeveral particulars, for God is not the God of confuſion but order; and this being the greateſt and the moſt glorious work of God, there is the fulleſt and the moſt perfect order to be imagined, and therein the wiſdom and goodneſs of God doth exceedingly appear.

1. It's a great honour that the Lord has put upon his people, that they ſhould be conformed unto the image of his Son, ſo that they ſhould ſtand before him in the Covenant of his Son, and have in their place and degree the ſame right and claim to mercy that Chriſt has. The Scripture makes Chriſt the Sun in the Firmament of all excellency; and the more any thing partakes of him, the more glorious it is; as the ſecond Temple was, and Johns miniſterie, the Law and the Prophets were till John, but afterwards the Goſpel comes, which was a clearer diſcovery of Chriſt; and they were all eclipſed; though the Law had much more outward pomp and glory, yet becauſe it did diſcover Chriſt but darkly in compariſon of the Goſpel, therefore that is ſaid to exceed in glory; and ſo in Scripture the Saints do aſcribe glory one to another as they are in Chriſt, and according to their priority in Chriſt, as the Apoſtle ſaies, Rom. 16.7. Who were in Chriſt before me, and Paul ſaith in another place, I was like one that was born out of due time, becauſe laſt of all he appeared unto me, 1 Cor. 15. and therefore Auſtin ſaith, It abated his earneſt deſire of ſome principal part of his own good works, becauſe nomen Chriſti non erat ibi, the name of Chriſt was not there: had the Lord put man fallen under the Covenant of the Angels, that fell not, it had been an honour, and put them into the ſame condition with them; but it is far beyond it to put them under the ſame Covenant that was made with him whom the Angels worſhip; and the higheſt honour that we have by Chriſt is our union with him; and our legal union ſtanding before God in the ſame Covenant with him is the higheſt part of that honour: for our natural union bearing with him the ſame Image doth flow from it. It's a great honour to ſtand before God in the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, but the ground thereof is becauſe we ſtand before God under the Covenant of Chriſt; the inheritance of Chriſt is in the Saints, Epheſ. 1. they are therefore ſaid to be the glory of Chriſt, as Chriſt is the glory of the Father; his glory ſhall be at the laſt to have a p. 157large and numerous poſterity, to have a beautiful and a glorious ſpouſe, without ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing; and what is it that makes us have relation to Chriſt as a Spouſe? It is taking hold of his Covenant; and therefore the Covenant of Grace is ſaid to be a marriage Covenant; And what is it makes the match between any but conſent?Hoſ. 2:19.Hos 2:19 And therefore it's generally concluded by our Divines, amongſt the eſſentials of marriage, for parties to give mutual conſent, according unto that received rule of the Civil Law, where there is not the conſent of both parties, it ought not to be held legal Matrimony. There may be a wooing, and a raviſhment, but truly, and properly, there can be no Marriage without conſent. It is therefore a conſent joyntly in one and the ſame Covenant: And what makes us become the Sons of Chriſt? It's the ſame that makes us the Sons of Abraham, and that is, Gal. 3.29. They that are Chriſts are Abrahams ſeed; it is our coming under the Covenant of Chriſt that makes us of his poſterity.

2. It's a wonderful comfort to a Chriſtian, to ſtand before God in the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, to be made the righteouſneſs of God in him; it was that which Paul deſired, and that which the Saints glory in, Rev. 12.1. The Churches glory lies in imputed righteouſneſs;Phil. 3.8.Phil 3:8 and there are two things required to juſtifie a ſinner: (1) There muſt be a perfect righteouſneſs found out, that muſt as a garment cover all the ſinfulneſs of the Soul. (2) There muſt be an Application of this Righteouſneſs unto him that wants it, that it may truly become his; and this is to be had no-where but in Chriſt,Mal. 4.2.Mal 4:2 and therefore He is called the ſun of righteouſneſs. (1) For perfection; There is but one ſun, but there is in the Sun all fulneſs of light, it is the fountain of it: And ſo it is with Chriſt, he is but one; but there is all righteouſneſs in him, whatever is required to juſtifie a ſinner before God. (2) There is a communication or application of his righteouſneſs unto us, by the imputation …f the Father; for the Sun hath not its light for it ſelf, but that it may be communicated; …nd therefore he is called Jehovah our righteouſneſs: The fullneſs of it is ſeen in this,Jer. 23.6.Jer 23:6 That … is the righteouſneſs of Jehovah, not the eſſential righteouſneſs of Chriſt as God, but …hat which was wrought in his human nature, unto which the Godhead gave an efficacy …nd excellency: and yet it is ours alſo; and therefore he is ſaid, to bring it in. Dan 9.Dan 9There was …o righteouſneſs in the World, but Chriſt brought it in, or did cauſe it to come, as the …ord ſignifies. Now how comes it to paſs that Chriſts righteouſneſs is imputed to us, and …ccounted to us? It is not by promiſe made unto us, for till a man be juſtified, he is an …emy unto God, and hath right to no promiſe; and therefore formally this promiſe is …ade unto Chriſt, that brings juſtification with him:Iſa. 53.Isa 53 By my knowledge ſhall my righteous …rvant juſtify many. And how come we to partake in juſtification? Only as we are juſti…d in him, who is our head, who died under the guilt of our ſins, as a publick perſon, …d ſo he roſe from the dead; and therefore, 1 Tim. 3.16. he was juſtified in the ſpirit, …ot only before men, but before God alſo; for he had ſin imputed by God, as well as he was reputed a ſinner by man, and he was ſo accounted in our ſtead, as our ſurety; therefore he roſe for our juſtification, Rom. 4. laſt. And there is a juſtification upon a man, as …oon as ever he conſents to the Covenant; the righteouſneſs of the Covenant belongs to …im; ſo that if the Covenant had not been made with Chriſt, and theſe promiſes performed unto the Soul in Chriſt, we could never have been juſtified in Gods ſight; and therefore, though we are ſaid to be juſtified freely by Grace, yet it is through the righteouſneſs of Chriſt: There is Grace in God to impute his righteouſneſs unto us; but it is according to the Covenant of God with him, which was the ground why he did perform this righteouſneſs.

3. It's a wonderful comfort to have a ſhare in the merits of Chriſt, and in the purchaſe that is made thereby: for as by the ſin of man there was a curſe incurr'd, and an inheritance forfeited; ſo in the redemption wrought by Chriſt, there muſt be the Law ſatisfied, and a new inheritance purchaſed. For there are two parts of this redemption, there is an old debt to be paid, and there is a new purchaſe to be made: Bare ſatisfaction of the old debt, and performing the obedience unto the Law as our ſurety that was due from us, is not enough; the payment of an old debt, will not make a new purchaſe; therefore in Chriſt there muſt be ſomething that muſt exactly anſwer the Law, and that will pay the debt of the Law that was due from us; and there muſt be ſomething that muſt be above the Law, which is called ſuperlegale meritum, and that will alſo purchaſe us a new inheritance. There are three things neceſſarily required to this merit to make a new purchaſe, (1) It muſt be proprium, a man muſt give of his own; and ſo no man can do: Of thine own have we given thee; for all things are of thee. (2) Indebitum, ſomething that is not due, that a man doth not owe; that which is a mans duty, he muſt ſay when he hath done it, he is an unprofitable Servant. (3) The reward muſt not be of grace but of debt, and juſtice due; but there is no ſuch thing in any thing man can do; for eternal life is the gift of p. 158God, It is by grace we are ſaved, through faith, and that not of our ſelves, it is the gift of God, Epheſ. 2.8, 9. All this meets in Chriſt, it was his own, for he thought it no robbery to be equal with God; and he did lay down his own life, and it was free, it was not due, for it could not have been a ſacrifice, had it not been voluntary. And it was perfect; there was infinitely more worth in him, than is in all the Souls that he hath redeemed, and all the glory that he hath purchaſed; and therefore his ſubjects do ſet a higher price upon his perſon, than they do upon his benefits, as God the Father himſelf doth. Queſtion, How ſhould a man come to get an intereſt in this merit? The Lord gives Grace and Glory, we can merit nothing. It's true as our ſurety, paying our debt by the agreement with the Father, you ſhall be free; but there is a Covenant between the Father and the Son, not only that his ſatisfaction ſhall be ours,Iſa. 49.6.Isa 49:6 but his purchaſe ours alſo; for the Lord hath given him, not only to raiſe up the tribes of Jacob, but alſo for ſalvation to the ends of the earth: As he hath a ſeed,Heb. 1.2.Heb 1:2 ſo he hath an inheritance; for he is appointed heir of all things, and in him we have an inheritance, being with him Coheirs, Rom. 8. And all is becauſe we come under his Covenant.

4. In reſpect of the promiſes of the Covenant of Grace; for it's a Covenant that doth conſiſt in Promiſes,Heb. 8.6.Heb 8:6 it is a Covenant that is eſtabliſhed by Law, that is firmly grounded upon better promiſes, Heb. 8.6. Now wherein are they better promiſes, whenas to Adam God did promiſe life and ſalvation, not only here but hereafter? (1) They are better, becauſe all the promiſes of the firſt Covenant were conditional as rewards of Grace; but it did not promiſe Grace. (2) They are better, becauſe they promiſe higher things; the Lord to be your God, and Chriſt to be your head, your Husband, his Spirit to be the guide of your way, and alſo the earneſt of your inheritance; a higher Righteouſneſs, a higher Sonſhip, a nearer Union, a fuller Communion; as the Spouſe of Chriſt, and as his Members, and a more exceeding eternal weight of glory, being rewarded not according unto the Covenant of man, but according to the Covenant of Chriſt. (3) Better promiſes, becauſe of their aſſurance and ſtability; the promiſes of the firſt Covenant might come to an end and be ſwallowed up in the Curſe, as they were, but the promiſes of the ſecond are the ſure mercies of David; for the righteouſneſs of it is an everlaſting righteouſneſs, and therefore the promiſes are eternal promiſes. (4) But there is one thing as great as any of theſe, and that is, they are all of them the promiſes made unto Chriſt, and by vertue of the Covenant belong unto him, 2 Cor. 1.20. In him are all the promiſes yea, and Amen: That is, they are made unto him, and they belong unto us, and unto us are fulfilled only by vertue of our Union with him; as we live in him, and dye in him, ſo we receive promiſes in him; and this is the ſweetneſs of all Goſpel promiſes, they do every one of them carry a man to the fountain of his intereſt, and that brings into the Soul infinitely the more ſweetneſs. As if a Wife take a favour from her Husband, and look no further, there is not ſo much in it; but yet in every favour ſhe is carried back unto the Marriage Covenant, which aſſures her not only of this, but alſo of all others; whatever is his ſhe has a right to, becauſe of the Covenant paſt between them; this is ſweet to her: And ſo here, it brings into the Soul the ſweetneſs of all the promiſes, together with the preſent mercy. As to a wicked man in Hell, that hath the terrors of God upon him, every evil doth carry him unto the fountain of it, and that is to the anger and hatred of God, and the curſe of the Covenant that he hath broken, and this imbitters his miſery a Thouſand times more; for now the Soul ſaith, this is but a pledge of infinitely more wrath: So it is here, every promiſe carries him to the fountain, and that aſſuring him not only of this ſupply, but whatever elſe he can ſtand in need of; for in a mans intereſt in Chriſt is infinite more ſweetneſs, than in any bleſſing or benefit we receive by him. Now when a man ſhall look upon this promiſe not only as ſweet, but as his inheritance, as he is a Son of Abraham, and an Heir of Promiſe, it brings with it infinitely more ſweetneſs than the promiſes of mercy it ſelf abſtractly, and in it ſelf injoyed.

5. For all the duties and obedience to the Covenant: And this is commonly the great affliction of the people of God, the Goſpel requires obedience as well as the Law, and there is a Law of Chriſt to be kept, and there is a yoak of Chriſt to be born, and Chriſt that hath aboliſhed the Law as a Covenant and a Curſe, has eſtabliſhed the Law as a rule of Goſpel obedience, and hath therein made it a hand-maid to the Goſpel; and therefore the Law upon Mount Sinai was given in the hand of a Mediator.Gal. 3.19.Gal 3:19 And how ſhall we be able to perform this duty by the power of inherent grace? It is impoſſible, (1) from the remainders of ſin:Rom. 7.Rom 7 There is a law in the members, rebelling againſt the law of the mind; and the fulfilling of the Law requires a holy nature, as well as a holy life. (2) From the imperfections of Grace: Says the Apoſtle Paul, Not that I have already attained, not that I am already perfect, &c. And how then ſhall a man appear before God? Now comes in the Covenant p. 159of Chriſt, and of this Covenant he is a ſurety,Heb. 7.22.Heb 7:22 not only to pay the debt that we did owe under the old Covenant, but alſo to perform the duty that is required of me under the new; and therefore the Lord did lay help on one that is mighty; we ſhould have failed,Pſal. 89.Ps 89 for we could neither pay the debt of the one, nor do the duty of the other; therefore the Lord hath laid all upon Chriſt, and will expect all of him; and he muſt preſent us unto his Father, as a glorious Church without ſpot or wrinkle; and what imperfection ſoever there be in our duties, he muſt offer them pure before God with his odours; and all this is from the Covenant made with him: In him is our fruit found.Rev. 8.3.Rev 8:3

6. The ſtability of the Covenant can never fail, it is an everlaſting Covenant and ſure mercy; (1) Upon the faithfulneſs of God, it's confirmed with an Oath. (2) From the obedience of Chriſt who hath performed all that is required in this Covenant. (3) From the promiſe made unto him: for the Oath is made firſt to Chriſt;Heb. 7. Pſal. 110.Heb 7Ps 110 and if the Lord could fail with you, he could not fail with him. There are Three things that amongſt men are in a ſpecial manner noted as the acts of the higheſt injuſtice and wickedneſs. [1] To keep back the hirelings wages. [2] Not to fulfill the will of the dead. [3] The cry of innocent blood going unrevenged; and all theſe the Lord abhors in men, and they ſhall not be found in him: Now Chriſt is Gods hired ſervant, and his reward is,Heb. 9.15, 16.Heb 9:15Heb 9:16 to ſee the travail of his ſoul; it is his laſt Will and Teſtament when he died, that by means of his death, they that are called might receive the promiſe; and it's a blood that ſpeaks better things than the blood of Abel. Adams Covenant did change, becauſe it was eſtabliſhed with a mutable head. And hence as the Lord doth make ſuppoſitions, Iſa. 54.10. The Mountains may depart, and the Hills remove; if you can change the Covenant of the day and of the night, then may the Covenant of my peace be broken: And in aſſurance thereof the Saints do make ſupplications, The Lord is our God, we will not fear though the earth be removed, and the mountains caſt into the ſea: Pſal. 46.1, 2.Ps 46:1Ps 46:2And the root of all the ſtability of the Covenant lyes in Chriſt the foundation of the Covenant.

7. The acceptation that you find with God is grounded hereupon;2 Cor 5.9.2 Cor 5:9 We labour whether preſent or abſent, to be accepted of him; and there is a double acceptation, one of perſons, and the other of ſervices; (1) Of perſons, as we find, Gen. 4.4. If thou doſt well thou ſhalt be accepted, ſays God; offer it to thy Prince, will he accept thy perſon? (2) Of ſervices, Mal. 1.Mal 1Heb. 12.28. They are acceptable ſervices: As God delights in the plagues of wicked men, Pſal. 120. Coals of Juniper, which burn ſweetly and fiercely; ſo in the ſervices of the Saints, their ſmell is as Lebanon; and therefore is reſembled to the Roſes and Lillies,Hoſ. 14.7.Hos 14:7 which is the moſt fragrant ſmell: elſe they are of no worth, for they are done not for the worth of the thing, but for the acceptance that they ſhould find with the Lord; and let him come and eat the fruit of his pleaſant things. It is the Lord before whom we muſt appear, i. e. before the judgment ſeat of Chriſt; and therefore to find acceptance with our Judge is our great concern. Now how comes Chriſt to be accepted of God? It is by the Covenant made with him; and by vertue of the ſame Covenant we are accepted, Epheſ. 1.6. He hath made us accepted in his beloved; our ſervices in him are accepted, and our perſons alſo. It's your Covenant only that's the ground of your acceptation, as Luther ſays well, it is not from the dignity and worth of the duties, but from the nature of the Covenant, by which they are offered, and under which they ſtand. [1] The Father loves you. [2] The ſervices are holy, and from a holy heart: But [3] it is from a Covenant in which the Lord hath promiſed to accept all his peoples ſervices as fruits in Chriſt.

8. And Laſtly, The glory of the Saints is the glory of Chriſt, and it is the enjoyment of Chriſt in Heaven, that makes Heaven the place of Glory; it is to enter into your Maſters joy; and to be diſſolved, and be with Chriſt, is a Saints hope: were it only the reward of your own graces, it were much; but to ſit down with Abraham, and Iſaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God, is a great priviledg; but O! what is it for a Soul to ſit with Chriſt upon his Throne? As he overcame and ſat down with the Father upon his Throne, ſo alſo ſhall we be exalted by him, to ſit upon his Throne in Heaven.

p. 160CHAP. III. The Covenant of Grace made with Believers opened and applied.

Gen. 17.7. I will eſtabliſh my Covenant between me and thee, and thy ſeed after thee in their Generations, for an everlaſting Covenant, to be a God to thee and to thy ſeed after thee.