favor to those who are not of the church. But there are pront ifes that the means of converfion shall be bleffed to those who are in the covenant; that God will circumcife their heart, and the heart of their feed to love him: That he will give them a new heart, take away the heart of ftone, and give them a heart of flesh : That he will write his laws in their minds and hearts: That he will pour his spirit on their feed, and his bleffing on their offfpring. Converting grace is a covenant bleffing to those who are in the covenant. And the converfion of fuch regular church members as may be unconverted (and no doubt there may be many fuch among the children of the covenant) is the fulfilment of a gracious promife to the church, whereby an uninterrupted fucceffion is preserved therein, chiefly of the natural branches, who are born members. The promise indeed being indefinite, cannot be abfolutely claimed for himself by any one in particular; but it shall have its accomplishment within the church: It fecures a bleffing to them. And hence we find Ephraim pleading his covenant relation to God in prayer for converting grace. Turn thou me and I fhall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God.

So that they who are of the church have much the advantage of others. Those invifible bleflings of divine grace, pardon, reconciliation to God, fanctification, which are connected with eternal falvation, belong only to those who are in the covenant. They can no otherwise be obtained by any than by admiffion into the number of God's peculiar people, according to the terms or rules of the gofpel. There are alfo external privileges, to which none but those who are in covenant and of the church may be admitted. There are special ordinances, which others have no right to use, and may not be admitted to them. And though the common means of converfion are not fo confined to the church, but that they are alfo in uncovenanted bounty granted to many others; and though the special bleffings of grace are often conveyed to fuch in the use of thefe means, as has been faid; yet even these common means of converfion are more efpecially the privilege of the church: To them only are they granted and fecured by covenant. It is in the church that thefe ordinances are ordinarily and statedly used and enjoyed: They are especially designed for the benefit of its members, and the promife of a fpecial bleffing to render these means effectual is to them.

But we are not to conceive that all who are in the covenant, and rightful members of the church, according to the gospel rule, are entitled to all the fame or equal privileges. Some have a much greater intereft, a richer and more valuable inheritance of fpiritual bleffings conveyed or promised to them than others. All are entitled to fome fpecial favors and advantages above the rest

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of the world. And even thofe privileges in which thofe who are not in covenant are allowed to fhare with them, the church holds by a special and firmer tenure, even a covenant grant or promise. But fome are entitled to, and endowed with more ample and important privileges than others. For inftance.

Every true faint is undoubtedly interested in the covenant; a member of Chrift's mystical body; a partaker of thofe bleffings of divine grace which fhall iffue in his eternal falvation. But if he has not, or exhibits not fuch evidence of godliness as the gospel rule makes necessary to give one a right of admiffion and access to the privileges of outward communion in an inftituted church, he has not then a covenant right, nor can regularly or warrantably come, or be admitted to them.

Again, the minor child of a regular member of an instituted church is confeffedly in covenant, a member of the church, and according to the gofpel rule is a proper subject of baptism, with other fpecial privileges: Yet we have no reason to think that all fuch children are the fubjects of fpiritual regeneration, or entitled to the promife of eternal life. And however we may hope charitably concerning individuals, yet they may not be admitted to full communion till they appear to be regularly qualified for it; tho' their right of membership remains, till according to gospel rule they are cut off and uncovenanted.

Ás every true faint is not entitled, according to the rule of the gofpel, to the external privileges which belong to regular members of inftituted churches; fo the members of inftituted churches are not all entitled to the peculiar privileges of true faints. Nor is there a neceffary connection, or implication of the respective qualifications, or privileges which according to the covenant belong to each refpectively. Tho' all covenant bleffings, external and internal, are granted or promised to the church, yet every member is not entitled to all. There are fpecial privileges which belong only to the members of inftituted vifible churches as fuch. There are other gofpel bleffings which belong only to the invisible or mystical church. Though every true faint is in covenant, and of the church; yet many fuch belong not to any visible inftituted church; and fo have no right to use the special ordinances which are appropriated to vifible faints. And though every visible faint is in covenant, and has a right to fpecial external privileges; yet many fuch are not true faints, and fo belong not to the invisible church of true faints, nor are entitled to thofe fpecial and important benefits which are granted or promised to fuch alone.

The evangelical charter, which forms the church, contains feveral articles or branches. Some of the privileges it grants are outward and visible; others are inward and invifible. The form

er

er are annexed to outward and visible, the latter to inward and invifible qualifications. And hence, though the church in its general acceptation is but one, yet it is divided into feveral branches or claffes, each of which is diftinguished by peculiar characteristic denominations, and has peculiar and appropriate privileges granted to the members of which it is compofed. The vifible inftituted church is diftinguished by outward vifible qualifications, has an interest in the covenant, in refpect of its outward adminif tration, and a grant of outward bleffings and privileges. The invisible or myftical church is diftinguished by inward invifible qualifications, has a more important intereft in the covenant in respect of its inward and invifible adminiftration, and has a grant of inward and invisible blessings. It is however to be noted, that the invifible and visible church are not wholly diverse in respect of the members of which they are compofed, though in refpect of their descriptive formal characters, they are diftinct. For the invisible and vifible church mutually include each other in part many being at the fame time both inward and visible faints; and interested both in the internal and external bleffings of the covenant. But there are, befides, many regular church members who are not inward faints, and fo not entitled to those bleffings which are granted peculiarly to the mystical church. And there is yet a third clafs confifting of inward, but not visible faints, who are entitled only to internal, but not to external covenant bleffings.

Those divines who speak of an outward and inward covenant are not to be understood as suggesting the idea that there are two distinct covenants of grace proposed to mankind. But the gospel covenant contains a grant, promise, or proposal of outward and inward bleffings. It contains a rule for the administration of a visible and invifible government over the church and its members. If we speak of the mystical church confifting only of true faints, this is an invisible fociety; fince fanctifying grace, which is the effential distinguishing qualification of all its members, cannot be certainly seen by men. Now the gospel covenant contains grants and promises of spiritual bleffings to them; but these bleffings are also invisible: no man can certainly know, whether another has received them; and even they who are partakers of them are often doubtful of their own intereft therein. But Christ, who knows them that are his, adminifters an invisible government over his faints according to the rule of the covenant, and difpenfes the promised bleflings of his grace to all who have a title to them.

But visible inftituted churches are focieties which may be seen, and diftinguished from all others by outward marks, and appa

rent

rent qualifications. Though it cannot be known who are inwardly fanctified, yet it may be known in whom those evidences of fanctification appear, which the gospel rule requires to qualify for external communion. And the gofpel covenant contains rules and ordinances for the adminiftration of an external government in and over visible churches. According to this rule, vifible faints who have, and exhibit the figns, expreffions and evidences of faith and repentance, which the gofpel requires as a qualification for the privileges of external communion: Perfons of this def cription, I fay, with their children, are regular, and rightful church members; and it is their duty and right to use those ordinances and privileges of inftituted churches to which others, not church members, have no right; what thefe evidences are in particular may be confidered in its proper place. But in general we may say that certain evidences of inward fanctification are not neceffary, but fallible figns are fufficient, to give one a right of admiffion, and access to thefe privileges.

The fum of what has been faid is; the privileges granted by the covenant are either internal or external; fome of which are in uncovenanted goodness vouchfafed to fuch as are not in covenant; who have then a lawful right to poffefs and improve them. But the church alone has a covenant right to, or grant of any of them: And some special privileges belong only to rightful members.-Not every one who has an intereft in the covenant is entitled to all its bleffings. They are divided to each feverally, according to the different qualifications of each one, and according to the interest he has in the covenant.-There is an invifible and a vifible government in and over the church, administered according to the gospel covenant, which grants and affigns invifible bleffings to true faints, and external privileges to vifible faints: The former being in the covenant in refpect of its internal, the the latter, in refpect of its external administration.

SECTION III.

All in Covenant entitled to special Privileges.

SOME have fuppofed that perfons may be in covenant and yet have no right to any of its privileges. They may be under its bonds, but not be conformed to them, and fo not be fubjects of the condition.-Now, conformity to the terms of the covenant, it is faid, is the thing which gives right to all its benefits; and not merely a being under ties to that conformity. Pri

vileges

vileges are not annexed merely to obligations, but to compliance with obligations.

But I conceive that all who are in covenant, in any proper fenfe, are not only under its bonds, but invested with its privileges. The covenant forms the church. All who are interested in the one are rightful members of the other. And furely rightful church members have a covenant right to fome special privileges above others.

It is true, fome who are not in covenant, and so have no covenant right to any of its bleffings, may by means of it be laid under the ties of duty to confent and conform to it. This is the cafe of all the hearers of the gospel: And by having the covenant proposed to them, they are admitted to have and use fome valuable privileges. But the obligations they are under are not the bond of the covenant, nor are they entitled to any privileges by a covenant grant till they become members of the church. But fuch bonds of duty as fuppofe men to be in covenant, have privileges annexed to them: For an intereft in the covenant gives a right to privileges, as foon as it lays one under its bonds; and this right is abfolute, and not fufpended on future conditions. It is impoffible for any one to be in the covenant till he has the qualifications neceffary in order to his having an intereft in it. And thele qualifications are all the condition or conformity to the covenant, neceffary to give one a right to fome privileges. But it does not follow, that becaufe a man is in covenant, and fo entitled to fome of its bleffings, he is therefore entitled to all of them. Many of its grants, and those of the highest importance, may ftill remain fufpended on conditions which have not yet been complied with by fome who, yet according to the gospel rule, are rightful members of the church. And though fuch are under covenant bonds to comply with thefe further duties or conditions, yet thefe bonds neither give them a right to thofe further bleffings, promifed on thefe conditions, nor is a right thereto any way annexed to them: For conditional grants are not claimable by thofe who poffefs not the condition. I am not now enquiring who are rightfully in covenant, and of the church, and what qualifications are required to conftitute one a regular member. But that a right of church membership, and a title to fpe-. cial privileges, belongs to all who are in any proper fente in covenant, methinks no intelligent chriftian, who maturely confiders the matter, can or will call in question.

Whenever any by their fcandalous wickedness impenitently perfifted in, lofe their right to all covenant privileges, they are no longer in the covenant, however the ties of duty which they had taken on themfelves may yet be binding on them. To speak of