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makes fuch a profeffion thereby comes under the bonds, and is invested with a right to the privileges of the covenant so far as to become rightful member of the vifible church. He is a vifible faint, regularly qualified to come and be admitted to the special outward privileges of the church.

Whenever any one has the condition or qualification which the gofpel rule requires in order to an entrance or admiffion into the covenant, he has then an intereft therein, and is abfolutely entitled to fome of its bleffings. There are promises or grants belonging to him, which are no longer fufpended on future conditions. But there are also other bleffings which are annexed to a compliance with further conditions. Even his continuance in covenant, and the prolongation of his right to those privileges to which he is now entitled, depend on his future behaviour. For many have forfeited and loft their intereft in the covenant, with all those special privileges which once rightfully belonged to

them.

If now it be enquired what is the condition of abiding in the covenant, and holding an interest in it, I would observe, that this question is chiefly to be understood as relating to an interest in the covenant in refpect of its external administration. For to those who have access to its invifible grace and saving bleffings, a permanent continuance in a covenant relation to God is, I conceive, fecured by the covenant itself: So that faith by which we become at first entitled to this grace, feems moft properly the condition of a permanent title to, and intereft in it. But there are also means prescribed in the gofpel, a diligent ufe of which is neceffary to our partaking of the grace and bleffings of the gospel: And fo walking in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, may be termed the inftrumental or secondary conditions, by which we obtain, if not a title to, yet a continued poffeffion and participation of those bleffings of grace of which we became heirs when we first became the children of God by faith in Christ,

But an interest in the covenant in respect to its external priviJeges, or a right of accefs and admiffion to the ordinances, may be loft. And if it be asked upon what condition a vifible faint holds his ftanding in the church and covenant, I conceive it is upon the condition of abiding in a credible profeffion of chriftianity, not falling away from, or overthrowing the credibility of it, either by open defection from the faith, or a fcandalous life, obftinately and impenitently perfifted in, after admonition with other gospel means have been faithfully and patiently used with him, to recover him from the error of his way. Though a profeffor is guilty of a heinous breach of covenant, if he neglects the duties to which he stands bound, if he falls into grofs errors,

fchifms,

fchifms, and fcandalous practices; yet these do not, I think, im mediately cut him off from the covenant and church: For then the church would have no right to deal with him in a way of difcipline: For what have we to do to judge those who are with out. The difcipline of the church is an ordinance to be adminiftred to none but its members, for the healing of their backflidings. Those who are fo fpiritually unclean, as to be unfit to communicate in holy ordinances, are yet to be admonished as brethren. The Apoftles acknowledged the Jews to be in covenant, notwithstanding the great errors and corruptions into which they had fallen, till they added contumacy to unbelief, refifted and refused the means of repentance, which had been long and patiently used with them, and ftoned away, or flew thofe who would have meekly inftructed them, and fo rejected the counsel of God against themselves. But not to digrefs→→→

There is yet another condition, if it may be fo called, which, though no covenant duty, is yet necessary to our continuing in and under the external administration of the covenant, and having a right of external communion; and that is the continuance of our natural life. Death will foon cut us all off from whatever right we have to use gospel ordinances, and diffolve our relation to the vifible church. This will indeed be much to the advantage of all true faints, who, upon their difmiffion from churches in their militant ftate, will immediately commence members of the church triumphant. But all others will at death be utterly cut off from their intereft in the covenant, excommunicated, anathematized, and delivered over to Satan, for the deftruction of foul and body in hell.

But after we are in covenant, and so abfolutely entitled to fome of its blessings, there may yet be further privileges propofed, and promised, our right to which is fufpended on further conditions. The question, therefore, concerning the condition of the covenant may be understood of the condition to which particular grants or promises are annexed.

Every true believer has an intereft in the invisible grace and bleffings of the covenant; yet he has no right to use the ordinances and privileges appropriated to inftituted churches, but upon the condition of his exhibiting fuch a profeffion and evidence of his faith as the gofpel requires in order to his being admitted to them.

Again, every regular member of an inftituted church, with his children, has a covenant right to fome fpecial outward church privileges; yet if any fuch member be not a fubject of inward fanctification, he can no otherwife obtain thofe bleffings which accompany falvation, but upon the condition of a faving faith.

D

And

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And after perfons have an intereft in the external and internal bleffings of the covenant, there ftill may be fome special privileges annexed to fuch conditions as perhaps they have not yet complied with. Every rightful member may not come, or be admitted to full communion, till he has obtained further and fpecial qualifications for it: And there are special promises to eminent exercifes of particular graces; for inftance, diftributing to the neceflities of the faints, which belong not to every true believer. And in general, eminent attainments in holiness are the condition of diftingufhed bleffings both in this world and that to

come.

But if the condition of the covenant be understood of that qualification which has a covenant grant of all the bleffings and privileges contained in all the promises, I must freely own that I know of no one qualification whatever, that has all covenant bleffings annexed to it. It is only a diligent, steady and persevering exercise and practise of chriftian graces and virtues, which will give us access to all the bleffings contained in all the promises.

SECTION VI.

That there is a vifible and invifible Halinefs, which is either Relative or Inherent.

IT may be objected, though it be granted that credible profeffors of christianity are visibly faints, and fo are visibly members of the church, being visibly in the covenant of grace, and have vifibly a right to covenant privileges, and are accordingly to be admitted to external communion, and regarded and treated as faints by the church, who can only judge by the outward appearance yet none but those who are the fubjects of inward fanctifying grace are really faints, or rightful members of the church, or have an interest in the covenant, or a right in the fight of God to any of its privileges. And though the covenant contains a grant of outward privileges, as well as invifible and saving bleffings to thofe who are really interested in it, yet neither the one nor the other rightfully belong to any but true faints.

It is here fuppofed, that none but those who are inwardly fanetified are faints or holy, in any fenfe, and that a credible profeffion of chriftianity, though made without known hypocrify, conftitutes a perfon a faint only, visibly, feemingly, and in the account of men. But this, for what I can find, is faid without proof; and

is

is an hypothefis, unfupported by fcripture, or any good reafon. On the contrary, the fcripture terms thofe holy or faints, who cannot with rational probability be judged, to be all the fubjects of internal sanctification. Thus the whole congregation of Ifrael are called an holy people.

Visible churches are holy, and all the members of them, not excepting the infant children. Can it be thought probable that all these are regenerated from the birth? yet they are exprefsly affirmed to be holy or faints. And is it not accordingly taught and received in the church, that there is a relative and federal holinefs which belongs to all church members, entirely diverse and feparable from inward fanctification? There are therefore two forts of perfons, who in fcripture have the title of faints, and are really fuch in their kind, though in different fenfes. The one are the fubjects of inward and invifible, the other of outward and vifible holiness. A vifible faint does not mean one who is only a faint feemingly, or in appearance, though perhaps he may really be no kind of faint. He is really a faint, as being a fubject of outward and vifible holiness, and as having thofe qualifications which, according to the gospel rule, infer his having really an intereft in the covenant, fo far as to have a right to external covenant privileges; though perhaps he may not be a fubject of that inward and invifible holinefs, which is connected with an intereft in the inward, invisible and faving bleffings of the covenant. Many feem to have been mifled by imagining that a visible faint, is to be confidered as opposed to a real one, and fo means no more than a feeming one. A vifible faint properly ftands oppofed to an invifible or inward one, even as the visible church ftands opposed to the invisible. An inftituted church is a real church, a vifible fociety, formed and conftituted according to the rules of the gospel, and is commonly termed a church, in the New Teftament: Not indeed in the fame fenfe in which the whole collective body of thofe who are inwardly fanctified, are called the church. So a visible faint is really as well as visibly one in fome fenfe. He is really the fubject of fome kind of holiness, even that which is vifible, external and relative: Though as real holiness is often used in contradiftinction to the outward appearance and marks of inward fanctification, every vifible faint, may not be really holy. In a word, fince the feripture gives the title of faints to credible profeffors of christianity and their children, though none will fay that they are all the fubjects of inward fanctification, I conceive that they are really faints in fome fenfe. And to fay that they were fo termed through a mistaken prefumption, that they all were fuch, even as counterfeit money is called money by thofe who prefume it is good, is only introducing an arbitrary hypothefis, to evade the

plain

plain letter of the scripture, without any neceffity, or good reason that yet appears. Men may eafily fuppofe, if they please, that none are in any fenfe holy, but those who are inwardly fanctified; that there is but one fort of faints spoken of in the fcripture; that there is but one church, even the mystical; that a visible inftituted church, as fuch, is really no church, but only the external fhew and appearance of a church. But fuppofitions are no proofs,

As this notion of the church, the covenant, and faintfhip, which in effect excludes all but inward faints from a right of membership in the church, and an interest in the covenant in any refped, and which I take to be the capital mistake of the Anabaptifts, feems to have been unwarily imbibed by fome others. I will endeavour to ftate and explain my thoughts on this point a little farther.

The word baly, efpecially as ufed in the Old Teftament, and applied to persons and things, expresses their feparation from common to facred and divine ufes; their special relation to God, as being fet apart, devoted and dedicated to him, and so belonging to him in a special manner. And as it was required that what was thus dedicated be clean or pure from defilement; hence the word is also used to express cleanness or purity. What is holy then stands opposed to what is common or profane; and alfo to what is unclean or polluted.

Hence naturally arofe the diftinction of relative and inherent holinefs. Perfons feparated and dedicated to God are termed holy on account of their special relation to him, and his special propriety in them. And as this peculiar relation to God ordinarily took place by means of a covenant which such persons had come under, in which they were devoted to God as his peculiar people; hence this relative holiness is alfo commonly termed federal or covenant holiness, which expreffes their being thus feparated and related to God by their being in and under a covenant dedication to him.

All therefore, who are comprehended in that covenant by which the church is formed, are relatively or federally holy, They are separated from the rest of the world; dedicated to God as his peculiar people; are under fpecial engagements to him, and endowed with special privileges and rights.

But as this covenant has a vifible and invifible administration, fo there is both a vifible and invifible feparation, dedication and relation to God according to, and by means of the covenant. Relative federal holiness therefore is either invifible or vifible. They who cordially confent to the covenant, have an invisible interest in it; are entitled to its invifible grace and bleffings; are under

an