ministration of the promises by Christ: and it confifts in taking hold of him who is given for a Covenant to the people, with a refolution never to go back from him by unbelief, or difobedience of whatever kind. And the different modes of Covenanting originate in the different meafures of revelation, or the different fyftems of ordinances and worship which Chrift hath beftowed on his Church in different periods; or from the different modes of making their refolutions, and the different confirmations of thefe refolutions; or the different fituations in which they were placed by adorable Providence. THIS leads us to a Second Preliminary, but, before proceeding to it, I fhall make a reflection or two on what has been fuggested. 1. THESE few ftrictures on the Covenant of Grace difcover the vanity of fome modern notions concerning it. The modern fyftem is, "That God is fo well pleased with the fufferings of Chrift, as to remit the rigorous terms of the Covenant of works; and to enter into a new Cove nant nant with mankind, whether Jews or Gentiles, upon terms fuitable to our reafon, and equal to our abilities; for these are faith and fincere repentance. On these conditions, our juftification, adoption, and future glory do depend: For they are that righteousness on account of which the pardon of our fins, and our acceptance before God do proceed." So our moderns fagely determine! But, from what is above obferved, it is plain it was quite otherways determined in the Council of Peace. The friends of this fchenie fuppofe themfelves to be very charitable; but the scheme itfelf is fo far from being charitable, that it lands all the fallen fons of Adam in eternal perdition. It muft be fo; for no one can command one act of faith, until it be given him, on the behalf of Chrift, to believe: Instead of fincerity, the heart of man--of every man in his natural state, is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked;-DECEITFUL beyond all investigation by human fcrutiny; and WICKED, yea DESPERATELY WICKED, beyond all poffibility of cure, by human endeavour. Every one, then, who makes fuch fincerity as he can attain, by his natural tural powers, the bafis of his falvation, muft inevitably perish. It cannot be otherways, as no degree of fincerity, however small, can be attained. A fcheme fo fraught with deftruction ought certainly to be reprobated by every perfon truly charitable. These men ought either to abandon their exclufive claim to charity, or else their uncharitable system: One of these fortreffes must be altogether untenable. The Scriptures uniformly afcribe the justifica tion and falvation of finners, not to their own righteoufnefs, or any work done by them, whether perfect or imperfect, whether fincere or infincere; but to the righteoufnefs which is of God, by the faith of Jefus Chrift. The modern fcheme, however popular, is as oppofite to the Scripture account of the righteousness of Chrift as poffible. The Scriptures represent the obedience and death of Chrift as magnifying the law of God, and making it honourable, instead of bringing down its high demands of perfect obedience, to accept of that which is fincere; "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness fake; he will magnify the law and make it honourable." Tell me, O ye fons of Pelagius! Ο Oye mafters of reafon! How the law is magnified by levelling the demand of perfection into a demand of fincerity? On one occafion, the new fyftem teacheth us, that Chrift came to add new precepts to the law, to perfect and enlarge its meaning; on another, he came to bring down its rigorous demands, and level it to our abilities. Tell me, O ye fons of Socinus! How can these things be? The truth is, that which these men call the Covenant of Grace, does not exift without the lines of the legal heart: And no one thing can be more unlike the Covenant revealed to us in the holy Scriptures. 2. WE may infer, That the Covenant of Grace is a proper covenant. Some greatly obfcure the doctrine of this tranfaction, denying that it is strictly fœderal. But every requifite of a Covenant, in the. ftricteft fense of the term, is to be found in it: There are distinct parties; different parts; propofals made on the one hand, and accepted on the other. The sketch we have drawn of it is fufficient to obviate all they can alledge, who would reprefent this, Covenant as a NAKED DECREE, as they they are pleased to ftyle it; and alfo to repel the Cocceian dreams about an eternal teftament, as oppofed to a proper Cove nant. 3. THOUGH this tranfaction be strictly fœderal, as it obtained between the Father and the Son; yet it is teflamentary, both in its confirmation and exhibition: All the effentials of a teftament are to be found in it; fuch as, a Teftator, who ratified it by his death; an inheritance, to be conveyed; a feed, to be conftituted heirs; and a deed of conveyance, legally drawn, and duly executed, fo that it might be pleadable in behalf of the legatees. All the benefits of this covenant are properly legacies, in respect of the freedom with which. they are beftowed on the covenanted feed. All the children of the covenant are properly legatees; they dare not plead their own, but the Mediator's merit, and his teftament as the foundation of their claim of right. And, as in teftaments, he who accepts of one of the articles must accept of, and stand to all the reft; fo he who accepts of one promife of the New Covenant muft accept of it all: And, if once accepted, it must be improved D |