to understand the nature of the covenant of works; upon what foundation it stands, its violation and breach, the which will ferve to enhance the wonders and glories of that love which appears in the covenant of grace for the redemption of finners, First, the law of GOD, or the covenant of works, exhibited to man in his ftate of innocency, was perfect, finlefs, and perpetual obedience; therefore we find in Matt. xix. 16. that when one came to our Lord, and faid unto him, Good mafter, what good thing fhall I do, that I may have eternal life? He faid unto him, if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. If you enquire what the commandments are, you have a comprehensive view of them in Luke x. 27. Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD, with all thine heart, with all thy foul, and with all thy mind: This do, and thou shalt live. Now, man in his ftate of innocency, had a power and capacity adequate to the demands of the law of GOD; he had an understanding to know the extenfive demands of it; pure affections which centered in it; a will, which with complacency yielded a chearful obedience thereunto; a happy harmony, fweet fociety, joyful bands; for his foul was in the law of GOD, and the law of GOD was in his foul, as created in the image of GOD. It is faid in Gen. i. 27. In the image of God created he him, viz. in the image and portraiture of his law created he him; or in the image of CHRIST'S human nature, who faid, thy law is within my heart; confequently he had a capacity as perfect as the law, and every way commenfurate to all its demands.

Secondly, my dear Friendly, I would obferve to you, that Adam's happiness, in his ftate of creation, depended upon his perpetual and finless obedience to the law of his Maker, this da (faith GoD) and thou shalt live; but in the day thou eateft (or tranfgreffeth) thou shalt furely die. The man's disobedience was threatened with death; yet, O amazing! we find his mutability breaks thro' all; he offends his GoD, tranfgreffes his law, ventures upon the threatening of death, for GOD had faid, in the day thou eateft thereof thou shalt die the death; which was a moral or fpiritual death, a death in his foul; which Adam immediately felt, for he fays, Gen. iii. 8. That he heard the voice of the LORD GOD walking in the garden, and was afraid. Guilt had feized his foul; his understanding, which was light, life, and knowledge, was now become the feat of ignorance, death and darkness: his affections, which were delight, love, joy, and peace, were become alienated from GoD, enmity unto him, the center of forrow and trouble:

his will, which fled with alacrity to obey his Maker; by tranfgreffion, became full of obftinacy and rebellion against him: loft in fin, plunged in grief, overwhelmed in woe, who fhall relieve him?

This leads me, dear Friendly, to explain to you, the redemption of man by the covenant of grace; which may be confidered under a three-fold respect; the LORD JESUS CHRIST'S engagements, the FATHER'S promife, the HOLY GHOST'Sapplication of CHRIST's engagement to the foul; which I think comprehends the whole of that ftipulation and covenant agreement, between the Eternal Three, concerning the falvation of loft finners. No doubt, but upon the view of man's apoftafy, which was always known to God, there was a council called in Heaven, how juftice fhould be fatisfied, mercy glorified, holiness exemplified, truth maintained, the law of GOD magnified, fin punished, yet the finner faved; the debt paid, yet the bankrupt go free. The King honoured, the rebel pardoned, his law obeyed, his juftice glorified, yet the tranfgreffor fet at liberty. This is the work of Heaven! the grand defign of everlafting love to accomplish! But we find at this council it was faid, without fhedding of blood there is no remiffion. No doubt, but there was the reprefentation of all the blood of the flain beafts under the mosaic difpenfation; but what was the answer? you have it in Heb. x. 4. For it is not poffible that the blood of Bulls and of Goats fhould take away fins : Then faid the Lord of life and glory, Lo, I come as it is written in the volume of the book, to do thy will, O my God, Heb. x. 7. CHRIST engages to magnify and obey that law we had broken, to endure the curfe and penalty we deserved, to fatisfy that juftice we had offended, to fave his people at the expence of his own blood, yet in a way honourable to the divine perfections: for in him mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kiffed each other. Upon CHRIST thus engaging to glorify the perfections of the divine nature, in the falvation of the tranfgreffors; the Father engaged in promise to him, and in promife to the people for whom CHRIST food engaged. To CHRIST the FATHER promised that he fhould fee his feed, the travail of his foul, and be fatisfied because he had engaged to pour out his foul unto death, he would divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the Spoil with the ftrong, Ifa. liii. 12. and with regard to the people for whom CHRIST ftood engaged, the FATHER promifed, upon account of his blood, facrifice, and death, that he would be merciful to their unrighteousness, their fins and iniquities

be would remember no more, Jer. xxxi. 34. and I will (fays he) be their GOD, and they shall be my people, verfe 33.

Friendly. But is there any pofitive declaration in the word of God, of a covenant tranfaction between the FATHER and the Son?

Trub. Yes, Friendly, you will find in the word of GOD, an account of the reality of it, of the ancientnefs, nature, fecurity, and immutability of it, First, the reality of it you will find in Pfalm lxxxix. 3. I have made a covenant with my hofen, I have fworn unto David my fervant.

Friendly. But who is this chofen, with whom God has declared he has made a covenant?

Truth. By the chofen, I humbly conceive, we are to understand the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who bears the fame character in the 19th verfe, For, fays GOD there, I have laid belp upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chofen out of the people! and the Apostle Peter ftiles him, Chofen of GOD and precious, chap. ii. ver. 4.

Friendly. But it follows, that he was fworn unto David his fervant; is this appellation applicable to CHRIST?

Truth. Yes; for you will find that CHRIST bears the title of DAVID, in Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. and in Hof. iii. 5. Uponwhich account fome have called him DAVID the CHRIST; therefore, fays GoD, in Pfal. lxxxix. 35. I have fworn by my beliness, that I will not lie unto DAVID, viz. DAVID the CHRIST.

Friendly. Truth, I am fatisfied with regard to the reality of the divine agreement; give me a hint, from the word of GOD, of its ancientnefs, its nature, and the unchangeableness of

this covenant?

Truth. I will then begin with the ancientnefs of it, which you will find in 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. there, fays David, fpeaking of the GoD cf Ifrael, He bath made with me an everlasting conant. Everlafting, as it takes date from CHRIST's engagement, being the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world; therefore, fays CHRIST, in that foul-chearing, that heartwinning invitation, you have in Ifa. lv. 3. Incline your ear, and come unto me: Hear, and your fonl fhall live: And I will make with you an everlasting covenant, or make known unto you an everlafting covenant, even the fure mercies of DAVID; as the Pfalmift obferves, the fecret of the LORD is with them that fear him, and he will fhew them his covenant.

Secondly, as to the nature of this covenant, it is called by the Apoftle a new covenant; not new as to the grand plan

fixation, and divine fettlement of it, which was from everlafting, or ever the earth was; but new as to the glorious dif covery and manifestations made of it, in which refpect it will be new to the days of eternity. The opening of the glories of that love, the fweetness of those bleffings, the precioufnefs of those promises, the repleteness of that grace and glory, wherewith it is fo treasured, will not only appear new to the faints in time, but will afford them new joys, delights, and praifes, to the days of eternity.

Thirdly, it is called a better covenant, Heb. viii, 6. Infinitely better than the covenant of works, which stood (as the learned and judicious Dr. Gill obferves)" upon the foot of works, but this upon grace; that was conditional, but this is abfolute and free; that is broken and made void, but this is eftablished in CHRIST." I add, it is a better covenant, inafmuch as it affords a better enjoyment; for Adam, by the covenant of works, (had he food) could only have enjoyed the continuation of his life, the enjoyment of GOD, in the relation of a creature in a ftate of innocency; but, by the covenant of grace, established upon better premifes, we enjoy GoD in the relation and liberty of a child, crying Abba, Father; in the inheritance and poffeffion of himself, the LORD is my portion; and being confummately happy with him, as heirs with God, and joint-heirs with CHRIST, the life we enjoy is better. Adam's was earthly, ours is fpiritual; his was temporal, ours is eternal; his was perifhing, but ours is fecure; because CHRIST, who is the covenant of the people, fays, Because I live, ye shall live alfo. Though we do not enjoy, by the covenant of grace, a ftate of innocency, yet we enjoy that which is infinitely better, viz. a divine fecurity, and eternal fafety, Col. iii. 4. Your life is bid with CHRIST in GOD, that when Chrift, who is your life, fball appear, you shall also appear with him in glory. I would likewife obferve to you, that it is a covenant of peace; therefore, fays the LORD, Ifai. liv. 10. The covenant of my peace fhall not be removed; Mal. ii. 5. My covenant was with him, of life and peace; which denotes that our reconciliation to GoD, and the pacification of his wrath, due to us for our enmity against him, was obtained by his blood, who is our peace, and who hath made peace by the blood of his crofs. It also denotes that internal peace, joy and tranquility, that filleth our fouls in the believing views of our intereft in him, who hath faid, In me ye shall have peace; peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you, John xiv. 27.

Obferve, laftly, that the covenant of grace is called a Tef

tament, or will, Heb. ix. 15. It is the will and teftament of the FATHER, SON and HOLY GHOST, in which are bequeathed all the rich legacies of Divine love, a train of spiritual bleffings, a treasure of precious promifes, a fountain of grace, a rock of ftrength, a pillar of hope, a Saviour for finners, liberty for captives, the bread of life for the hungry, water of life for the thirsty, oil of joy for the mourners, and he that has received this teftimony, has fet to his feal, that GOD is true.

Friendly. But, is this covenant fealed?

Truth. Yes, it is sealed, ratified, and confirm'd by blood, therefore, in Heb. xiii. 20. you will find the blood of JESUS filed, the blood of the everlasting covenant; and in 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. it is there faid to be well-ordered in all things, and fure.

Friendly. But are there any witneffes to the feal of it?

Truth. Yes, there are three that bear record to it in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST; and there are three that bear record on earth, the fpirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one.

Friendly. But is this feal and witness registered?

Truth. Yes, the word of GOD is the register of his covenant, the notaries of his love; they are they, fays CHRIST, that teftify of me.

Friendly. But as I have broke the first covenant, is there not a debt due to law and justice?

Truth. Yes, there is a debt of obedience to the law, and a debt of fufferings to divine juftice for the breach of it; but then remember, my dear Friendly, that CHRIST is your furety, therefore called the furety of a better covenant, Heb. vii. 22. and, as fuch, has paid the debt of obedience you owed to the law, and endured the debt of sufferings you deferved; he was made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons, Gal. iv. 5.

Friendly. But, Truth, though I find the word of GoD declares CHRIST to be a furety, yet I would fain know what I am to understand by CHRIST's furetiship, as I find it is dif ferently explained by various forts of people, and each confident they are in the right?

Truth. My Friendly, by the furetiship of CHRIST, I humbly conceive, we are to understand, firft, CHRIST engaging himfelf in infinite faithfulness, to make full compenfation to law and juftice for the debt his people owed, foul for foul, body for body, life for life, and death for death, to fecure their re