fatisfaction thereby to the juftice of God, on others behalf, Section 17. for whom he freely becomes a furety: Hence the Covenant

of Grace is called a Teftament, as well as a Covenant,not so, the covenant of Works.

4. The one admits of no failing, upon pain of prefent death, and accepteth of nothing but all, or the whole payment of the debt by the party himself; the other admits of a furety; and though it allows of no fin, yet it gives forth a pardon, with faith and repentance,and accepteth of what is given,and acted,when firft the person is accepted in Chrift, and a willing minde is wrought by the Spirit. This were eafie to demonstrate from Scripture, but that I ftudy rather to contract then enlarge.

4.

- 2. The covenant of Grace admits of a twofold adminiftration; thence it is called the Old and New Teftament. A covenant, yea, a Teftament or will of Chrift it was before his death, and fince. That, which the Scripture exprefly call's the Old teftament, or covenant, Heb. 8. 20. was but the old administration of the covenant of Grace, the old copy of Chrifts will that, which it calls the new The Covecovenant, is the old, is the old for fubftance, though new, nant of Grace for the administration, the new copy of Chrifts Will.

I.

First, the old and new, is one for the fubftance,one Teftament of Grace, one Gofpel of life, and good tidings of fal- One for the vation by Jefus Chrift, from the first promife to Adam, fubftance. and Eve, after the fall, to Abraham; from Abraham to Mofes, from Mofes to the Prophets, from the Prophets to Chrifts death, from Chrifts death to this day; from this present time to the end of time, and to all eternity. For the clearing of this, let the Apoftle be heard fpeak, or the holy Ghoft rather by him, Heb. 13.8. Chrift the fame yesterday; to day, and for ever. As Chrift-perfonal, fo the doctrine of Chrift, and of falvation by him is the fame in effence and fubftance, without change, and in his covenant, without alteration, Heb. 11. 13. The true believing Fathers of the Old Teftament, did, all of them, embrace the fame promifes, for the fubftance, that we do. Chrift then to be exhibited, and Chrift now exhibited in the flesh, and in his grace and Spirit, is all one, yesterday, to day, and for ever.

M 2

Adam

Section 17.

Rom. 3.21. opened.

Adam and Eve had Gofpel preached to them, Gen. 3. 15. Chrift, that eminent Seed of the woman, which should break the Serpents head, i. e. by sufferings, and fatisfaction to God, fhould overcome all the power of his accufations of the elect, the redeemed feed, before God. Abraham had the Gofpel preached to him,Gal. 3.8. concerning justification by free Grace. The promife of Chrifts coming out of his loins contained in it the promise of life and falvation: so did the promife of Gods being a God of him, and of his feed. God holds up the fame covenant from Abrahum to Mofes, for he renews it to Ifaac, Gen. 26. 4 And when he puts a meffage into Mofes mouth, he calls himself the God of Jacob, as of Abraham and Ifaac, Exod.3. 6.16. which thews he dealt with facob after the fame covenant, and fo would he carry it on with his pofterity then in Egypt. In Mofes time it holds in force when the Law is given, as the Apoftle clears it, Gal. 3. 16, 17. The moral law was not repeated to difanul the promise, but to make way for a discovery of the need of the promife: and Mofes preacheth the righteousness of faith, Deut. 30. compared with Rom. 10. In Davids and the Prophets times the fame Gospel-covenant is upheld: thereupon we have the account of Chrifts line and genealogy all along, Matth. 1. Luke 3. and many precious promiles of him accordingly, Rom.1.1, 2. That which Paul preached was promifed before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures, and as any believed, they were partakers of the faving benefit of this gracious covenant, Rom. 3. 21. The righteoufnefs of God, or his righteous way of faving finners by Chrift (without our perfonal obedience to the Law and without the Laws difcovery, as it is a covenant of Works) is now manifefted by the preachers of the New Teftament, that before was witneffed by the doctrine of Mofes and the Prophets, under the old adminiftration. The Apostles, all of them preached for fubftance, what was in Mofes and the Prophets,t.26.23. that Chrift fhould fuffer, &c. and be a light and falvation to the ends of the earth. A. 13. 47. Peter profeffeth, Act. 15. 11. this was that he taught and believed, that we through the grace of the Lord Jefus fhall be faved, as they;

as.

as who ? as the believers of the Old Teftament. It was the Section 17. grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift that faved,then and now; and if any mixed Gofpel be taught, not that which was of pure grace from the beginning, the holy Ghoft, Gal. 1. would have the doctrine and the Doctor accurfed.

Secondly, The maner of difpenfation of this Gofpel-co- 2 In the mavenant was different from that it is fince Chrifts death. ner of difpen1. It was adminiftred after a legal and fervile way, urged fation, with legal conditions of doing, and darkly vailed over with Types and Ceremonies. They heard of doing more then believing, and the adminiftration gendred, as the Apostle faith, Gal. 4. 24. unto bondage: every carnal heart conceiving there was nothing miniftred of righteoufness or strength at all from another: and being called and counted nothing but Law, hence it is that the spirit of bondage is faid more commonly to fute that Old adminiftration: The Church, in this time, was confidered as an Heir, in its minority. Asan Heir it was free, but as an Infant, or in its minority, it was but as a fervant, under Tutors and Governors, Gal. 4. 1. As an Heir, true believers had then the Spirit of Adoption,and Liberty; As a Childe, it had the fpirit of fear and fervitude. And as it was but a dark and fervile adminiAration,comparatively to what it is, So,

2. There was but a feanty proportion of graces and gifts (as to the generality even of true believers) they had little illumination, and a small measure of fanctification (I fpeak of the greater number of the Saints) to what is, and will be given fince Chrißes Afcenfion, from the greatest to the leaft.

3. The difpenfation of Grace, and its covenant was but to a few families for a time, and afterwards but to one nation, fpringing out of thofe families; under the new admiftration the Covenant is made with all forts of families, and with some of every nation. In ftead of one there have been, and are many Churches, Acts 9. 31. and 15. 14. Every where God hath had, and will have a people taken out from among the Gentiles, or nations, a felect company, for his Name.

4. The feals, and witneffes of the Teftament are altered:

from

Section 17.

from Old to New; and although the writings of the old copy remain, i.e. the Books of the Old Teftament, because the fubftance of the covenant is there to be read, and understood by the fhadows, yet there are new writings added, i.e.the Books of the New Teftament, for clearer understanding, and more affurance of faith, when both are compared The reafon of together. The reafon of the whole change of the old adthe change of miniftration to the new, in the particulars named, was old into new faultinefs or imperfection. It is the wifdom of God to proadminiftra- ceed from ways lefs perfect, to that which is more perfect. Heb.8.7. If that firft Covenant or Teftament,that is,the first administration of the covenant of Grace, had been faultless, then should no place have been fought for the fecond. How was it faulty?

tion.

Heb 8.7. opened.

1. In that it made nothing perfect,Cap. 7.19. All in that old way, especially the Sacrifices, being typical and shadowy, they of themselves could not take away fins; therefore Christ, whose body was fitted for a facrifice, he comes and puts by the fhadows and types, Heb. 10. 9. He takes away the first administration, that he may establish the fecond the perfection of his own facrifice, and all that attends it in the new adminiftration. His blood ftancheth all other blood, ftays the further fhedding of the blood of Bulls and Goats; and he coming by Blood, and not by Water onely, hath left to his Church a commemoration and obfignation of both, in his new Inftitutions of Baptism, and his Supper.

2. In that people could not (as it was dispensed after the maner of a covenant of Works, though not fo in it felf) poffibly fee how to stand or continue in it. They ftumbled. at the Ceremonies, and stuck in the Letter of the Law, and could not fee unto the end of that which is now abolished, 2 Cor. 3.13. But whence was the fault? God was not to be blamed, nor the fubftance of his Covenant; but he lays the blame upon them, who were willing to stand under fuch an administration, and would not look to the kernel, marrow, and fubftance of it, which was Chrift. But as it was the Jews infidelity which turned (as to them) that which was a covenant of Grace into a covenant of Works, ftick

ing in the rinde and bark of the Ceremony, and which ex- Section 17. cluded and fhut them out from the Grace of the covenant; fo do many thousands under the new administration (the greater is their fin) infift upon terms of doing and obeying the Light within them; and God lets them go on, and work their heart out, if they will, for life, let them get it, win it, and wear it, although he tells them it is impoffible; for if the Jews in all the Ceremonies of old fhould have lookt to Chrift in them, and beyond them, the Gentiles fhould upon the first hearing of Chrift, believe on him, and begin and end all their duties, with the ufe of all New Testament Inftitutions in him, or they will lofe all their labor, as did the Jews.

difprove the Levitical Law

La

3. I fhall adde a few Arguments to difprove the Leviti- Arguments to cal Law from having been a covenant of Works. 1. It was a covenant outwardly made with the people, as no cove and that the people outwardly made with God, by facrifice, nant of works Pfalm 50. 6. But the covenant of Works was never made by facrifice, it admits of no expiation or atonement. The facrifices under the Law were fhadows of that blood, which is the blood of the everlasting covenant, Heb. 13. 20. The blood of Christ, the blood of the New Teftament, or the new administration of the covenant of Grace, not to be altered, but to abide for ever in its all-fufficient vertue and efficacy.

2.

2. That which carried all along with it remiflion of fins, was no covenant of Works, but of Grace; but the Levitical Law had remiflion of fins going along with it: for as the Apoftle reafoneth, Heb. 9. 22, with 18. without fhedding of blood there is no remiflion, whereupon the first Teftament, or difpofition of Chrifts will, was not dedi-* 9. cated without blood: but that there might be affurance of remiflion to believers even then, that blood was fhed, which, not being able to take away fin of it felf, did type out Christs blood, which could and should effect it. A covenant dedicated by blood, firft typical and then true, is the fame for fubftance.

3. In the Levitical Law was a Mediator, a Prieft daily to offer, and a high Prieft once a year to offer the incenfe of mediation

3.