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forter and guide to glory. All these divine perfons, are jointly engaged for our everlasting happiness; and all of them fhall be actually enjoyed by us for ever. O the bleffedness of having God thus to be our God! All promifes of good, are wrapt up in this privilege of having God for our God. This is the fum of all felicity. Pjal. xxxiii. 12. Blessed is the nation, whofe God is the Lord. Pfal. cxliv. 15. Yea, happy is that people, whofe God is the Lord. Thus for the first thing.

2. God engages, that they fhall be his people. This contains two things in it.

1. That they, on their part, fhall voluntarily give up. themselves to God, to be his people. This is required of them, and this is what they do reftipulate. They do avouch God for their God, and give up themselves to him to be his people, his only, and for ever. This comprifes in it their engagement, to perform all that duty, which God requires of them. It is God's command, that they repent of all their fins. A. xvii. 30. But now God commandeth all men every where to repent. It is God's command, that they believe in Chrift. 1 Job. iii. 23. And this is his commandment, that we fhould believe on the name of bis Son Jefus Chrift.—It is God's command, that they yield fincere obedience to him. Gen. xvii. 1. I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be thou perfect, or upright. Now, all these duties, are what God's covenant-people ftand bound, and do promife, to perform, by the ftrength of Chrift. They are careful to yield up themselves fervants to God; and refolve to obferve all his commandments To do them.

2. The other thing implied is, That GOD will enable them fo to give up themselves unto him to be his people. He fays, They shall be my people; he will caufe them to be fo. In the day of his power they fhall be made willing, Pfal. cx. 3. Thus God has promised, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my ftatutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. In this refpect, the covenant of grace is a better and

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more excellent covenant, than the covenant of works. In that first covenant made with Adam, he had a stock of grace given to him, and was left to his own ftrength, to perform the conditions and duties of it. But in this covenant of grace, God undertakes on both fides; as for himself, fo for us alfo, that we shall be an obedient people unto him. He will work in us both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. Thus for the first thing in the covenant of grace, viz. the divine engagement, that God will be our God, and we shall be his people.

[2.] The next thing to be confidered, is the graciousness of this divine engagement. And it is indeed full of grace, from firft to laft. 'Tis entirely a covenant of grace. Particularly,

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1. It is an act of grace in God, to propofe a new covenant to men. When man had broken the firft covenant, God might juftly have quitted himself from any more concernment with man; unless it were to punish him as a covenant-breaker. He might righteoufly have left man to perifh in his apoftacy; and have executed the threatning upon him, in the utmoft extent thereof. Yet however, God having refolved to make a new covenant, accordingly made a propofal of it to man foon after his wretched apoftacy. The promife of the feed of the woman, that fhould bruise the ferpent's head, had in it the nature of covenant, for his recovery out of his ftate of fin and mifery by a redeemer, even, Jefus Chrift. Now, the firft revelation and offer of this covenant, was an act of fovereign grace. What a wonder of grace, that God fhould bring a remedial covenant to a forlorn apoftate! This was wholly unexpected by fallen man, and an amazing furprifal to him. The thought of fuch a remedy from God, never once entred into his heart. He therefore fhunned the prefence of God, and fought to bide himJelf from him, as dreading his wrath, and no ways expecting a covenant of reconciliation to be tendred to him by an offended God. In this tranfaction, the fountain of

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free and rich grace, was first opened to the world, which before lay hid in God.

2. It is an act of grace in God, to give men an heart really to confent to the propofal, and enter into covenant with him. The heart of man naturally, is defperately wicked, and full of rooted enmity against God. So that men, of their own accord, never will embrace and enter into a covenant of friendship with God. But God by his fweet and irrefiftible grace, takes away the reigning power of this enmity in the hearts of finners against himself. Thus God has promifed to do; Ezek. xxxvi. 26. I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you an beart of flesh. He cures the hardnefs and obftinacy of their hearts, and makes them foft and flexible to his will. So that they fhall joyfully and readily enter into a covenant of friendship with God, taking him for their God, and giving up themselves to him to be his obedient people. The glorious grace of God herein fhines forth, in that no oppofition or rebellion in the heart of a finner, fhall obftruct his making a covenant with him. Though for this, God might juftly destroy him and caft him off for ever, yet he will not fo do; but in a way of fovereign grace fays, as in Ifai. lvii. 17, 18. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote bim ; I bid me and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart: I have seen his ways, and will beal bim. One would have thought he should have faid, I have feen his ways, and I will ruin him; but it is, I bave feen his ways, and will heal him.. O adorable, and unaccountable grace!

3. It is an act of grace in God, to enable them to keep covenant with him. Were they left to themselves, they would fall away from God, as Adam did. He was perfectly holy, and had no fin in his nature, to incline him to a departure from God. Nevertheless, being left to abide in the covenant by his own power, he broke the covenant of God. How much more fhould we break covenant with God, if left to ourfelves, who have fo much

fin in us, in our beft eftate? We are not able of ourselves to mortify our raging lufts, to repel the temptations of fatan and wicked men, to difcharge all the duties of obedience to God and man. If God do not ftand by us and Arengthen us, we fhall never be stedfaft in his covenant. But now, God will fupply his people with continual grace and affiftance, whereby they fhall be enabled to hold on, and hold out to the end, in a courfe of covenant obedience to God. Jer. xxxii. 38, 39, 40. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart, and one way that they may fear me for ever.—And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good but I will put my fear in their bearts, that they shall not depart from me. God will prevent their departing from him totally and finally, fo as to caufe him to cease to be their God, and them to cease being his people. He will take effectual care, that neither corruption within, nor temptation without, shall hinder them from keeping covenant, and partaking of the bleffings thereof. They are in his hands, and none hall be able to pluck them out. Joh. x. 29.

4. It is an act of grace in God, to reward their covenantobedience to him. God has made promifes of moft glorious recompences to them that keep his covenant. They are all collected together in that incomprehenfible promise, Gen. xv. 1. I am thy exceeding great reward. God himfelf will be their reward, their great reward, their exceeding great reward. God himself will be the matter of their reward: nothing fhort of himself fhall be their full reward. And if God be their reward, their reward muft needs be exceeding great. God is an infinite good, and therefore the enjoyment of him, will be an infinite reward. Now, furely fuch a reward, muft needs be a reward of grace. It cannot enter into our hearts to imagine, that our imperfect (though fincere) obedience hould deferve fuch an infinite reward as God is. If God be our everlasting portion, it can be only from his meer grace, that he will be fo. The thing itself fpeaks it to be

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fo. And more evidently is it fo, if we confider, what before has been fhewn, viz. That 'tis God who first offers and proposes the covenant to us; that 'tis God who gives us an heart to confent to the offer, and to lay hold of this covenant; and that 'tis God who gives us ftrength to keep covenant with him. Now, if confequent upon these things, God will be our exceeding great reward, it must be in a way of pure grace.-Thus then we fee, that the covenant which God makes with men, is a compound of free grace, wherein the exceeding riches of divine grace are difplay'd, that no flesh might have the leaft colour of boafting; but that be who glorieth, might only glory in the Lord, and in the abundant riches of the free grace of God.

Thus for the fecond thing, viz. the gracioufnefs of God's engagement.

[3] The other thing to be confidered, is, The perfon through whom this engagement of God is fulfilled; and that is the mediator Jefus Chrift. The covenant God made with Adam, had no mediator; nor was there need of any. That covenant, was a covenant of amity between God and upright man, who were perfect friends, and needed no one to interpofe, or come between them. But the fecond covenant has a mediator, and needs one, because it is a covenant between the moft holy God and finful men. God cannot tranfact or treat with finners in the way of a covenant immediately; but only through a mediator. Now, this mediator is Jefus Chrift, Godman. He is the mediator of this better covenant, Heb. viii. 6. He is the mediator of the new covenant, Heb. xii. 24. 'Tis through him, that this covenant is entred into with finners, and is made effectual to them. Here,

I. 'Tis through the facrifice of this mediator, that God enters into a covenant of favour and friendship with finful, men. By the fin of man, God was offended with him, and became an enemy to him. And unless fatisfaction be given to God for the fin of man, God cannot be reconciled to him, and renew a covenant of friendship

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