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full power, foberly to use them, and to difpofe of
them, for God's glory and his own comfort: and this
lordship to be holden of him as fovereign lord of all,
firm and irreversible, by the tenor of that covenant,
as long as he fhould continue in his obedience; but
to be forfeited to all intents and purposes, in cafe he
fhould by tranfgreffion break the covenant, Gen. i.
28. and ii. 16, 17. But man continued not in this
honour he brake God's covenant, and fo fell from
that his right to, and dominion over the creatures.
By his tranfgreffion he forfeited life itfelf; and con-
fequently loft his covenant-right to all the means and
comforts of life. And in this condition are all natu
ral men, with refpect to these things. They have no
covenant-right to the means and comforts of life,
whatever portion of them they are possessed of. * All
the right that they have to them, is a mere provi-
dential, precarious right; fuch as a condemned many
hath to his food, during the time his execution is de-
layed at the pleasure of the prince. This is a most
uncertain and uncomfortable holding: nevertheless
it fo far avails, that they are not, properly fpeaking,
violent poffeffors of temporal benefits; having jut
the fame right to them, as to their forfeited life,
while it is left them by the difpofal of providence.
Wherefore the worst of men may lawfully eat and
drink, and take the benefit of other neceffaries of life,
whatever Satan may fuggeft to the contrary in the
hour of temptation; yea, they ought to do it, and
they fin against God egregiously if they do it not:
because he hath faid, Thou shalt not kill.

But the fecond Adam having undertaken to bear the curfe, and to give perfect obedience to the law, in the name of his fpiritual feed; there was thereupon made a promife of reftoring to them the forfeited life, with all the means thereof: and particularly, a promife of the good things requifite for the fupport and comfort of their temporal life in this world,

till at death they be carried home to heaven. And the performance of this promife to them, is begun immediately upon their uniting with Chrift: then their covenant-relation to the firft Adam is found to be lawfully diffolved; the forfeiture is taken off; and a new covenant-right to the creatures is given them: 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. All are yours; and ye are Chrift's. And it goes on all along till death; fo much of this their stock being from time to time put into their hands, as the great Administrator fees needful for them. And whether that be little or much, they do from that moment poffefs it by a new title it is theirs by covenant.

Now, this promife is grafted upon the promife made to Chrift of his inheriting all things. For they that are his, are joint-heirs with him, Rom? viii. 17. to inherit all things too, through him, Rev. xxi. 7. The estate and honour which the firft Adam loft for himself and family, by his difobedience in breaking of the first covenant, was, in the fecond covenant, made over by promife to Chrift the fecond Adam, for him and his, upon the condition of his obedience. The which obedience being performed, the whole ancient eftate of the family was recovered, together with the honours thereunto belong. ing. The ancient dominion was restored, in the perfon of Christ as fecond Adam: and all his mystical members partake thereof in him. This the Pfalmift teacheth, Pfalm viii. 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the fon of man, that thou vifiteft him? Ver. 5. For thou haft made him a little lower than the angels, and haft crowned him with glory and honour. Ver. 6. Thou madeft him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou haft put all things under his feet: Ver. 7. All fbeep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field: Ver. 8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the fea, and whatfoever pass eth through the paths of the feas. Though there

is

is here a manifeft view to the first Adam, and all mankind in him, as they were happily and honourably stated at their creation; yet we are infallibly affured by the apoftle, that this paffage is meant of Chrift the fecond Adam, Heb. ii. 6. 7, 8, 9. and his myftical members in him, ver. 6. Accordingly, Abraham had the promise, that he should be heir of the world, and he had it through the righteoufness of faith, i. e. the righteousness which faith apprehends, Rom. iv. 13. Now, Abraham was a type of Chrift, and the father of the faithful, who are all bleffed as he was. Therefore this promife was primarily to Chrift, through the righteousness by him wrought; fecondarily to his members, through the fame righteousness apprehended by faith.

This promife of temporal benefits, carries believ ers poffeffion of the fame, as far as their need in that kind doth go, Philip. iv. 19. Of which need, not they themselves, but the Father is the fit judge, Matth. vi. 32. Accordingly, there are two chief branches of the promife, namely, a promife of provifion, and a promife of protection.

1. A promise of provision of good things neceffary for this life; upon which they may confidently trust God for them, whatever ftraits they are at any time reduced to: Pfal. xxxiv. 10. The young lions do lack, and fuffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord, shall not want any good thing. Their meat and drink are fecured for them in the covenant: the which being perceived by faith, cannot mifs to give them a peculiar relish, however mean their fare be, as to quantity or quality Ifa xxxiii. 16. Bread fhall be given him, his water fhall be fure. They fhall be fed, though they be not feasted: Pfalm xxxvii. 3. Verily thou shalt be fed. They fhall have enough, they fhall be fatisfied, Joel ii. 26. And even days of famine shall not mar that their fatisfaction: Pfalm xxxvii. 19. In the days of famine they fhall be fatisN 2 fied.

fied. And as fleep for their refreshment is necessary too, the promise bears it alfo: Prov. iii. 24. Thou fhalt lie down, and thy fleep shall be fweet. They need cloathing, and provision is made as to it: Mat. vi. 30. If God fo clothe the grafs of the field.Shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Having made them, by covenant, a new grant of life ́and of a body, which is more than meat and cloathing, he will not refufe them these leffer things neceffary for the fupport of the greater: verfe 25. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Thus our fallen first parents, having believed and embraced the promise of life, had, with the new grant of life, food and raiment provided for them, as is particularly taken notice of, Gen. iii. 15, 18, 21. A bleffing also on their labours is promised, and fuccefs in their lawful callings and affairs, Ifa. Ixv. 21, 22, 23. In a word, the covenant bears, that God will with-hold no good thing from them that live uprightly, Pfalm lxxxiv. 11.

2. There is also a promise of protection from the evil things that concern this life: Pfalm xci. 10. There fhall no evil befal thee. Ver. 11. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Together with the bread and the water provided by the covenant for them to live on, the munitions of rocks are fecured to them for a place of defence, where they may fafely enjoy them, Ifa. xxxiii. 16. The fame Lord who is a fun to nourish them, will be a fhield to protect them, Pfalm Ixxxiv. 11. He will be a wall of fire round about them, to cherish them, and to keep off, fcare, and fright away their enemies, Zech. ii. 5. The covenant yields a broad covert for the fafety of believers: Pfalm xci. 4. He fhall cover thee with his feathers. The covert of the covenant is ftretched out over their bodies; over their health, to preserve it, while it is neceffary for God's honour and their own good,

Prov. iii. 7. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. verfe 8. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones; over their lives, as long as God has any fervice for them in this world: fo in fickness they are carefully feen to, Pfal. xli. 3. Thou wilt make all his bed in fickness: their difeafes healed, and they reco vered, Pfal. ciii. 3, 4. And they are delivered from enemies that seek their life, Pfal. xli. 2. Yea, when death rides in triumph, having made havock on all fides of them, as by fword or peftilence, they are. found fafe under the covert of the covenant, Pfalm xci. 6, 7. This covert is ftretched over their names, credit, and reputation; Job v. 21. Thou shalt be hid from the fcourge of the tongue: either the tongues of virulent men fhall not reach them; or they fhall not be able to make the dirt to stick on them; or else if they shall be permitted to make it stick for awhile, the covert of the covenant fhall wipe all off at length, and their righteousness fhall be brought forth as the light, and their judgment as the noonday, Pfal. xxxvii. 6. It is ftretched over their houfes and dwelling-places: Pfal. xci. 10. Neither fhall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. It goes round about their fubftance, making a hedge about all that they have, Job i. 10. Yea, and there is a lap of it to caft over their widows and children, when they are dead and gone: Jer. xlix. 11. Leave thy fatherless children, I will preferve them alive, and let thy widows truft in me.

Thus far of the promise of eternal life, confidered in the fecond period, to wit, from union with Chrift, until death.

PERIOD

III.

From death, through eternity.

T remains, that we confider the promise of eternal

to, and

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hath