Q. Did God leave all mankind to perifb under the fentence and penalty of the broken covenant of works? A. No; for God of his own free-grace from all eternity, hath elected fome to be redeemed and faved from it, Eph. i. 4. 5. Q. What way bath God chofen to redeem and fave elec finners from their loft and perishing eftate? A. Man being wholly milerable, and incapable of any relief by the first covenant; God of his infinite mercy was pleased to frame a gracious new covenant, answering all the demands of our miferable circumftances, and conftituted his own Son to be the Mediator and Surety of it; and this is now the only way and method of falvation, Gen. iii. 15. Gen. xvii. 2. 7. Rom. viii. 3. Acts iv. 12. Q. What is this gracious new covenant, which God bath made for redeeming fallen man? A. It may be faid to be twofold, f, The covenant made from eternity with Chrift, in name of the elect, commonly called the covenant of redemption. 2dly, The covenant of reconciliation, made in time with the elect in Christ, commonly called the covenant of grace. Q. Doth the word of God give any ground for this dif tinction? A. Yes, Pfalm lxxxix. 3. &c. Ifa. lix. 21. A. It is an eternal and gracious agreement in the counfel of the glorious Trinity, upon the forefight of man's fall, for the redemption and recovery of elect finners: Wherein God the Father, out of his infinite mercy, gave a certain number of fallen mankind to God the Son, as their federal reprefentative and Surety, to be by him redeemed and faved: And for this end, demanding of him, that he fhould affume their nature, and in their room fatisfy divine juftice, by paying their whole debt both of obedience and fuffering, the which they were obliged to do by the covenant of works: And alfo, that he fhould undertake to gather all the loft elect and bring them unto God. And for his encouragement in this great work, it was promifed to the Son, that that he should have all requifite furniture, fupport, acceptance, and fuccefs: And likewife a glorious reward to himself, together with grace and glory to his people. With which propofals of the Father, the Son, out of his infinite free-love, did moft chearfully comply; undertook to do the whole work required of him, accepting of, and claiming the promifes made unto him, Pfalm lxxxix. 3. 4. 19. 20. &c. Ifa. xlix. 3. 4. &c. Ifa. lix. 20. 21. 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. i. 2. Heb. x. 5. 9. Pfalm ii. 7. 8. Ifa. 1. 5. 6. 7. Pfalm xl. 7. 8. John x. 18. John xvii. 4. 5. Q. What is the covenant of grace? A. It is God's free and gracious paction with elect finners in Chrift, propofed to and made with them in the gofpel: Wherein, according to his eternal compact with Chrift their furety, and for the fake of his mediation and merits, he graciously and immutably promiseth pardon, peace, grace, and glory to them. Particularly, he promiseth, in an abfolute manner, to grant them the bleflings of vocation, faith, regeneration, and other means of falvation. And, in order to their obtaining of the pardon of fin, the adoption of children, and eternal life, (all which bleflings are purchafed by Chrift) he requires of them, that they believe "in his Son the Lord. Jefus Chrift," and accept of him with all the benefits of this covenant, by a true and lively faith, which they are called to fhew forth by a fincere repentance, and ftudy of new obedience. All which gracious promises and demands, the elect, in due time, upon God's call, do cordially acquiefce in, accept of, and give confent unto : And this they do, through the grace and ftrength of Chrift their Surety, according to his eternal engagement for them, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 27. Heb. viii. 10. John i. 12. John iii. 16. James ii. 18. 22. John vi. 37. 44• 45• John xvii. 12. Acts v. 31. Q. Was not this new covenant a most wonderful, gracisus, and fuitable contrivance and remedy for our mijery in a fallen flate? A. Yes, for though the firft was a glorious covenant, contrived in infinite wifdom; yet, feeing it could not anfwer the demands of the miferable circumstances we VOL. II. D plunged plunged ourselves into, God was content to lay it aside, and frame a new one fuitable to our mifery. For the first covenant leaving man helpless, hopeless, and remedilefs under its fentence, having no provifion for pardon, place for repentance, nor room for a Mediator, God pitied us in our undone ftate, (though he could more eafily have deftroyed Adam and his pofterity, and made a new world of innocent creatures, to have been governed by the first covenant) yea, he took down that glorious fabric of obedience and rewards, and framed a more gracious and excellent one in its ftead, for faving loft man. And feeing man was difabled and incapaci tate for covenanting with God by himself a fecond time, God found out a Mediator and Surety to bind for him, and perform both the condition and pay the penalty of the first covenant, and answer for any new thing to be demanded of him. And thus both God's juftice is fatisfied, and man's happiness fecured; the law-breaker's life faved, and the law-maker's honour maintained; and free-grace highly glorified. Q. Is there not a great affinity betwixt the covenant of redemption, and the covenant of grace? A. Yes, for they agree not only in their fpring, ends, and indiffolvable nature, but likewife in their fubstance and matter; in fo far as the covenant of redemption doth comprehend the whole of the covenant of grace, both promifes and demands: For the whole ble flings and be..nefits promifed in the covenant of grace to the elect, were from eternity promifed in the covenant of redemption to Chrift their head and reprefentative; and fo to the elect in him: And for the condition or qualifications required of the elect in the covenant of grace; they were firft demanded of Chrift their head in the covenant of redemption, who then undertook and became Surety for his people's performance. So that we fee, in fome refpect, the covenant of grace is only a tranfcript of the covenant of redemptlon, according to 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. i. 2. Gal. iii. 16. Q. Wherein then doth those two covenants differ? A. In thefe refpects, 1, As to the time of making them; the covenant of redemption being made from all eternity; eternity; but the covenant of grace only in time, by the preaching of the gospel. 2dly, The federates, or parties covenanting, are different: In the covenant of redemption, the Father and the Son are the only parties covenanting; but in the covenant of grace, God and the elect are the parties. I grant, that Chrift is a federate in the covenant of grace, as well as in that of redemption, but in different refpects: For in the first he ftood as principal, but in the fecond as Surety. In the firit he was the only party; but in the fecond he hath the elect joined with him Christ is the Mediator and Surety of the covenant of grace, but the covenant of redemption hath no mediator or furety; the Father and the Son trufted one another upon the agreement. 3dly, Thefe two covenants differ from one another as a prior treaty or agreement made by one friend for the behoof of another, doth differ from the pofterior ratification of it by the party concerned, for whofe good it was made. Our bieffed Redeemer Chrift, graciously fifted himself as the elect's reprefentative in the covenant of redemption, tranfcted with God the creditor for the payment of their debt, and made a most advantageous bargain for them. But it being made without the elect's knowledge, it was neceffary that their confent fhould be had to this treaty and method of falvation; wherefore God is pleafed to caufe it to be promulgate and propofed to them in the gofpel, for the gaining of their confent. And God's voice to them in the gofpel, is to this effect: "Are you content with what Chrift my Son hath engaged and done in your name? Are you willing to quit all other methods of falvation, and come to me through a Mediator, and rely wholly upon his righteoufnefs? Are you fatisfied with the remedy provided for you in the covenant of redemption?" O, faith the poor foul, (being determined thereto by the powerful operation of the Holy Ghoft, whofe office it is, according to the forefaid eternal agreement, to apply the remedy prepared by Chrift,) "This is a moft noble method of falvation, I am well pleafed with the eternal treaty and the execution of it, with the Mediator D 2 diator and his righteoufnefs, and with the great and precious promises made to me in him: I renounce all other ways of falvation, and rely entirely on Christ to bring me to God." And this is that which we call the covenant of grace. 4thly, They differ in refpect of their comprehenfivenefs; the covenant of redemption being far more large and comprehensive than the covenant of grace, in regard it doth contain it and much more: For the covenant of redemption hath in it, not only what is promised to, and required of the elect, but also many distinct demands of Chrift as their Surety, and promises made to him as fuch, which do not immediately concern the elect: Such as thefe, it was required of Chrift that he fhould," leave his glory, take a body of flesh, fulfil the law, and suffer death: Alfo, that he fhould quicken the elect by his Spirit, convert and fanctify them, guide them through the world, and bring them fafe to glory at laft." Again, it was promised to Chrift perfonally, for his encouragement to engage in this work, that he should have all " needful affiftance and furniture for it, acceptance and success in it, and a glorious personal reward, an honourable refurrection, and high exaltation above all principalities and powers. That he fhould have the administration of all things put in his hands, for the good of his people; as an unfearchable treasure of grace and rich fupplies given him, to communicate to them, whatever is for their good and happiness :" Whereupon Chrift, as our Surety, freely undertook the work propofed, and laid hold on the promises, both thofe made to him perfonally, and thofe made to his feed in him, Gal. iii, 16. 2. Tim. i. 9. Thus we fee how many things there are in the covenant of redemption, required of, and promifed to Chrift as the elect's Surety and reprefentative, diftinct from the things promised to and required of the elect themfelves: Which laft part makes up the covenant of grace when promulgate to them in the gofpel for their confent and acceptance; fo that it is plainly a part or branch of the covenant of redemption, and differs nothing from it but as a part doth from the whole, or as the map of a particular |