guilt, by the facrifice of himself, the Father made a promife of peace and reconciliation with them thereupon. Hence we are faid to be reconciled to God by the death of his Son, Rom. v. 10.; inafmuch as by his death and fufferings he purchased our reconciliation, which was promifed on these terms.

Now, this promife is accomplished to the justified finner: being pardoned, he is brought into a ftate of peace with God, as faith the Apostle, Rom. v. 1. Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God. God lays down his legal enmity against him, never to be taken up again. And more than that, he takes him into a bond of friendship; fo that he is not only at peace with God, but is the friend of God: James ii. 23. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteoufnefs: and he was called the friend of God.

This promife is grafted upon the promise of acceptance and juftification made to Chrift. For his facrifice being accepted as well pleafing to God, and he difcharged of the debt he became furety for; the reconciliation, as well as the pardon, of thofe united to him by faith, natively follows thereupon: 2 Cor. v. 19. God was in Chrift, reconciling the world unto himfelf, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them. Eph.. i. 6. He hath made us accepted in the beloved. verfe 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins.

2. Another branch of this promife, is the promife of their adoption into the family of God: Hof.i. 10. It shall be faid unto them, Te are the fons of the liv ing God. And this is more than the former; as it is more to be one's fon, than to be his friend. We have before declared, how all mankind was, by the frft covenant, conftituted God's hired-fervants; and by the breach of that covenant, bond-fervants under the curfe and how Chrift transferred that ftate of fervitude of his fpiritual feed on himfelf. Now,

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upon confideration of his taking on him the form of a bond-fervant for them, the promise of their adoption into the family of God was made. He was made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons, Gal. iv. 4. 5.

And being juftified by faith, and reconciled to God, it is accomplished to them: forafmuch as then Chrift's fervice is imputed to them, and a way is opened withal for their admiffion into the family of God, through their actual reconciliation to him: Rom. v. 1. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. ver. 2. By whom alfo we have access by faith into this grace wherein we ftand. John i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God. Then are they taken as children into the family of heaven: God becomes their Father in Chrift; and they his fons and daughters, to abide for ever in his houfe, John viii. 35. And fo they have a right to all the privileges of that high relation.

Now, this promife is grafted upon the promise made to Chrift of a new kind of intereft in GoD as his Father; according to that, John xx. 17. I afcend unto my Father and your Father. For by the Spirit of adoption we call God our Father, in the right of Jefus Chrift our elder brother, fpiritual husband and head.

3. The laft branch is the promise of God's being their God: Heb. viii. 10. I will be their God. This is more than reconciliation, and adoption: it is the height of the relation to God, which a finful creature could be advanced unto. They were by natúre without God, Eph. ii. 12.: but forafmuch as the Son of God did, in, the covenant, undertake to give him felf for them, in their nature perfectly to fatisfy the law, in his holy birth, righteous life, and exquifite

death;

death; a ranfom of infinite value, quite beyond all created things whatfoever, graces, pardons, hea vens; there was made, upon that confideration, a promife of God's giving himself to them, as the adequate reward of that fervice; which being perfor med by the Mediator, this reward was purchased for them. Hence God faith to Abraham, Gen. xv.. 1. 1 am thy exceeding great reward.

Now, to the believer being justified, reconciled, and adopted, into the family of God, this heritage. falls, in accomplishment of this promife, Rom.viii. 17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God. Gal. iv. 7. And if a fon, then an heir of God through Chrift; God himself being the heritage. He becomes their God: they have a right to him, and are poffeffed of him, as their own property; a property which the thought of men and angels cannot fully reach the contents of. Not only are all the works and creatures of God, in the heavens, earth, and feas, theirs, 1 Cor. iii. 22. All are yours but himself is theirs, which is more than all that, as the bridegroom is more than all his marrige-robes, or his large poffeffons. All his attributes are theirs; his infinite wif dom to direct them, his power to afford them protec tion, his juftice to make all the benefits purchafed by Chrift for them forthcoming to them, his holiness to transform them into the fame image, his mercy to pity and fuccour them, his grace to deal bountifully with them, his faithfulness to fulfil all the promifes to them in their time, and his all-fufficiency to render them compleatly happy. He is theirs in all his relations; their Shepherd, Provifor, Protector, King, Hufband, Head, and whatfoever may contribute to their happinefs. All the perfons of the glorious Trmity are theirs; the Father is theirs,. the Son is theirs, and the Holy Spirit is theirs: Ifa. liv. 5. For thy maker is thine hufband, (the Lord of hoft's

Hofts is his name): Heb. Thy makers are thine huf bands: JEHOVAH SABAOTH is his name.

This tich, promife is grafted upon the promife

made to Chrift of a new kind of intereft in GoD as his God John xx. 17. Lafcend to my God and your God. God being the Mediator's God by purchase, he becomes our God in him. Chrift having performed the condition of the covenant, falls heir to the great HERITAGE; and we fall to it alfo in him, being heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift, Rom. viii. 17.

III. The Promife of SANCTIFICATION.

In the promife of eternal life to the elect, is comprehended in like manner the promise of their fanc tification: Ezek. xi. 19. I will take the ftony heart out of their flefb, and will give them an heart of flefb verfe 20. That they may walk in my ftatutes. See Joel iii. 17.21. Heb. viii. 10. Through the breach of the first covenant, they loft the image of God: their whole faculties were fo depraved, that they could neither do, fpeak, nor think any thing truly good, and acceptable to God: they were by nature altogether unholy; unclean, lothfome, and abominable, in their nature, heart, and life. And it was quite beyond their power to make themfelves holy again: for mending of their nature could not effect it; it behoved to be renewed, Eph. iv. 23. And the curfe of the law lying upon them, extinguished all faving relation between God and them; and fo blocked up all faving communication with heaven: for it barred in point of justice, all fandtifying influences from thence; thefe being the greatest benefit they were capable of, as affimilating the creature unto God himfelf, or rendering it like him. The curfe fo fancti fying influences could not pafs from him unto them;

fixed a gulph betwixt God and them, the?

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more than their unholy defires and prayers could pafs from them unto him. So the fallen angels always were, and the damned now are, beyond all poffibility of fanctification, or of receiving fanctifying influences from heaven; there being no remedy to remove the curfe, neither from the one, nor from the other. And in this cafe all Adam's pofterity had lain for ever, had not Jefus Chrift, as the head of the elect, undertaken in the fecond covenant to remove that bar, to fill up the gulph, and to found a new faving relation between God and them, thro' his own obedience and death. But upon that undertaking of the Mediator, the Father did by promise infure their fanctification; that Chrift's people should be willing in the day of his power, in the beauties of holinefs, Pfal. cx. 3.; and that a feed should serve him, Pfal. xxii. 30.

The

And this promife, the promife of fanctification, is indeed the chief promise of the covenant made to Chrift for them: among the reft of that kind, it shines like the moon among the leffer ftars. Sanctification is the very chief fubordinate end of the covenant of grace, ftanding therein next to the glory of God, which is the chief and ultimate end thereof. promife of it, is the centre of all the rest of these promifes. All the foregoing promifes, the promise of prefervation, the Spirit, the first regeneration or quickening of the dead foul, faith, juftification, the new faving relation to God, reconciliation, adoption, and enjoyment of God as our God, do tend unto it as their common centre, and ftand related to it as means to their end. They are all accomplished to finners, on defign to make them hely. And all the fubfequent promifes, even the promise of glorification itfelf, are but the fame promife of fanctification enlarged and extended: they are but as fo many rays and beams of light, fhooting forth from it as the centre of them all.

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