confidence for life and falvation is ever upon his own. doing and working, either in whole or in part; as alfo from the defpairing unbeliever, who hath no confidence, neither in Chrift, nor in himself, that he fhall have life and falvation, however he may believe firmly that others fhall. So this faith, this covenanting, is quite another thing, than either the falfe faith of the prefumptuous profane, and prefumptuous hypocrite, or the no-faith of the defperate, or the wavering doubter, who can never fix in greater or leffer meafure of confidence in Chrift, for falvation to himfelf: James i. 6. But let him afk in faith, nothing wavering for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the fea, driven with the wind, and toffed. Verfe 7. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord..

If any think this to be an eafy way of believing or covenanting, either they mistake it, or they try it not. To believe upon fome ground we fee in our felves, is very natural; but to believe merely upon a ground in another, namely, righteousness in Chrift, and faithfulness in God, while all in ourfelves tends to make us defpair, is above the reach of nature. A confcience thoroughly awakened, will convince a finner, that it is a matter of greateft difficulty.

Inf. 2. Juftifying faith, tho' it receives Chrift in all his offices, as Prophet, Prieft, and King; yet as it enters us perfonally into the covenant, and juftifies, it eyes him in his priestly office particularly namely, as the great High Priest, who hath made atonement for fin, by the facrifice of himself; as the Surety who undertook and completed the payment of the debt of punishment and duty; and as the Kinfman-redeemer, who having married our nature to the divine nature in himself, redeemed the mortgaged inheritance with his own blood, gave himfelf aranfom for us to deliver us from our fpiritual bondage,

H 3

and

and by his death destroyed him that had the power of death: Rom. iii. 25. Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his BLOOD. Chap. v. II. Our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom we have now received the atonement. The comfort for a wounded confcience, fick with the guilt of fin, lies here. This is that office of Chrift to which the convinced finner, ftanding trembling before the juft Judge of the world, lifts his eyes, and makes his recourfe for fafety; for there, and only there, can one fee a random, a righteousness, an atonement. In his prophetical and kingly office he adminiftrates the covenant; but in his priestly office he performed the condition of it. So it is the foundation of the other two. It was by the facrifice of himself, that the word and Spirit of the covenant, whereby he teacheth finners, were purchased: and thereby alfo he obtained his kingdom. And his interceffion is founded upon his oblation. So his priestly office, and that confidered particularly in point of his offering his facrifice, doth, as the foundation-ftone, bear the weight of the falvation of finners, and of the honour of God and the Mediator therein. Wherefore it is not ftrange, that his inveftiture with the priestly office was confirmed by the oath of God; a folemnity not ufed in the cafe of his prophetical and kingly offices. And thus far of the making of the covenant.

HEAD III.

The PARTS of the Covenant of Grace.

T

HE parts of the covenant of grace, being the things therein agreed upon betwixt God and Chrift the Second Adam, are two, to wit, the conditionary part, and the promiffory part. Thefe comprehend the whole of the covenant, and of them we fhall treat in order.

The

The FIRST Part of the Covenant, namely, the CoNDITIONARY Part.

HE condition of a covenant or bargain, proper

Tly and commonly to called, is, That part of

a covenant or bargain, upon the performing of which one's right to the benefit promifed is founded, and his plea for it is stated, as becoming due to him for that his performance, according to and in virtue of the agreement between the parties. This is a fede ral condition, a covenant-condition, or the condition of a covenant; and what all men, in common converfation, understand by the condition of a covenant or bargain. As for inftance, the paying of fuch a fum of money for fuch a commodity, according to the agreement between the parties, is the condition of a covenant of commerce, fale, or traffic: the working of fuch a piece of work, or doing of fuch a deed, for fuch a reward agreed upon by the parties, is the condition of a covenant of fervice or hire.

Befides this, there is alfo what is called a condition of connexion or order in a covenant; whereby one thing neceffarily goes before another, in the order of the covenant, without being the ground upon which one's right and title to that other thing is founded. As in the former inftance, the buyer's receiving of the commodity, and the hireling's receiving of the reward, covenanted or bargained for, muft needs go before their poffeffion or enjoyment of them; but it is evident, that that receiving is not the thing upon which the buyer's right and title to the commodity, or the hireling's right and title to the reward, is founded: therefore, though it may be called a condition of connexion in the refpective covenants, yet it cannot, in any propriety of fpeech, be called the condition of them.

Now, to apply thefe things to our purpofe: In the

order

order of the covenant of grace, forafmuch as the having of the Spirit must go before faith, faith before juftification, juftification before fanctification, holiness before heaven's happiness; thefe may be called conditions in the covenant of grace, to wit, conditions of certain connexion: and this belongs to the eftablished order of the promifes of the covenant, which are contradiftinguifhed to the condition of the covenant. Howbeit fuch conditions can in no proper fenfe be called the condition or conditions of the covenant of grace, more than the buyer's receiving of the commodity can be called the condition of the covenant or bargain of fale. But the condition of the covenant of grace, properly fo called, is, Chrift in the form of a bond-fervant, as Laft Adam, Reprefentative, Kinsman-redeemer, Surety, and Prieft, his fulfilling all righteoufnefs owing, in virtue of the broken covenant of works, unto God by his fpiritual feed: Mat. iii. 15. Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs.

For clearing of this purpofe, I fhall (1) Evince. this to be the condition of the covenant; (2.) Explain and unfold that righteoufnefs, the fulfilling whereof was made the condition of the covenant.

First, To evince that this is the condition of the covenant of grace, confider,

1. Chrift's fulfilling all righteoufnefs as the Second Adam, is what the Father propofed unto him, as the terms on which his feed fhould be faved, and upon which he founded his promife of eternal life to be. given them; and not any work or deed of theirs: Ifa, liii. 10. When thou fbalt make his foul an offering for fin, he fall fee his feed. verfe 11. He fall fee of the travel of his foul and fhall be fatisfied: by his knowledge hall my RIGHTEOUS SERVANT justify many: for he fhall BEAR their iniquities. Luke xxii. 20. This cup is the new teftament IN MY BLOOD, which is fhed for you. And the fame is that which

Chrift as the Second Adam did from eternity confent unto, undertake, and bind himfelf for; and which he did in time, according to agreement, perform. Thus he himself reprefents it, Matth.iii. 15. Thus it BECOMETH us to fulfil all righteoufnefs; namely, as it becometh a perfon of honour and credit to fulfil his bargain. Luke xxiv. 26. OUGHT not Chrift to have fuffered these things? to wit, as one ought to perform the condition of a covenant or bargain he has agreed to.

2. This is the only ground of a finner's right and title to eternal life; and upon nothing elfe can he fafely found his plea before the Lord for life and falvation: Eph. i. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace. Philip. iii. 8. 9. That I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine own righteoufnefs--but--the righteousness which is of God by faith. Surely, upon the condition of the covenant fulfilled, one may found his plea before the Lord for the benefits promifed in the covenant: but no man may found his plea before the Lord for thefe on any work or deed of his own whatfoever, no not on faith itfelf; but only on Chrift's fulfilling all righteoufnefs: therefore no work nor deed of ours whatsoever, no not faith itself, can be the condition of the covenant of grace properly fo called; but only Christ's fulfilling all righteoufnefs. The finner ftanding in the court of confcience, trembling before the Lord, flees in under the covert of that righteousness fulfilled by the Mediator, and dare oppofe nothing but it to the condemning fentence of the law, giving up with all other pleas for life and falvation. Believing in Chrift is the pleading upon that ground, not the ground of the finner's plea: it faith, My Lord and MY God in the promife, upon the ground of Christ's fulfilling all righteousness allenar

ly,