ministration of the promises by Christ: and it confifts in taking hold of him who is given for a Covenant to the people, with a resolution never to go back from him by unbelief, or disobedience of whatever kind. And the different modes of Covenanting originate in the different meafures of revelation, or the different systems of ordinances and worship which Chrift hath bestowed on his Church in different periods; or from the different modes of making their resolutions, and the different confirmations of these resolutions; or the different situations in which they were placed by adorable Providence.

THIS leads us to a Second Preliminary, but, before proceeding to it, I shall make a reflection or two on what has been fuggefted.

1. THESE few strictures on the Covenant of Grace difcover the vanity of fome modern notions concerning it. The modern system is, "That God is so well pleased with the fufferings of Christ, as to remit the rigorous terms of the Covenant of works; and to enter into a new Covenant with mankind, whether Jews or Gentiles, upon terms suitable to our reason, and equal to our abilities; for these are faith and fincere repentance. Onthese conditions, our justification, adoption, and future glory do depend: For they are that righteousness on account of which the pardon of our fins, and our acceptance before God do proceed." So our moderns fagely determine! But, from what is above observed, it is plain it was quite otherways determined in the Council of Peace. The friends of this scheme fuppofe themfelves to be very charitable; but the scheme itself is fo far from being charitable, that it lands all the fallen fons of Adam in eternal perdition. It must be fo; for no one can command one act of faith, until it be given him, on the behalf of Chrift, to believe: Instead of fincerity, the heart of man-of every man in his natural state, is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked; - DECEITFUL beyond all investigation by human scrutiny; and WICKED, yea DESPERATELY WICKED, beyond all poffibility of cure by human endeavour. Every one, then, who makes such fincerity as he can attain, by his natural

tural powers, the basis of his salvation, muft inevitably perish. It cannot be otherways, as no degree of fincerity, however small, can be attained. A scheme fo fraught with deftruction ought certainly to be reprobated by every person truly charitable. These men ought either to abandon their exclusive claim to charity, or else their uncharitable system : One of these fortresses must be altogether untenable. The Scriptures uniformly ascribe the justification and salvation of finners, not to their own righteousness, or any work done by them, whether perfect or imperfect, whether fincere or infincere; but to the righteousness which is of God, by the faith of Jefus Chrift. The modern scheme, however popular, is as opposite to the Scripture account of the righteousness of Christ as poffible. The Scriptures represent the obedience and death of Christ as magnifying the law of God, and making it honourable, instead of bringing down its high demands of perfect obedience, to accept of that which is fincere; "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law and make it honourable." Tell me, O ye fons of Pelagius!

O ye masters of reason! How the law is magnified by levelling the demand of perfection into a demand of fincerity? On one occafion, the new system teacheth us, that Chrift came to add new precepts to the law, to perfect and enlarge its meaning; on another, he came to bring down its rigorous demands, and level it to our abilities. Tell me, O ye fons of Socinus! How can these things be? The truth is, that which these men call the Covenant of Grace, does not exist without the lines of the legal heart: And no one thing can be more unlike the Covenant revealed to us in the holy Scriptures.

2. We may infer, That the Covenant of Grace is a proper covenant. Some greatly obfcure the doctrine of this tranfaction, denying that it is strictly fœderal. But every requifite of a Covenant, in the strictest sense of the term, is to be found in it: There are distinct parties; different parts; proposals made on the one hand, and accepted on the other. The sketch we have drawn of it is sufficient to obviate all they can alledge, who would reprefent this Covenant as a NAKED DECREE, as they they are pleased to style it; and also to repel the Cocceian dreams about an eternal teftament, as opposed to a proper Cove

nant.

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3. THOUGH this tranfaction be strictly fœderal, as it obtained between the Father and the Son; yet it is teftamentary, both in its confirmation and exhibition: All the essentials of a teftament are to be found in it; fuch as, a Teftator, who ratified it by his death; an inheritance, to be conveyed; a feed, to be constituted heirs; and a deed of conveyance, legally drawn, and duly executed, so that it might be pleadable in behalf of the legatees. All the benefits of this covenant are properly legacies, in respect of the freedom with which. they are bestowed on the covenanted feed. All the children of the covenant are properly legatees; they dare not plead their own, but the Mediator's merit, and his teftament as the foundation of their claim of right. And, as in teftaments, he who accepts of one of the articles must accept of, and stand to all the reft; so he who accepts of one promife of the New Covenant must accept of it all: And, if once accepted, it must be improved

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