sure covenant; even to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, Rom. iv. 16. The first covenant was made with a mere creature, as a principal party, and contractor: and though he was a holy and righteous man, yet was he so fickle and unstable, that he failed of performing the condition he undertook; and so the benefit of the promise was lost: wherefore fallen men were not at all fit to be principal parties, or parties-contractors, in the new covenant, wherein the promise was to be sure, and not to miss of an accomplishment. They being then wholly a broken company, not to be trusted in the matter, Jesus Christ the Son of God was constituted head of the new covenant, to act for, and in name of the spiritual seed and that to the end, the covenant being in this manner sure in point of the fulfilling of the condition, might be also sure in point of the accomplishment of the promise. And this is the very hinge of the stability of the covenant of grace, according to the Scripture: Psalm lxxxix. 28, "My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him." Ver. 22, "The enemy shall not exact upon him;" or, as others read it, and I think justly, "The enemy shall not beguile him," namely, as he did the first Adam. The original phrase is elliptical, q. d. The enemy shall not beguile (his soul, Jer. xxxvii. 9.) in him.

Before I leave this point, I offer the following inferences from it. Inf. I. The covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace, are not two distinct covenants, but one and the same covenant. I know that many divines do express themselves otherwise in this matter; and that upon very different views, some of which are no ways injurious to the doctrine of free grace. But this I take to be Scripture truth, and a native consequent of the account given of the covenant of grace in our Larger Catechism, to wit, "That the covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed:" Gal. iii. 16. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ," Rom. v. 15, to the end. Isa. liii. 10, 11, "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied," &c. So the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace are but two names of one and the same second covenant, under different considerations. By a covenant of redemption is meant a bargain of buying and selling: and such a covenant it was to Christ only; for as much as he alone engaged to pay the price of our redemption, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. By a covenant of grace, is meant a bargain

whereby all is to be had freely and such a covenant it is to us only, to whom the whole of it is of free grace; God himself having provided the ransom, and thereupon made over life and salvation to us, by free promise, without respect to any work of ours, as the ground of our right thereto.

To confirm this, consider, (1.) That, in Scripture reckoning, the covenants for life and happiness to man are but two in number, whereof the covenant of works is one: Gal. iv. 24, "These are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage," namely, generating bond children, excluded from the inheritance, ver. 30. This is a distinguishing character of the covenant of works; for such are indeed the children of that covenant, but not the children of the covenant of grace under any dispensation thereof. These two covenants are called, the old covenant, and the new covenant; and the old is called the first, which speaks the new to be the second: Heb. viii. 13, "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old." This is agreeable to the two ways unto life, revealed in the Scripture; the one by works, the other by grace, Rom. xi. 6. The one is called the law, the other grace, chap. vi. 14. The former is the law-covenant with the first Adam representing all his natural seed; made first in paradise, and afterward repeated on Mount Sinai, with the covenant of grace: the latter is the covenant of grace, made with the second Adam representing his spiritual seed: 1 Cor. xv. 47, 48. (2.) It is evident, that the salvation of sinners is by the blood of the covenant, which is the blood of Christ, Heb. x. 29; 1 Cor. xi. 25. And the Scripture mentions the blood of the covenant four times; but never the blood of the covenants: therefore the covenant, the blood whereof the Scripture mentions, and our salvation depends upon, is but one covenant, and not two. Now, that covenant is Christ's covenant, or the covenant of redemption: for it was through the blood of it he was brought again from the dead; namely, in virtue of the promise made therein to be fulfilled to him upon his performing the condition thereof, Heb. xiii. 20. And it is also his people's covenant, or the covenant of grace, Exod. xxiv. 8, " Behold, the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you." It is expressly called their covenant, Zech. ix. 11, "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water." The words expressing the party here spoken to, being of the feminine gender in the first language, make it evident, that this is not directed to Christ, but to the church: so the covenant is proposed as their covenant. And the spiritual prisoners are delivered, in virtue of this their covenant, which certainly must

be the covenant of grace. By all which it appears, that the covenant of grace is the very same covenant that was made with Christ, in respect of whom it is called the covenant of redemption.

Inf. 2. Like as all mankind sinned in Adam, so believers obeyed and suffered in Christ the second Adam. For as the covenant of works being made with Adam as a public person and representative, all sinned in him, when he broke that covenant; so the covenant of grace being made with Christ, as a public person and representative, all believers obeyed and suffered in him, when he so fulfilled this covenant. This is the doctriue of the apostle, Rom. v. 19, "As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners: so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Chap. viii. 3, "God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh;" ver. 4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." 2 Cor. v. 21, "That we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Gal. ii. 20, “ I am crucified with Christ." And it affords a solid answer for believers, unto the law's demand of obedience and suffering for life and salvation.

3. Believers are justified immediately, by the righteousness of Christ, without any righteousness of their own intervening; even as all men are condemned, upon Adam's sin, before they have done any good or evil in their own persons: Rom. v. 18, "As by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." And thus believers are righteous before God with the self same righteousness which was wrought by Jesus Christ, in his fulfilling the covenant. The which righteousness is not imputed to them in its effects only; so as their faith, repentance, and sincere obedience, are therefore accepted as their evangelical righteousness, on which they are justified: but it is imputed to them in itself, even as Adam's sin was.

4. The covenant of grace is absolute, and not conditional to us. For being made with Christ, as representative of his seed, all the conditions of it were laid on him, and fulfilled by him. Wherefore all that remains of it to be accomplished, is, the fulfilling of the promises unto him and his spiritual seed; even as it would have been in the case of the first covenant, if once the first Adam had fulfilled the condition thereof.

5. The covenant of grace is a contrivance of infinite wisdom and love, worthy to be embraced by poor sinners, as well ordered in all things and sure, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. O admirable contrivance of help for a desperate case! Wonderful contrivance of a covenant of God with them who were incapable of standing in the presence of his holi

ness, or of performing the least condition for life and salvation! A new bargain for the relief of lost sinners made on the highest terms with those who were not able to come up to the lowest terms! Infinite wisdom found out the way, to wit, by a representative. The love of the Father engaged him to propose the representation; and the love of the Son engaged him to accept of it. Thus God had one, with whom he might contract with the safety of his honour; and who was able to fulfil the covenant, to the reparation of the injuries done to his glory and sinners also had one able to act for them, and to purchase salvation for them at the hand of a holy just God. So a sure covenant was made, and a firm foundation laid, upon which God laid the weight of his honour, and on which sinners may safely lay their whole weight: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion a sure foundation: he that believeth, shall not make haste," Isa. xxviii. 16; "shall not be ashamed," Rom. ix. 33.

6. Lastly, The way to enter personally into the covenant of grace so as to partake of the benefits thereof, unto salvation, is, to unite with Christ the head of the covenant by faith. Being thus ingrafted into him, ye shall partake of all that happiness which is secured to Christ mystical, in the everlasting covenant: even as through your becoming children of Adam, by natural generation, ye are personally entered into the first covenant, so as to fall under that sin and death which passed upon all men, by the breach thereof, Rom. v. 12.

III. OF THE PARTY CONTRACTED AND UNDERTAKEN for.

As the party contractor and undertaker on man's side, in the covenant of grace, was a representative; so the party contracted and undertaken for, was represented by him. And that these two, namely, the represented, and those contracted for, are of equal latitude, is plain from the nature of the thing: for these whom one represents in a covenant, he contracts for in that covenant; and those for whom one contracts in a covenant made with him as representative, are represented by him in that covenant. Thus it was in the covenant of the first Adam, who was a figure of Christ the head of the second covenant. In it, those whom Adam contracted for, he represented; and those whom he represented, he contracted for he represented his natural seed only, and for them alone he contracted therefore those whom the second Adam contracted for, he represented; and whom he represented, he contracted for.

:

Now, the party represented and contracted for, by our Lord Jesus Christ, in the covenant of grace, was the elect of mankind; being a

certain number of mankind, chosen from eternity to everlasting life; "children partakers of flesh and blood, which God gave to Christ,” Heb. ii. 13, 14. In their person he stood, making this covenant with his Father; in their name he acted, striking this bargain with him, as a surety to obey the law, and satisfy justice.

And this I shall, in the first place, confirm; and then shall inquire how the elect were considered in this covenant and federal representation.

First, That the elect were the party represented, or contracted and undertaken for, in the covenant of grace, appears from the following grounds.

1. The party with whom the covenant was made, is in the text called God's chosen; as representing and contracting for all the chosen or elect: even as the first man was called Adam or man, as representing and contracting for all mankind in his covenant. For, as the apostle teacheth, Heb. ii. 11, "He-and they are all of one;" not only of one nature, but also of one body, to wit, the election; Christ is the head elect, Isa. xlii. 1, they the body elect, Eph. v. 23. Therefore they go under one name, principally belonging to him, and then to them by participation with him. Thus he is also called Abraham's seed, as representing all the spiritual seed of Abraham, that is, the elect, Gal. iii. 16, "And to thy seed which is Christ;" and the seed of the woman, as opposed to the serpent's seed; and under that name also the elect are comprehended; they, and they only, being the party betwixt whom and the serpent with his seed, God puts the enmity, according to the promise, Gen. iii. 15.

2. Those whom Christ represented and contracted for in the covenant of grace, are the heavenly men: 1 Cor. xv. 47, 48, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." Now, the heavenly men, belonging to Christ the second man, are none other but the elect. For they are contra-distinguished to the earthy men, belonging to the first man; to wit, all mankind taken into the first covenant in Adam: and therefore they are the elect men, taken into the second covenant, in the second Adam. Again, the heavenly men are those who shall bear the image of the heavenly man Christ, ver. 49; and such are the elect, and they alone. And, finally, they are those to whom Christ is, in respect of efficacy, a quickening spirit: for "as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." As Adam's deadly efficacy goes as wide as his representation did in the first covenant, reaching all mankind his natural seed, and them only; so Christ's quickening efficacy goes as wide as his representa