illustrious passage of scripture is shewed, under the similitude of an exposed or outcast infant, the natural state and wretched condition in which God found Israel, and finds all the elect; the former being a type of the latter. There is a twofold passing by this wretched out-cast, and these at two very distant times, intimated by the Holy Ghost. The first, on the day she was born and cast out, ver. 4, 5, 6. The second, after she was grown, and become marriageable; at what time she was actually married, vers. 7, 8. The former refers to the time of the elect's coming into the world in their natural state, not only as born into it, but as beginning to act in it as rational creatures; the latter, to the time prefixed in the eternal purpose, when, by means of the law in the hands of the spirit of bondage, their breasts, as it were, are fashioned, in the work of conviction; upon which ensues their spiritual marriage with Christ. But how is the out-cast preserved in the interval, that she perisheth not in her wretched condition? Why; though no hand was laid upon her, yet a word was spoken, which secured her life in a case naturally deadly. At the first passing by her, in the day she was born and cast out, God said to her, "Live in thy blood:" that is, "Notwithstanding that thou art lying in the open field, in thy blood, thy navel not dressed, so that, according to the course of nature, thy blood and spirits must quickly fail, and this thy birthday must be thy dying-day; yet I say unto thee, Live: thou shalt not die in that condition, but grow up in it, being preserved till the happy moment of the designed marriage." And this is the promise of the elect's preservation in their natural state. And it hath two great branches; one respecting their natural life; another respecting their spiritual death. The

First is a promise of the continuation of their natural life, till such time as they be made partakers of life in Christ Jesus. God has said it; they shall live, though in the blood of their natural state. So it is not possible they should die before that time, whatever dangers they are brought into; even though a thousand should fall at their side, and ten thousand at their right hand; for, by the promise of the covenant, there is an unseen guard about them, to defend them. It is in virtue hereof, that all along during the time they are in that state, they are preserved, whether in the womb, or coming out of it, or in all the dangers of infancy, childhood, youth, or whatsoever age they arrive at therein. This is it that, so long as they are unconverted, doth so often bring them back from the gates of death; returning them in safety, when either by diseases, or other accidents, they are past hope in their own eyes, and in the eyes of friends and physicians. Though the elect thief was, in his

natural state, nailed to the cross; yet death had no power to come at him, so as to separate his soul from his body, till such time as he was once united to Christ by faith, and made partaker of a new life in him. The

ness."

Second is a promise of keeping the grave-stone from off them in their spiritual death. The grave-stone is the sin against the Holy Ghost, the unpardonable sin; which, on whomsoever it is laid, makes their case, from that moment, irrecoverable, that thenceforth they can never rise from spiritual death to life: Mark iii. 29, " He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never forgiveBut although the elect in their natural state, being dead in sin as well as others, may, through the activity of reigning and raging lusts, so rot in their graves, as to be most abominable in the eyes of God and all good men; yet, because of the promise of the covenant, it is not possible that that grave-stone should be laid on them. There is an invisible guard set on their souls, as well as on their bodies and so it is infallibly prevented, as may be learned from that expression of our Saviour, Matt. xxiv. 24, "Insomuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very elect." While they are Satan's captives, he may drive them to a prodigious pitch of wickedness. So did he with Manasseh, and Paul: but, as far as he had carried them, he could not carry them forward that step.

This promise of the elect's preservation, as it is with the rest founded on the obedience and death of Christ; whereby eternal life was purchased for them, and consequently these benefits in particular, failing which they would be ruined for ever: so it is akin to, and seems to be grafted upon the promise of assistance made to Christ in the covenant; by which a divine support was insured to him, during all the time the sins of the elect, and the wrath of God for them, should lie upon him. And at this rate, the case of the head, and of the members, was jointly provided for in the covenant.

II. THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT.

THE promise of eternal life to the elect, comprehends also a promise of the Spirit of life to be communicated to them, and each one of them, at the nick of time, prefixed in their cases respectively, in the eternal council; that is, the time appointed to be the time of love, the dawning of the day of grace to them, however long and dark their night may be. This promise is found, Isa. xliv. 3, "1 will pour my Spirit upon thy seed." Ezek. xxxvi. 27, "I will put my Spirit within you." The elect of God being, even as the rest of mankind, dead in sin, through the breach of the first covenant, could not

be recovered, but through a communication of the Spirit of life to them but that Spirit they could not have from an unatoned God. Wherefore, in the covenant, Christ undertook to fulfil all righteousness in their name, thereby to purchase the Spirit for them; upon which was made the promise of the Spirit, the leading fruit of Christ's purchase; called therefore the Father's promise by way of eminency, Luke xxiv. 49. In token hereof the great outpouring of the Spirit was at Christ's ascension; when he, as our great High Priest, carried in the blood of his sacrifice into the most holy place not made with hands, Acts ii. For as the fire which was set to the incence on the golden altar, the altar of incense was brought from off the brazen altar, the altar of burnt-offering in the court of the temple; so the Spirit which causeth dead sinners to live, issueth from the cross of Christ, who suffered without the gate.

Now, of the promise of the Spirit there are two chief branches; namely, the promise of spiritual moral life, and the promise of faith.

1. The promise of spiritual moral life, in virtue whereof the soul morally dead in sin, is raised to life again, through the Spirit of life communicated unto it from heaven. This is the beginning, the very first of the eternal life itself promised in the covenant. It is the lighting of the sacred lamp of spiritual life in the soul, which can never be extinguished again, but burns for evermore thereafter. This promise we have, Isa. xxvi. 19, "Thy dead men shall live." And it belongs to the promise of the Spirit; as appears from Ezek. xxxvii. 14. "And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live.”

The effect of it is the quickening of the dead soul, by the Spirit of Christ passively received: Eph. ii. 5, "When we were dead in sins (God, ver. 4.) hath quickened us." This is the same with the renewing in effectual calling, whereby we are enabled to embrace Jesus Christ, mentioned in our Shorter Catechism on that question. And it is fitly called by some divines, the first regeneration, agreeable to the style of the holy Scripture: John i. 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" ver. 13. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Sinners in their natural state lie dead, lifeless, and moveless; they can no more believe in Christ, nor repent, than a dead man can speak or walk: but, in virtue of the promise, the Spirit of life from Christ Jesus, at the time appointed, enters into the dead soul, and quickens it; so that it is no more morally dead, but alive, having new spiritual powers put into it, that were lost by Adam's fall.

2. The other chief branch of the promise of the Spirit, is the promise of faith; to wit, that Christ's spiritual seed shall believe in him, come unto him, and receive him, by faith: Psalm cx. 3, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power;" and Psalm xxii. 31, "They shall come." God hath promised, that, upon the shedding of the blood of his Son, for the satisfaction of justice, there shall spring up in the earth, after that costly watering, a plentiful seed, to the satisfying of his soul, Isa. liii. 10. And therefore, whoever they be that believe not, all those who were represented in the covenant, shall infallibly be brought to believe, as our Lord himself upon the credit of this promise, doth declare, John vi. 37, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me." Now, this also belongs to the promise of the Spirit; who is therefore called the Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 13, as being the principal efficient cause thereof, Zech. xii. 10.

The effect of this promise is actual believing, produced by the quickening Spirit in the soul, immediately out of the spiritual life given to it by the communication of himself thereto: John v. 25, "The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God;" compared with chap. i. 12, 13; 2 Cor. iv. 13. As receiving Christ passively, the sinner that was spiritually dead, is quickened; so being quickened, he receives Christ actively. Christ comes into the dead soul by his Spirit and so he is passively received; even as one, having a power to raise the dead, coming into a house, where there is none but a dead man; none to open the door to him, noue to desire him to come in, nor to welcome him. But Christ being thus received, or come in, the dead soul is quickened, and by faith embraceth him; even as the restorer of the dead man to life, would immediately be embraced by him, and receive a thousand welcomes from him, who had heard his voice and lived. When Christ, in the womb of his mother, entered into the house of Zacharias, and she saluted Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, he, the babe in Elizabeth's womb, leaped as at the entrance of life: so doth the soul, in actual believing, at Christ's coming into it by his Spirit. As God breathed into the first man the breath of life, and he became a living soul, who was before but a lifeless piece of fair earth; that is, God put a spirit, a soul, into his body, which immediately showed in the man's. breathing at his nostrils: so Jesus Christ, in the time of loves, puts his Spirit into the dead soul, which immediately shews itself alive, by believing, receiving and embracing him, known and discerned in his transcendent glory. And thus the union betwixt Christ and the soul is completed; Christ first apprehending the soul by his Spirit; and then the soul thus apprehended and quickened, apprehending him again in the promise of the gospel by faith.

Now, the promise of the Spirit, in both branches thereof, is granted upon the promise of a resurrection from the dead, made to Christ; and it is so interwoven there with, that there is no separating of them. The promise of the resurrection, like the oil on Aaron's head, runs down to the skirts of his garments, in the promise of quickening his members too. Herein the Scripture is very plain, Isa. xxvi. 19, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise." Eph. ii. 5, " Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." Our Lord Jesus, in the eternal covenant, became the head of a dead body, to wit, of the body of elect sinners dead in sin; and that to the end he might restore it to life. And being legally united with that body, that so death might have access to spread itself from it unto him in due time, he had the promise of a resurrection, both for himself and his members, made unto him. The appointed time being come, death drew together its whole forces, and made an attack upon the head of the body, which alone remained alive. It stung him to the heart upon the cross, and laid him too in the dust of death and so it had them all dead together, head and members. Thus the condition of the covenant was fulfilled. Now, the promise comes next, in its turn to be fulfilled, particularly the promise of a resurrection : namely, that, death having exhausted all its force and vigour on the head, he should be raised again from the dead; and that as death had spread itself from the members into the head, so life, in its turn, should spread itself from the head into the members, they together with his dead body arising. It was in virtue hereof, that the spirit or soul that animated Christ's body, and which he yielded up upon the cross, (Matth. xvii. 25,) shewed by his breathing out his last there, (Luke xxiii. 46, Gr.) was returned again into his blessed body; whereupon he came forth out of the grave. And it is in virtue of the same, that the Spirit of life returns into the dead souls of the elect again; upon which they live and believe. The time of the return of the Spirit, both into the head and into the members, was prefixed in the covenant, respectively; so that as it was not possible Christ should be held in the grave after three days; even so it is not possible that the elect should be held in the bonds of spiritual death, after the time prefixed for their delivery: Hos. vi. 2, "After two days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."

And thus the promise of eternal life to the elect works in this dark period of their days; which dark period ends here. It appears now, and runs above ground ever after.