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" law of the spirit of life," or the covenant of grace, hath made " me free from the law of fin and death," or covenant of works.

4. That the fountain and first ground, from whence our freedom from the curse of the law doth flow, is the covenant of redemption, paft betwixt God and God the Son as incarnate, wherein Christ takes the curse of the law upon him for fin, that the believer, who could not otherwise be delivered from the covenant of works, may be delivered from it. And this doctrine the Apostle holdeth forth in these four branches: (1.) That it was utterly impossible for the law, or the covenant of works, to bring righteousness and life to a finner, because it was weak. (2.) That this weakness and inability of the law, or covenant of works, is not the fault of the law, but the fault of finful flesh, which is neither able to pay the penalty of fin, nor to give perfect obedience to the law, (presuppose bygone fins were forgiven:) "The law was weak," faith he, "through the flesh." (3.) That the righteousness and falvation of finners, which was impoffible to be brought about by the law, is brought to pass by fending God's own Son, Jefus Chrift, in the flesh, in whose flesh sin is condemned and punished, for making fatisfaction in the behalf of the elect, that they might be fet free. (4.) That, by his means, the law loseth nothing, because the righteousness of the law is best fulfilled this way; first, by Christ's giving perfect active obedience in our name unto it in all things: next, by his paying in our name the penalty (due to our fins) in his death: And lastly, by his working of fanctification in us, who are true believers, who strive to give new obedience unto the law, and "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Fo

WARRANTS

TO BELIEVE.

OR building our confidence upon this folid ground, these four warrants and special motives to believe in Chrift may serve. *

The first whereof is God's hearty invitation, holden forth, If. lv. 1. 2. 3.4.5.

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that bath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Verf. 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which fatisfieth not? bearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itself in fainess. Verf. 3. Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your foul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the fure mercies of David. Verf. 4. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people, &c.

Here (after fetting down the precious ransom of our redemption by the fafferings of Christ, and the rich blessings purchased to us thereby, in the two former chapters) the Lord, in this chapter,

1. Maketh

1. Maketh open offer of Christ and his grace, by proclamation of a free and gracious market of righteousness and salvation, to be had through Christ to every foul, without exception, that truly defires to be saved from fin and wrath: "Ho, every one that thirsteth," faith

he.

2. He inviteth all finners, that for any reason stand at distance with God, to come and take from him riches of grace, running in Christ as a river, to wash away fin, and to flocken wrath: "Come ye "to the waters," faith he.

3. Lest any should stand aback, in the sense of his own finfulness or unworthiness, and inability to do any good, the Lord calleth upon such persons in special, saying, " He that hath no money, come."

4. He craveth no more of his merchant, but that he be pleased with the wares offered, which are grace, and more grace; and that he heartily confent unto, and embrace this offer of grace, that so he may close a bargain, and a formal covenant with God; "Come, buy " without money," faith he, "come, eat:" That is, confent to have, and take unto you all faving graces; make the wares your own, pofsess them, and make use of all bleffings in Christ; whatsoever ma keth for your spiritual life and comfort, use and enjoy it freely, without paying any thing for it: "Come, buy wine and milk with " out money, and without price," faith he.

5. Because the Lord knoweth how much we are inclined to feek righteousness and life by our own performances and fatisfaction, to have righteousness and life as it were by the way of works; and how loth we are to embrace Christ Jesus, and to take life by way of free grace through Jesus Christ, upon the terms whereupon it is offered to us: Therefore the Lord lovingly calls us off this our crooked and unhappy way, with a gentle and timeous admonition, giving us to understand, that we shall but lose our labour in this our way: "Wherefore do ye spend your money (faith he) for that which is " not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?"

6. The Lord promiseth to us solid fatisfaction, in the way of be taking ourselves unto the grace of Christ, even true contentment, and fulness of fspiritual pleasure, saying, " Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itself

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" in fatness."

7. Because faith cometh by hearing, he calleth for audience unto the explication of the offer, and calleth for believing of, and liften ing unto the truth, which is able to beget the application of faving faith, and to draw the foul to trust in God: "Incline your ear, and " come unto me," faith he. To which end, the Lord promises, that this offer being received, shall quicken the dead finner; and that, upon the welcoming of this offer, he will close the covenant of grace with the man that shall confent unto it, even an indissolvable cove nant of perpetual reconciliation and peace: "Hearken, and you " foul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you." Which covenant, he declareth, shall be in substance the affignation, and the making over, of all the faving graces which David (who is Jesus Chrift, Acts xiii. 34.) hath bought for r us in the covenant of re demption

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demption: "I will make a covenant with you," faith he, "even "the sure mercies of David." By fure mercies, he means faving graces, such as are righteousiness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, adoption, sanctification, and glorification, and whatsoever belongs to godliness and life eternal.

8. To confirm and affure us of the real grant of these saving mer. cies, and to perfuade us of the reality of the covenant betwixt God and the believer of this word, the Father hath made a fourfold gift of his eternal and only begotten Son :

First, To be incarnate and born for our fake, of the feed of David his type; for which cause he is called here, and Acts xiii. 34. DAVID, the true and everlasting King of Ifrael. This is the great gift of God to man, John iv. 10. And here, I have given him to be David, or born of David, to the people.

Secondly, He hath made a gift of Christ to be a witness to the people, both of the fure and saving mercies granted to the redeemed in the covenant of redemption; and also of the Father's willingness and pupose to apply them, and to make them faft in the covenant of reconciliation, made with fuch as embrace the offer: "I " have given him" (faith the Lord here) " to be a witness to the " people." And truly he is a fufficient witness in this inatter, in many respects: 1st, Because he is one of the blessed Trinity, and party-contracter for us, in the covenant of redemption, before the world was. 2dly, He is by office, as Mediator, the Meslenger of the covenant, and hath gotten commiffion to reveal it. 3dly, He began actually to reveal it in Paradise, where he promised, that the feed of the woman should bruise the head of the ferpent. 4thly, He set forth his own death and fufferings, and the great benefits that should come thereby to us, in the types and figures of facrifices and ceremonies be-.. fore his coming. 5thly, He gave more and more light about this co+ venant, speaking by his Spirit, from age to age, in the holy Prophets. 6thly, He came himself, in the fulness of time, and did bear witness of all things belonging to this covenant, and of God's willing mind to take believers into it; partly by uniting our nature in one person with the divine nature; partly by preaching the good tidings of the covenant with his own mouth; partly by paying the price of redemption on the cross; and partly by dealing still with the people, from the beginning to this day, to draw in, and to hold in the redeemed in this covenant.

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Thirdly, God hath made a gift of Christ, as a leader to the people, to bring us through all difficulties, all afflictions and temptations, unto life, by this covenant: And he it is, and no other, who doth indeed lead his own unto the covenant; and, in the covenant, all the way on unto falvation: 1. By the direction of his word and Spirit. 2. By the example of his own life, in faith and obedience, even to the death of the cross. 3. By his powerful working, bearing his redeemed ones in his arms, and causing them to lean on him, while they go up through the wilderness.

Fourthly, God hath made a gift of Christ unto his people, as a commander: which office he faithfully exercisch, by giving to his kirk

and

and people, laws and ordinances, pastors and governors, and all neceffary officers; by keeping courts and assemblies among them, to fee that his laws be obeyed; fubduing, by his word, Spirit, and difcipfine, his peoples corruptions; and, by his wisdom and power, guarding them againíst all their enemies whatsoever.

Hence he who hath closed bargain with God, may strengthen his faith, by reasoning after this manner:

"Whosoever doth heartily receive the offer of free grace, made " here to finners, thirsting for righteousness and falvation; unto "him, by an everlasting covenant, belongeth Chrift, the true David, " with all his fure and faving mercies.

"But I (may the weak believer say) do heartily receive the offer " of free grace made here to finners, thirsting for righteousness and " falvation.

"Therefore unto me, by an everlafting covenant, belongeth Chrift " Jesus, with all his fure and saving mercies."

The fecond warrant and special motive to embrace Christ, and believe in him, is the earnest request that God maketh to us to be reconciled to him in Christ, holden forth, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 21.

God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliati

on.

Verf. 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's ftead, be ye reconciled to God. Verf. 21. For he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Wherein the Apostle teacheth us these nine doctrines:

First, That the elect world, or world of redeemed fouls, are by nature in the estate of enmity against God: This is presupposed in the word reconciliation; for reconciliation, or renewing of friendship, cannot be, except betwixt those that have been at enmity.

Second, That in all the time bypast, since the fall of Adam, Chrift Jesus, the eternal Son of God, as Mediator, and the Father in him, hath been about the making friendship (by his word and Spirit) hetwixt himself and the elect world: "God," faith he, "was in Chrift "reconciling the world to himself."

Third, That the way of reconciliation was in all ages one and the fame in fubftance, viz. by forgiving the fins of them, who do acknowledge their fins and their enmity against God, and do seek reconciliation and remiffion of fins in Chrift: "For God," faith he, " was in Chrift reconciling the world to himself," by way of “ not " imputing their trefpaffes unto them."

Fourth, That the end and scope of the gofpel, and whole word ef God, is threefold: 1. It ferveth to make people sensible of their fins, and of their enmity against God, and of their danger, if they fhould stand out, and not fear God's displeasure. 2. The word of God ferveth to make men acquainted with the course which God hath pre pared for making friendship with them through Christ, viz. That if men thall acknowledge the enmity and shall be content to enter into a covenant of friendship with God, through Chrift, then God will be content to be reconciled with them freely. 3. The word of God serveth to teach men how to carry themselves towards God, as friends, after they are reconciled to him, viz. to be loth to fin against him, and to strive heartily to obey his commandments: and therefore the word of God here is called the word of reconciliation, because it teacheth us what need we have of reconciliation, and how to make it, and how to keep the reconciliation or friendship, being made with God through Chrift.

Fifth, That albeit the hearing, believing, and obeying of this word, doth belong to all those to whom this goipel doth come; yet the office of preaching of it, with authority, belongeth to none, but to fuch only as God doth call to his ministry, and sendeth out with commif fion for this work. This the Apostle holdeth forth, verf. 19. in these words, "He hath committed to us the word of reconciliation."

Sixth, That the ministers of the gofpel fhould behave themfelves as Chrift's messengers, and should closely follow their commission set down in the word, Matth. xxviii. 19, 20. and, when they do fo, they should be received by the people as Ambafladors from God; for here the Apostle, in all their names, faith, "We are Ambaffadors for "Christ, as though God did befeech you by us."

Seventh, That ministers, in all earnestness of affections, should deal with people to acknowledge their fins, and their natural enmity against God, more and more feriously; and to confent to the covenant of grace and embaslage of Chrift more and more heartily; and to evidence more and more clearly their reconciliation, by a holy carriage before God. This he holdeth forth, when he faith, "We pray you be reconciled to God."

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Eight, That in the ministers affectionate dealing with the people, the people should confider that they have to do with God and Chrift, requesting them, by the ministers, to be reconciled: Now, there cannot be a greater inducement to break a finner's hard heart, than God's making a request to him for friendship; for when it became us, who have done so many wrongs to God, to seek friendship of God, he preventeth us: and (O wonder of wonders!) he requesteth us to be content to be reconciled to him; and therefore most fearful wrath must abide them who do fet light by this request, and do not yield when they hear ministers with commiffion, faying, "We are ambaffadors for Chrift, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

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Ninth, To make it appear, how it cometh to pass that the covenant of reconciliation should be so easily made up betwixt God and a humble finner fleeing to Christ, the Apostle leads us unto the cause of it, holden forth in the covenant of redemption, the sum whereof is this: "It is agreed betwixt God and the Mediator Jefus Christ the ". Son of God, furety for the redeemed, as parties-contracters, that the fins of the redeemed should be imputed to innocent Chrift, and he both condemned and put to death for them, upon this very "condition, that whosoever heartily consents unto the covenant of reconciliation offered through Christ, shall, by the imputation of

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