to him: but in the gospel covenant tliere is a siiret}', Christ the righteous, who stands responsible to God tor all the defaults and tailings which occur in the Christian's course. The Lurd Jesus doth iu>t only take upon him to discharge the vast sums of those sins which he finds them chai'ged with before conver- sion ; but for all those dribbling debts which afterwards, through their infir- mity, they contract ; ' If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins,' 1 John ii. 2; so that God may, without any impeachment to his justice, cross his saints' debts, w^hich he is paid for by their Surety : it is mercy indeed to the saints, but justice to Christ, that he should : O happy conjunction, where mercy and justice thus conspire, and kiss each other !
Secondly, God did, and well might require full and perfect obedience of man in the first covenant, becanse he was in a perfect state of full power and ability to perform it, so that God looked to reap no more than he had planted. But in the gospel covenant God doth not at first infuse into the believer full grace, but true grace ; and accordingly he expects not full obedience, but sincei-e. He considers our frame, and every believer is, if I may so say, rated in God's books as the stock of grace is which God gives to set up withal at first.
Section Il.—Jleas. 2. The second reason may be taken from the great love he bears and liking he takes to this disposition of heart, upon which follows this act of grace, to cover their failings where he spies it ; it is the nature of love to cover infirmities, even to a multitude. Esther transgressed tlie law, by coming into Ahasuerus's presence before she was sent for; but love soon erectecl a pardon-office in the king's breast, to foi-give her that fault ; and truly she did not find so much favour in the eyes of that great monarch, as the sincere soul doth in the eyes of the great God. He did not more delight in Esther's beauty, than God doth in this, Pi-ov. xi. 20 . ' Such as are upright in their way are his delight;' his soul closeth with that man, as one that suits with the disposition of his own holy nature, one whose heart is right with his heart ; and so with infinite content to see a ray of his own excellency sparkle in his creature, lie delights in him, and takes him by the hand, to lift him up into the bosom of his love, a better chariot, I trow, than that which Jehu preferred Jehonadab to, for his faithfulness to him. You seldom find any spoken of as upright in the Scripture, that are passed over with a plain, naked inscription of their upright- ness ; but some circumstance there is, which, like the costly work and curious engraving about some tombs, tell the passenger they are no ordinaiy men that lie there. God, speaking of Job's uprightness, represents him as a nonsuch in his age ; ' None like him in the earth, a perfect man, and upright.' Mention was before made of his vast estate, and in that also he was a nonsuch ; but when God comes to glory over Satan, by telling what a servant he had to wait on him, he doth not count this worth the telling the devil of; nor. Hast thou considered my servant Job, Job i. 8, that there is none so rich? But, none so upright. When God speaks to Caleb's uprightness, see to what a height he exalts him. Numb. xiv. 24 : ' But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will 1 bring into the land,' &c. As if God had said. Here is a man I do not count myself disparaged to own him for my servant, and s])ecial favourite; he is one that carries more worth in him than the whole midtitude of murmuring Israelites besides; lie had ' another spirit,' that is, for excellency, and nobleness, far above the rest; and wherein did thisappear? The next words resolve us : ' He hath followed me fully.' Now that which gained him this great honour from God's own mouth, we shall find to be his sincerity, and especially in that business when sent to search the land of Canaan, Joshua xiv. 7, and ver. 9, compared. He had great temptations to tell another tale. The Israelites wore so sick of their enterprise, that he should be the welcomest messenger that brought the worst news, from which they might have some cohnu- for their nuu-nun'ing against Moses, who had brought them into sucli straits; and of twelve that were sent, there were ten that suited their answer to this discontented humour of the people ; so that by making a contrary report to theirs, he did not only come under the suspicion of a liar, but hazard his life among an enraged people ; yet such was the courage of this holy man, faithfulness to his trust, and trust in his God, that, as ho saith himself, ver. 7, ' He brought him' (that is, Moses, who had sent him,) ' word again, as it was
^33 ' HAVING YOUR LOINS