1. First, Premise this with me, that God hath commonly dealt with man in the luay of a covenant ; that being a way that is most suitable to man, and most honourable for man, and the most amicable and friendly way of dealing w^th man. No sooner was man made, but God entered into covenant with him, ' In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death,' Gen. ii. 17 ; and after this, he made a covenant with the world, by Noah, Gen. ix. 11-15, and vi. 18 ; and after this, he made a covenant with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 1,2; and after this, he made a covenant with the Jews at Mount Sinai, Exod. xix. Thus you see that God has commonly dealt with man in the way of a covenant. But,
2. Secondly, Premise this with me, A II men are under some cove- nant or other ; they are either under a covenant of works, or they are under a covenant of grace. All persons that live and die without an interest in Christ, they live and die under a covenant of works ; such as live and die with an interest in Christ, they live and die under a
^ Eccles. xi. 9, and xii. 14 ; Mat. xii. 14, and xviii. 23; Luke xvi. 2; Rom. xiv. 10; 2 Cor. V. 10 ; Heb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17 ; 1 Pet. iv. f>.
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covenant of grace. There is but a twofold standing taken notice of in the blessed Scriptures ; the one is under the law, the other is under grace. Now he that is not under grace, is under the law, Rom vi. 14. It is true, in the Scripture you do not read, in totidem syllabis, of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace ; but that of the apostle comes near it : Rom, iii. 27, ' Where is boasting then ? It is excluded. By what law ? of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith.' i Here you have the law of works, opposed to the law of faith ; which holds out as much as the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. The apostle sets forth this twofold condition of men, by a very pertinent resemblance, namely, by that of marriage, Rom. vii. 1-3. All Adam's seed are married to one of these two husbands ; either to the law, or to Christ. He that is not spiritually married to Christ, and so brought under his covenant, is still under the law as a covenant of works ; even as a wife is under the law of her husband while he is yet alive. Cer- tainly there were never any but two covenants made with man, the one legal, the other evangelical ; the one of works, the other of grace ; the first in innocency, the other after the fall : ponder upon Rom. iv, 13. But,
3. Thirdly, Let me premise this, that the covenant of grace was so legally dispensed to the Jews, that it seems to he nothing else hut the repetition of the covetiant of works ; in respect of which legal dispensa- tions of it, the same covenant, under the law, is called a covenant of works ; under the gospel, in regard of the clearer manifestation of it, it is called a covenant of grace : but these were not two distinct covenants, but one and the same covenant diversely dispensed. The covenant of grace is the same for substance now tb us since Christ was exhibited, as it was to the Jews before he was exhibited ; but the manner of administration of it is different, because it is : — (1.) Now clearer : things were declared then in types and shadows, heaven was then typed out by the land of Canaan, but now we have things more plainly manifested, 2 Cor. iii. 12 ; Heb. vii. 22. In this respect it is called ' a better testament or covenant,' Heb. viii. 6 ; not in substance, but in the manner of revealing it ; and the promises are said to be ' better promises' upon the same account. Acts x. 35. (2.) The cove- nant of grace, is now more largely extended ; then it extended only to the Jews, but now to all that know the Lord, and that choose him, fear him, love him, and serve him in all nations, Col. iii. 11 ; Neh. vii. 2; Job i. 1,8 ; Acts xiii. 22, seq. ; Rom. iv. 18-20. (3.) There is more abundance of the Spirit, of grace, of light, of knowledge, of holiness, poured out generally upon the people of God now, than there was in those times. Though then some few^ eminent saints had much of the Spirit, and much of grace and holiness, both in their hearts and lives ; but now the generality of the saints have more of the Spirit, and more grace and holiness, than the generality of the saints had in those times. But,
4. Fourthly, Premise this with me, that a right notion of the cove- nant, according to the originals of the Old and New Testament, ivill
' I am not of Cameron's mind, that there were three covenants ; but of the apostle's mind, who expressly tells us that there are two testaments, and no more, in that Gal. iv. 24.
288 THE COVENAXT OF GRACE PROVED AND OPENED.
conduce much to a right understanding of God's covenant.^ The de- rivation of the Hebrew word, and of the Greek, may give us great light, and is of special use to shew the nature of the covenant which they principally signify, and what special things are therein required. (1.) The Hebrew word. Jinn, Berith, a covenant, is by learned men de- rived from several roots :