6. All the promises that God gave afterward unto the church under the Old Testament, before and after giving the law — all the covenants that he entered into with particular persons, or the whole congregation of believers — were all of them declarations and confir- mations of this first promise, or the way of salvation by the media- tion of his Son, becoming the seed of the woman, to break the head of the serpent, and to work out the deliverance of mankind. As most of these promises were expressly concerning him, so all of them in the counsel of God were confinned in him, 2 Cor. i. 20. And as there are depths in the Scripture of the Old Testament concerning
ALL THE PROMISES CONFIRMATIONS OF THE FIRST. 125
him wliich we cannot fathom, and things innumerable spoken of liim or in his person which we conceive not, so the principal design of the whole is the declaration of him and his grace. And it is unprofit- able unto them who are otherwise minded. Sundry promises con- cerning temporal things were, on various occasions, superadded unto this great spuitual promise of life and grace. And the enemies of the person and niediation of Christ do contend that men are justified by their faith and obedience with respect unto those particular reve- lations, which were only concerning temporal things. But to sup- pose that all those revelations and promises were not built upon and resolved into, did not include in them, the grace and mercy of this first promise — is to make them curses instead of blessings, and depri- vations of that grace which was infinitely better than what, on this supposition, was contained in them. The truth is, they were all additions unto it, and confirmations of it ; nor had any thing of spiri- tual good in them, but upon a supposition of it. In some of them there was an ampliation of grace in the more full declaration of the nature of this promise, as well as an application unto their persons unto whom they were made. Such was the promise made unto Abraham, which had a direct respect unto Christ, as the apostle proveth, Gal. iii. and iv.
7. Those who voluntarily, through the contempt of God and divine grace, fell off from the knowledge and faith of this promise, whether at once and by choice, or gradually through the love of sin, were in no better condition than those have been, or would be, who have so fallen off or should so apostatize from Christian religion after its revelation and profession. And although this proved, in process of time, both before and after the flood, to be the condition of the generality of mankind, yet is it in vain to seek after the means of salvation among them vv^ho had voluntarily rejected the only way which God had revealed and provided for that end. God thereon " suffered all nations to walk in their own ways," Acts xiv. 1 6 — " winking at the times of their ignorance " — not calling them to repentance, chap. xvii. 80 ; yea, he " gave them up unto their own hearts' lust, and they walked in their own counsels," Ps. Ixxxi. 12. And nothing can be more derogatory unto the wisdom and holiness of God, than to imagine that he would grant other ways of salvation unto them who had rejected that only one which he had provided; which was by faith in Christ, as revealed in that first promise.
8. From these considerations, which are all of them unquestionable principles of truth, two things are evident.
(1.) That there was no way of the justification and salvation of sinners revealed and proposed from the foundation of the world, but only by Jesus Christ, as declared in the first promise.
126 THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
(2.) That there was no way for the participation of the benefits of that promise, or of his work of mediation, but by faith in him as so jDromised. There was, therefore, faith in him required from the foundation of the world; that is, from the entrance of sin. And how this faith respected his person hath been before declared. Now, faith in him as promised for the works and ends of his mediation, and faith in him as actually exhibited and as having accomplished his work, are essentially the same, and differ only Avith respect unto the economy of times, which God disposed at his pleasure. Hence the efficacy of his mediation was the same unto them who then so believed, as it is now unto us after his actual exhibition in the flesh.
But yet it is acknowledged, that — as unto the clearness and fulness of the revelation of the mystery of the wisdom and grace of God in him — as unto the constitution of his person in his incarna- tion, and therein the determination of the mdividual person promised from the beginning, through the actual accomplishment of the work which he was promised for — faith in him, as the foundation of that divine honour which it is our duty to give unto him, is far more evidently and manifestly revealed and required in the Gospel, or under the New Testament, than it was under the Old. See Eph. iii. 8-11. The respect of faith now unto Christ is that which renders it truly evangelical. To believe in him, to believe on his name, is that signal especial duty which is now required of us.