shall be taught of himd," " the least as well as the greatest," yea, the least often in preference to the greatest e. And in proof that this promise is really fulfilled to all who receive the Gospel, St. John declares it to be a known acknowledged fact: " We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding to know him that is truef."]
4. To pardon all our iniquities —
[Under this new covenant, we have access to " the foun- tain opened for sin and for uncleanness ;" and by washing in it " we are cleansed from all sin g." Whatever transgressions we may have committed in our unregenerate state, they are all put away; " though they may have been as scarlet, they have become white as snow ; though they have been red like crim- son, they are as wool" ]
Hitherto we have spoken only in a general way of the blessings of the new covenant : we proceed to notice them more 'particularly, while we state, II. The difference between the old and new cove- nants—
We have already observed, that by " the old cove- nant" is meant the Mosaic covenant, made with the Jews on Mount Sinai. Between this and the Gospel covenant there is a wide difference. They differ,
1. In the freeness of their grants — [The Mosaic covenant imposed certain conditions to be fulfilled on the part of the Jews ; and on their fidelity to their engagements all the blessings of that covenant were suspended11. But we find no condition specified in the new covenant. Must we attain the knowledge of God, and become his people ; and have his law written in our hearts? true: but these are not acts of ours, which God requires in order to the bestowing of other blessings upon us ; but blessings ivhich he himself under- takes to give. If any say, that repentance and faith are con- ditions which We are to perform, we will not dispute about a term ; you may call them conditions, if you please ; but that which we affirm respecting them is, that they constitute a part of God's free grant in the Gospel covenant ; so that they are not conditions, in the same sense that the obedience of the Jews was the condition upon which they held the promised land: they are, as we have just said, blessings freely given us by God ; and not acts of ours, whereon to found our claim to other blessings.
d Isai. liv. 13. John vi. 45. e Matt. xi. 25. 1 Cor. i. 26—29. f 1 John v. 20, e ] John i. 7. h Exod. xxiv. 6 — 8.