It is worthy of observation, that the Apostle, mentioning this grant of the new covenant, particularly specifies, that God, "finding fault with" the Jews for their violations of the old covenant, says, " I will make a new covenant'." Had he said, ** Commending them for their observation of the inferior cove- nant, God said, I will give you a better covenant," we might have supposed, that it was given as a reward for services per- formed : but when it was given in consequence of the hopeless state to which their violations of the former covenant had reduced them, the freeness of this covenant appears in the strongest light.]
2. In the extent of their provisions —
[We shall again notice the different blessings as they lie in our text. God wrote his law upon tables of stone, and put it into the hands of those with whom his old covenant was made : but, according to his new covenant, he undertakes to put it into our inivard parts, and to write it on our hearts. What a glorious difference is this ! and how beautifully and exultingly does the Apostle point it out to his Corinthian converts*!
God established indeed a relation between himself and his people of old: but this relation, though nominally the same with ours, was by no means realized to the same extent. To true believers amongst them he was the same that he now is : but what was he to the people at large, with whom the cove- nant was made ? He interposed for them doubtless, on many occasions, in an external way ; and they externally acknow- ledged him : but his communications to us are internal, and our devotion to him is real and spiritual.
Under the old covenant, God revealed himself to his people in types and shadows; and the ceremonies which he appointed were so dark and various, that they could not be known to the generality, unless the people carefully instructed each other. On this account it was commanded that the children should inquire into the reason of various institutions (as that of the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread, and the redemp- tion of the first-born); and their parents were to explain them1. But with us, there are only two institutions, and those the plainest that can be imagined ; and the great truths of our religion are so interwoven with our feelings, that a person whose desires are after God, needs no other teaching than that of God's word and Spirit ; and though the instruc- tions of ministers, of masters, and of parents, are still extremely useful, yet may a person obtain the knowledge of God and of salvation without being indebted to any one of them : and it is a fact, that many persons remote from ordinances, and from
1 Heb. viii. 8. k 2 Cor. iii. 3.
1 Exod. xii. 26, 27. and xiii. 8, 14, 15.