Queft. 20. Did God leave all Mankind to perish in the Eftate of Sin and Mifery?

Anf. God having out of his mere good Pleafure, from all Eternity, elected fome to everlasting Life, did enter into a Covenant of Grace, to deliver them out of the Eftate of Sin and Misery, and to bring them into an Estate of Salvation by

<

a Redeemer.

EXPLICATION.

The State of Sin and Mifery, is a State wherein all muft perish, who are left of God in it, Eph. ii. 12. At that time ye were without Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world;" because it is beyond the Reach of all created Help, . lxiii. 5. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought falvation unto me, and my fury, it upheld me. But God doth not leave all Mankind to perish in it. Those whom he doth not leave to perish in it, are the Elect: Rom. viii. 30. Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.'

The

The Elect are fome certain Perfóns of Mankind, whom God hath chofen to everlasting Life, paffing by others: Acts xiii. 48. And as many as were "ordained to eternal life, believed.'. Jude verf. 4. 'For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condem nation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lafciviousness, and denying the only 'Lord God, and our Lord Jefus Chrift.' This Election or Choice was made from Eternity: Eph. 1. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him, be'fore the foundation of the world, that we fhould 'be holy, and without blame before him in love." And it infallibly fecures their eternal Salvation, with all the Means leading thereto; Rom. viii. 30. forecited. Nothing forefeen in the Creature, neither Faith nor good Works, was the Caufe of Election; but only God's mere good Pleasure was the Caule of it: Eph i. 6. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made 'us accepted in the beloved.'

Now, the Way that God provided the Reiief, was, that he entered into a fecond Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. The Design of the Covenant of Grace, was, to deliver the Elect out of the Eftate of Sin and Mifery, and to bring them into an Eftate of Salvation by a Redeemer.

The Covenant of Grace, then, was made with Jefus Chrift, as the Second Adam, Party-contractor: Pfal. lxxxix. 3. I have made a covenant 'with my chofen.' Compared with 1 Cor.

45. The last Adam was made a quickening fpirit.' Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed were the promises made. He faith not, And to feeds,

as of many; but as of one, And to thy feed, which

D 2.

which is Christ. Rom. v. 15. to the End. And Chrift in this Covenant reprefented all the Elect, as his fpiritual Seed, the Parties contracted for: Gal. iii. 16. forecited. I. liii. 10. 11. "Yet it ` pleased the Lord to bruife him, he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his foul an offering for fin, he fhall fee his feed, he fhall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall profper in his hand. He fhall fee of the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied: by his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant juftify many : for he fhall bear their iniquities.' Then the Covenant of Redemption, and the Covenant of Grace, are not two diftinct Covenants, but two Names of one Covenant, under different Confiderations. That appears, in that the Number of the Covenants in Scripture is but two, whereof the Covenant of Works is one: Gal. iv. 24. 'For these are 'the two Covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.' By a Covenant of Redemption is meant a Bargain of Buying and Selling; and the fecond Covenant was fuch a Covenant to Chrift only: 1 Pet. i. 18. 19. Forafmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold, from your vain converfation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb without blemish and without fpot.' By a Covenant of Grace is meant a Bargain, whereby all is to be had freely; and it is fuch a Covenant to poor Sinners only: lv. 1. 'Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price.'

४

The

The Covenant of Grace was made from Eternity: Tit. i. 2. In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lye, promised before the world began.' Yet is it the fecond Covenant, in refpect of Order and Manifestation to the World, though it was first in Being.

The Condition of the Covenant of Grace is Chrift's fulfilling all Righteousness: Matth. iii. 15. 'And Jefus faid, Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs.' That Righteousness was stated from the broken Covenant of Works: Rom. iii. 31. "Do we then make void the law through faith?

God forbid: yea, we establish the law.' The Righteoufnefs that the broken Covenant of Works infifts on as the neceffary Condition of eternal Life to a Sinner, is perfect Holiness of Nature, Righteousness of Life, and Satisfaction for Sin: Rev. xxi. ult. And there fhall in no wife enter ' into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye.' Matth. xix. 17. And Jefus faid unto the young man, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the com'mandments.' Heb. ix. 22. Without fhedding of blood is no remiffion.' It juftly fo infifts for Holinefs of Nature, because that was given to Man at first, and by the Condition of the Covenant he was obliged to keep it: Eccl. vii. 29. God hath 'made man upright. It juftly fo infifts for Righteousness of Life, for that was the exprefs Condition of it: Gal. iii. 12. And the law is not of 'faith: but, The man that doth them, shall live ' in them.' And it justly fo infifts for Satisfaction, in virtue of the Penalty incurred by the breaking of it: Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge ' of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in

D 3

• the

1

the day that thou eateft thereof, thou fhalt furely die.' But neither Adam, nor any of his fallen Offspring, was able to perform that Condition of Life: Rom. v. 6. We were without strength. Therefore, there is no Salvation by the Covenant of Works: Rom. iii. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law, there fhall no flesh be justified in his fight for by the law is the knowledge of fin.' Chap. viii. 'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,' &c. But Jefus Chrift did accept of that Condition, as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace: Pfal. xl.

3.

Then faid I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me. And it was made the Condition of the Covenant of Grace, that his fpiritual Seed might be faved, and the Covenant of Works fully fatisfied for them: Rom. viii. 3. 4. God fent his own Son, in the likeness of finful flefh, and for fin condemned fin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' And Jefus Chrift did fully perform it, in that, as a public Perfon, he was born perfectly holy, lived perfectly holy, and made compleat Satisfaction by his Death: Luke. i. 35. ' And the

angel anfwered and faid unto her, The Holy Ghoft fhall come upon thee, and the power of 'the Highest shall overfhadow thee: therefore alfo that holy thing which shall be born of thee, fhall be called the Son of God.? 1 Cor. xv. 45. The laft Adam was made a quickening fpirit.' Phil.. ii. 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.'

The Promife of the Covenant of Grace, is a
Promise