declaring, that salvation flows from the faith of Christ alone, the law enjoins, that all who desire salvation, should seek it by the faith of Christ alone; and consequently it cannot but thunder the curse against those who, rejecting the gospel, believe not on Christ. As therefore unbelief, or the rejecting of the gospel, is a sin against the law, which is the only perfect rule of all virtue (it can be called a sin against the gospel, only objectively;) so every threatening of the curse and of wrath against unbelievers, and the despisers of the gospel, must come from, and be reduced to the law, but then it is to the law, as now subservient to the covenant of grace.

XXIII. In the discourses of the prophets, Christ and his apostles, there is a certain mixture of various doctrines, which indeed are closely connected, and mutually subservient; each of which ought to be reduced to their proper heads, so that the promises of grace be referred to the gospel, all injunctions of duty, and all threatenings against transgressors, to the Jaw.

CHAP. II.

On the ONENESS of the Covenant of Grace, as to its Substance.

I

T is a matter of the highest moment, that we learn distinctly to consider the covenant of grace, either as it is in its substance or essence, as they call it, or as it is diversely proposed by God, with respect to circumstantials, under different economies. If we view the substance of the covenant, 'tis but only one, nor is it possible it should be otherwise.. There is no other way worthy of God, in which salvation can be bestowed on sinners, but that discovered in the gospel.

Whence the apostle has beautifully said, that there is not another gospel.* And that testament, which was consecrated by the blood of Christ, he calls everlasting,t because it was settled before all ages, publish ed immediately upon the fall of the first man, constantly handed down by the ancients, more fully ex plained by Christ himself and his apostles, and is to continue throughout all periods of time, and, in vir tue of which, believers shall inherit eternal happiness. But if we attend to the circumstances of the covenant, it was dispensed at sundry times, and in divers manners, under various economies, for the manifestation of the manifold wisdom of God. Concerning. this subject we shall treat in the following chapters, in such a manner, as, first, to discourse on those general things, which appertain to the substance of the covenant, and have continued in every age; and then explain the different œconomies, or dispensations, and the new accessions made to each. This we will, first, do in a general and concise manner, in this and the following chapter; then gradually descend to the more special considerations.

II. We therefore maintain, agreeably to the sacred writings, that to all the elect, living in any period of time, 1. One and the same eternal life was promised. 2. That Jesus Christ was held forth as the one and the same author and bestower of salvation. 3. That they could not become partakers of it any other other way, but by a true and lively faith in him. If we shall demonstrate these three things, none can any longer doubt, but that the covenant of grace must be, as to its substance, only one from the beginning. For if the salvation be the same, the author of it the same, and the manner of communion not different, the covenant itself will certainly be one.

III. The scriptures so evidently declare, that eternal life was promised to the elect from the beginning, that it is astonishing any persons under the christian

* Gal. i, 7. ↑ Heb. xiii. 20.

name should venture to deny it; who, indeed, are much blinder than the Jews themselves; of whom our Lord testifies, Ye do search the scriptures; for in them ye thing ye have eternal life.* And that they were neither rash nor erroneous in thinking that the promises of eternal life, and the manner of enjoying them, were contained in the scriptures which they had, we prove by the most cogent arguments. 1. Because not only the Lord Jesus does not by the least hint, charge them, in this respect, with the smallest error, but makes use of that as a reason to recommend to them the search of the scriptures.Now, it is very inconsistent with the great sincerity of the Lord Jesus, and the divine dignity of the scriptures, to recommend them by arguments not genuine, or to recommend their value and usefulness from Jewish forgeries. Nay, had the Jews falsely persuaded themselves, that the promises of eternal, life were contained in the Old-Testament records, our Lord ought not, by any concession, to have cherished that prejudice, which would have hindered them from acknowledging the excellence of his doctrine, and consequently the divinity of his person.

But it

would have been better to have exclaimed against them; "In vain do you search the scriptures in hopes of finding eternal life in them; attend rather to me and my doctrine, who am the first that came into the world as a preacher of eternal lite." But every one may see, how inconsistent this was with the design of the Lord Jesus. 2. To this we add, that Paul joins his hope as founded on the law and the prophets, with the expectation of the Jews: Believing all things, which are written in the law and the prophets: and have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. He testifies, that the Jews expected a resurrection of the dead: he professes to have the same belief and hope with them; and that * John v. 39. + Matth. xxiv. 14, 15.

he did not so, resting on a vain presumption, but on the law and the prophets, which they also in their manner, carefully read, and from which they had derived the same expectation with him. 3. The Jews were so far from judging amiss in this respect, that, on the contrary, the Lord Jesus reproved the Sadducees, as ignorant of the scriptures, because from them they had not learned eternal life and the resurrection.*

IV. But let us argue from the very books of the Old Testament; and first, after the example of our Lord, who speaks to this purpose: But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.t This inference appeared so evident to the very multitude, that they were astonished at his doctrine, and the Sadducees mouth was stopt. And indeed, if the words of Moses, quoted by Christ, be accurately weighed, the evidence of this argument will easily appear to the attentive reader.

V. For, 1. That expression, to be a God to any, taken in its full import, includes life eternal. For when God becomes the sinner's God, he then becomes to him what he is to himself. But what is he to himself? Doubtless, the fountain of eternal and complete blessedness. When God, out of his grace, gives himself to man, he gives him all things; for himself is all things. Such a man finds in God a shield against every evil, and an exceeding great reward.§ And what can he desire more in order to his perfect. happiness? Whence the apostle joins these two. God to be the God of any one, and to have prepared for them a city. And seeing the gifts of God's grace, especially when he gives himself, are without repentVer. 33. 34.

*Matth. xxii. 29.

VOL. I.

+ Ib. 32. 32.
Heb. xi. 16.

§ Gen. XV. 1.

Z z

ance,* hereby also the eternity of this happiness is established.

VI. 2. Moreover, this covenant is not made with the soul, but with the man; and God not only requires the worship of the soul, but also the submission of the body, as Redeemer of both, in order to his being glorified in both; as he also appointed a sign of his covenant to be in the body. Consequently, when he calls himself the God of the whole man, he promises his salvation not to the soul alone, but to the body also.

VII. 3. Those considerations will be more cogént, if we reflect, that the words, from which our Lord argues, were spoken of the patriarchs, who had been dead long before. But as God is not the God of persons who have no existence, it was first evident, that their souls survived, and enjoyed the beatific vision of God; and since, as we have just said, their body also was comprehended in the covenant, it followed, that, at the appointed time, their very body, when raised from the dust, should be reunited to the soul, in order to partake of the same happiness.

VIII. 4. To be the God of any one signifies, in the usual style of scripture, deliverance from enemies ; compare Psal. iii. 7, 8. Now, death is our greatest and last enemy.§ As therefore God delivers those whose God he is, out of the hand of their enemies, he cannot be the God of those who always remain under the power of death: But all who have him for their God, must necessarily, after death is swallowed up, exultingly sing that song of triumph, O death! where is thy victory?

IX. 5. It is beyond all controversy, that God promised to those illustrious patriarchs, when he called himself their God, something highly excellent, and by which they were to be peculiarly distinguished above others, who were not so eminent in the service of God. But they obtained nothing so very distin*Ron:. xi. 29. † Gen. xvii. 13. Exod. iii. 6. § 1 Cor. xv. 26.