Christ, as the Surety of his people; the one is a debt of obe. dience to the law of God; and the other is a debt of punish. ment, incurred through failure of obedience in them by paying both these debts, the whole righteousness of the law is fulfilled in his people, 11. Another thing which Christ as a Surety engaged to do, was to bring all the elect safe to glory; this may be illustrated by Judah's suretyship for Benjamin; thus expressed to his father, I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever, Gen. xliii. 9. And thus Christ became a Surety to his Father, for his beloved Benjamins. Christ engaged to bring his people to his Father; this was the work proposed to him, and which he agreed to do; to bring Jacob again to him, and to restore the preserved of Israel, Isai. xlix. 5, 6. to redeem them from all iniquity, and bring them safe to his Father in heaven.

OF CHRIST AS THE TESTATOR OF THE
COVENANT.

THE Covenant of grace is called a testament, in allusion to the last will and testament of men. And-1. Because it is the will of God, himself, and not another. A man's will or testament ought to be voluntary, or otherwise it is not his own will. The covenant, or testament of God, is of his own making, without any influence from another. 2. As a will consists of various legacies to various persons, so does the covenant of grace; some to Christ, Psal. ii, 8. and xvi. 6. as my Father hath appointed unto me a kingdom, says he, Luke xxii. 29. in a testamentary-way, as the word there used signifies. Other legacies are for the brethren of Christ, among whom he is the first born, and so appointed principal heir. 3. In wills, what a man disposes of, is, or should be, his own; no man has a power to dispose, nor ought to dispose of, what is another's, or not his own; or otherwise, his will is a void will, and such bequests void bequests. All the blessings of goodness, the Lord has a sovereign right to dispose of as he pleases; Is it

not lawful for me, says the Testator of the covenant, to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? Matt. xx. 15. 4. This will or testament of Jehovah, is an ancient one, it was made in eternity, before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. it is sometimes called a new testament, because newly published; a new and fresh copy of it has been delivered out to the heirs of promise. 5. It is a will or testament that is unalterable; Though it be but a man's covenant, or testament, yet if it be confirmed by his own hand-writing and seal, and especially by his death, no man disannulleth or addeth thereunto, Gal. iii. 15. The legacies in it are the sure mercies of David. 6. Testaments, or wills, are gen. erally sealed, as well as signed: the seals of God's will or testament are not the ordinances; circumcision was no seal of the covenant of grace, nor is baptism, which is falsely said to come in the room of it; nor the ordinance of the Lord's supper: but the seals are the holy Spirit of God, and the blood of Christ: properly speaking, the blood of Christ is the only seal of this testament, and therefore called the blood of his covenant, Zech ix. 11. Matt. xxvi. 28. Heb. xiii. 20. 7. To all wills there are commonly witnesses, and often three, and in some cases three are required. God himself, or the three divine Persons, became witnesses to it, the Three that bare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost, 1 John v. 7. 8. This will, or testament, is registered in the sacred writings, from thence the probat of it is to be taken; the public notaries, or amanuenses, that have copied it under a divine direction, are the prophets and apostles; hence the writings of the one are called the Old Testament, and the writings of the other the New Testament, the latter being the more clear, full, and correct copy. The cove nant of grace having the nature of a testament, shews that there is no restipulation in it on the part of men; no more than there is a restipulation of legatees in a will. Also it may be observed, that the legacies in this testament, are owing to the good will of the testator, and not to any merit in the legatees: For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void,

and the promise made of none effect; If the inheritance be of the law, or to be obtained by the works of it, It is no more of promise; see Rom. iv. 14. Gal. iii. 18. Now

I. The Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ, may be considered as testator of the covenant of grace, as it is a will or testament, and which is plainly suggested in Heb. ix. 15-17. for,-1. Christ as God has an equal right to dispose of things as his divine Father, seeing all that the Father has are his.2. Nothing is disposed of in the covenant, or testament, with out his counsel and consent; for the counsel of peace was between them both, the Father and the Son, which respected the salvation of men, and the donation of grace and glory to them, 3. Nor was any thing given in covenant, or disposed of in the will and testament of God, but with respect to the death of Christ; all promises in covenant was on condition of Christ's making his soul an offering for sin, and of pouring out his soul unto death, Isai. liii. 10-12. 4. Whatever is given in this will, is given to Christ first: Iappoint unto you a kingdom, dispose of it to you by will and testament, Luke xxii. 29. Wherefore.

II. The death of Christ is necessary to put this will in force to give strength unto it, that it may be executed according to the design of the maker of it; for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator'; for a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all, whilst the testator liveth, Heb. ix. 16, 17. It is not the death of any, only of the testator himself, that gives validity to his will, or renders it executable; the death of Christ was necessary to confirm the covenant or testament, that the legatees might appear to have a legal right to what was bequeathed to them, law and justice being satisfied thereby; so that no cav. eat could be put in against them, and no obstructions made to their claim of legacies, and their enjoyment of them; and no danger of this will being ever set aside there is another concern and part which Christ has in the covenant, and that is the messenger of it, Mal. iii. 1. but as that respects the administration of it, it will be considered in its proper place, after the fall of man.

8

OF THE CONCERN THE SPIRIT of god

HAS IN THE COVENANT OF GRACE.

THE hol Spirit was not a mere by-stander and witness of this solemn transaction, but was a party concerned in it.

I. The third person, the Spirit, gave his approbation of, and assent unto, every article in the covenant.-1. In general, what respected the salvation of the chosen ones: each Person took his part, and that of the Spirit is sanctification; hence called the sanctification of the Spirit, 2 Thess. ii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 2. The Spirit approved of the whole scheme of salvation; or otherwise he would never have taken a part in it; the Son of God came to seek and save men, being sent of God for that purpose; in which inission of him the Spirit joined; Now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me, Isai. xlviii. 16. Whereas it was proper that the Son of God should assume human nature; it was approved of, and assented to by the Spirit; as appears from his concern in the incarnation of Christ; for what was conceived in the virgin was the Holy Ghost, Matt. i. 18, 20. Seeing it was necessary that the Saviour of men should suffer and die; the Spirit declared his approbation of it, by testifying beforehand in the prophets, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow; it was through the eternal Spirit, he offered up himself without spot to God, 1 Pet. i. 11. Heb. ix. 14. 2. The Spirit of God approved of, and assented to all the promises in the covenant; hence he is called the holy Spirit of promise, Eph. i. 13. indeed, he himself is the great promise of the covenant; promised both to Christ the Head and to his members, Matt. xii. 18. Isai. xlii. 1. and xliv. 3. Gal. iii. 14. he is concerned in the application of every promise to the elect: so that they, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness, by faith, John xiv. 26. Gal. v. 5. 3. The blessed Spirit approved of, and gave his assent to all the grants made to Christ, and his people in the covenant; for he takes of these in time, and shews them to the persons interested in them, and their interest therein, John xvi. 14. They are jus

tified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. vi. 11. the Spirit takes the blood of Christ, and sprinkles it on the conscience, Heb. viii. 12. and is called the Spirit of adoption, 2 Cor. vi. 18. All which abundantly prove his approbation of it, and assent unto every thing contained in the covenant of grace.

II. There are many things which the holy Spirit himself undertook and engaged in covenant to do; and nothing more strongly proves this than his doing them. 1. Some things he has done, as he agreed to do, with respect to Christ; he formed the human nature of Christ; the individual of Christ's human nature was produced by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and therefore called the holy thing, born of the virgin, Psal. cxxxix. 14-16. Luke i. 35. The Spirit filled the same human nature with his gifts and graces without measure, for the discharge of his office, Isai. xi. 1-3. he descended upon him as a dove at his baptism; the performance of miracles, was by the Spirit of God, Matt. xii. 28. II. There are other things he has done, as he agreed to do, with respect to men in a public office and capacity; as the prophets of the old Testament, whom he inspired to speak and write as they did, 2 Pet. i. 21. and the apostles of the New, Heb. ii. 3. 4. and ordinary ministers of the word in all succeeding generations, with gifts and grace suitable to their office; and it is he that makes the word preached by them effectual to the conviction and conversion of sinners, and to the comfort and edification of saints; and whereby he conveys himself into the hearts of men, 1 Thess. i. 5, 6. He is-1. A Spirit of conviction; he convinces of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, John xvi. 9.— 2. A Spirit of regeneration and renovation; hence we read of the renewing of the holy Spirit, Tit. iii. 15-3. A Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 14.-4. A Comforter, under which character he is often spoked of, and promised by Christ.-5. A Sanctifier; if any are sanctified, it is by the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of strength to the saints, to enable them to exercise grace, and to perform duties.