He

all who know any thing of the burning majesty of the great God, that no mere man in his fallen state can approach this absolute God. His brilliant divinity must be vailed, his burning holiness mast be quenched with vicarious blood. He must be 'approached by a Mediator. Hence Jehovah says by the prophet, "WHO IS THIS. that engaged his heart to approach unto ME." Jer. xxx. 21. Surely it can be no other than the Father's equal Son. There is but one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus. He is the Father's equal in his essence and nature, før every son is of the same nature of his father. The son of man is properly man. The Son of God is also really and properly God. In this respect,. therefore, he says, I and my Father are one. condescends, however, not only to wear our nature but also to humble himself to Mediatory ser vitude. In this nature and character, he says, "My Father is greater than I." John xiv. 28. From another fact, it must appear evident that Abraham could have no intimacy with God, but in and through a Mediator. No man hath seem God at any time, the only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1, 18. In and through him God makes a covenant, or ratifies a testimentary deed with all believers. Isa. lv. Incline your ear, and come unto me, hear and your souls shall live, and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, even the gure mercies of David.

There can properly be only two covenants res

pecting man's happiness in the enjoyment,of felicitating fellowship with God. First. A legal covenant with man in innocence. Second. A gracious covenant respecting man in a fallen state. This cannot be made primarily with man himself. It must be made with the surety and Mediator of a better covenant. A covenant have I made with my chosen. Mercy shall be built up for ever. Psalm lxxxix. This second and better covenant then, or testament, must be viewed as originally, & properly made with the Son of God in behalf of those whom he is graciously to save. It is made with all believers in the reception of Christ by faith. They lay hold of the covenant. For Christ is given a covenant of the people. This latter covenant of grace, though one in itself, may receive several names, according as it is viewed in the different steps of its exhibition. As primarilyma de with Christ for the purpose of buying back and restoring to liberty the poor captive and bankrupt man, it may be called the covenant of redemption. Considering the principle which moved it, and the character of the divine emanation which it was to communicate, it may be called the covenant of grace. Considering the obligations under which the privileges of this cove nant lay covenanters, it may be called a covenant of duties, personal, ecclesiastical or national, as the case may be. Considering the final end to which all leads, and the subserviency of the whole to the happy result and final close in delivering the blessed legatees from all evil, and introduc

ing them into the enjoyment of all good, it may be called the covenant of salvation.

2

A right consideration of these facts and princi ples will assist much in understanding, not only the term, I will make with you a covenant; but also to understand the justification of all believers without the righteousness of the law, and yet the necessity that faith should not be without works. It will shew that faith alone justifies, because it unites its subject the believer with Jesus Christ, the Lord our righteousness, and yet that faith does not justify, being alone. It must work by love, and demonstrate its own genuine nature by works. From these principles too it will appear that all negociations with sinful men must be upon principles of grace and mercy, whether duty is first exacted, or privilege first announced. No matter whether "I will be your God, and ye shall be my people'! or believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.".

vant.

We reason then thus with respect to the coveThere is no covenant, whereby God can be the God of sinful men, but the covenant of grace; but God by the covenant under consideration became Abraham's God; therefore this was - the covenant of grace.

There is no dispensation whereby any can be justified but by a dispensation of grace; but Abraham was justified by this dispensation; therefore this was a dispensation of grace. The principle of this is most plain and obvious. By the works of the law, Truth hath said, no flesh shall

be justified in the sight of God. He hath concluded all under sin. They who believe not the promises which are all yea and amen in Christ, are condemned already. But Abraham was justified. By what law? asks the Apostle; of works? Nay but by the law of faith or dispensation of grace. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. This same principle was af general concern in that early period of the world and of the display of mercy, and so we find the inspired psalmist in the xxxii Psalm sing of the blessedness of such characters generally. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not his sin." The Apostle Paul quotes this and reasons from it in proving what we are now proving, viz. The Grace of the Abrahamic Covenant. Rom. iv. 4he Now to him that worketh, i. e. hath life by the covenant of works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But without stating and illustrating by fairest syllogism the ar guments upon this topic, let any man read the chapters of Genesis, in which this patriarch's life is recorded, and at the same time have in his hand the epistles of Paul, especially those to the Romans and Galatians, and see unless he has some favorite system to defend, if he can deny that the covenant with Abraham was a dispensation of the covenant of grace. We refer you to those original documents, where you will find this truth not only stated, but argumentatively proved. It certainly can be no objection against this, that the land of Canaan was promised to him and his posterity.

For, beside that the land of promise was a typical land, the covenant of grace secures to all believ ers, that they shall dwell in the land and verily have food. Their place of defence is the munition of rocks, bread shall be given them, and their water shall be sure. With regard to the first of these principles, the Apostle reasons in direct reference to Abraham, and his travelling posteri

ty.

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country; and truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had an opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is an heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By what charter did he become their God, if not by the covenant of grace? If it was not by that, it must have been by one as good, for that is all he can become to us. If God is not ashamed to own him as a member of his family below, and an heir of blessedness of the heavenly city above, how arrogant it is, for any to say that this covenant respected nothing more than the land of Canaan? But again, if the fact that the promise respected their temporary accommodation be admitted; that cannot militate against its being a dispensation of the covenant of grace, unless you would choose to say that the covenant which is ordered in all things, makes no provision for the bodily and temporary wants of God's own people, and is it likely, think you, that Christ has redeemed the bodies of his

D