goodness, mercy and justice of God; by the ineffably bright and awful scenes which will open at his bar in the day of final decision; and by the retributions of eternity, would I urge you no longer to contend with the most high God, no longer to withhold from him the submission that he demands, and that is his due, but instantly to give him your hearts and your service.

CORRUPT NATURE FROM ADAM.

BLESS'D with the joys of innocence,
Adam our Father stood,
"Till he debas'd his soul to sense,
And ate th' unlawful food.

Now we are born a sensual race,
To sinful joys inclin'd;
Reason has lost its native place,
And flesh enslaves the mind.

While flesh and sense and passion reigns,

Sin is the sweetest good;

We fancy music in our chains,

And so forget the load.

Great God, renew our ruin'd frame,

Our broken pow'rs restore;

Inspire us with a heav'nly flame,

And flesh shall reign no more.

Eternal Spirit, write thy law
Upon our inward parts;
And let the second Adam draw
His image on our hearts.

PUBLISHED BY THE

AMERICAN DOCTRINAL TRACT SOCIETY. PERKINS & MARVIN, AGENTS,

Depository, 114, Washington Street, Boston.

THE

COVENANT OF REDEMPTION.

IN the sacred plan of gospel salvation, we find a radical article, which by divines has been called, the Covenant of Redemption. It is a divine covenant, which provides the redemption and salvation of lost man.

To illustrate this essential article of the Christian faith, several things must be ascertained.

I. Who are the parties in this covenant? God the Father and the Son are the parties in it. The Father says of the Son, in Psalm 89th, where this covenant, as such, is most clearly found ;-"I have made a covenant with my chosen." This chosen is called David; and was spoken of as David, centuries after David was dead, in subsequent scriptures. He is thus called, because David was an eminent type of Christ. As is usual in such scriptures, the type is spoken of for the antitype. Things are here said of the type, which are true only of Christ. 66 Thy seed will I establish forever; and build up tly throne to all generations." This is true only of Christ, as is the following;-"His seed shall endure forever; and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven." The kingdom of Christ only is thus established.

Of the two Persons prominent in this covenant, we read thus: "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him." Christ here is God; and yet was with God. He is thus truly divine; and yet is distinguished from the Person of the Father.

Here is God's "Chosen," in the covenant; his " Elect," "Precious." "I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him forevermore; and my covenant shall stand fast with

him." So fully evident it is, that the Chosen of God, with whom this covenant was made, is Jesus Christ. For what is repeatedly said of the transaction, applies ultimately to Christ alone. We thus have the parties in that most interesting transaction.

II. When was that covenant made? Paul repeatedly gives the information. To Titus he says, of his own Christian hope;"In hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie, promised before the world began :"alluding to the promise of God the Father, made to Christ, in this covenant, in Psalm 89th; and to other exhibitions of it, where the Father engaged to Christ a seed to serve him, who shall be willing in the day of his power; and shall be saved. Paul repeatedly speaks of this covenant as being eternal. To the Ephesians ;"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy." To the Thessalonians ;-" We are bound to give thanks always for you-because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." thus assured when this covenant was made. "from the beginning;" "before the foundation of the world;""before the world began," which phrases mean from eternity. The counsels of God must be eternal : as are his existence, and perfections. A contrary supposition is a virtual denial of God. To the omniscient God, all possible systems must have been clearly known from eternity. To the omnipotent Being, all must have been equally easy. And the Being infinitely good, must have chosen that which, all things considered, is the best. This combined view of the divine perfections, shows the eternal immutability of the counsels of the Most High, relative to this covenant.

We are

It was

III. What was the condition of this covenant? What did Christ engage to do? He engaged to become mani fest in humanity; to become a Mediator between God and fallen man; and to redeem and save. The "record which God has given of his Son," shows, precisely, what the Son covenanted to do. For he did what he engaged to do: and he engaged to do precisely what he did ac

complish. The predictions, types, and history of Christ then, inform us of the condition of this covenant. The thing is variously expressed as follows: "Christ, our passover, was sacrificed for us." "The blood of Jesus Christ-cleanseth us from all sin." "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; law, and make it honorable." work, which thou gavest me to do." lay down my life, and I have power to take it again; this commandment have I received of my Father."

"I

he will magnify the have finished the I have power to

66

IV. What did the Father, in this covenant, engage to do? He promised Christ a seed to serve him; meaning the very persons, who will compose the vast assembly at the right hand of the Judge, at the last day. "A seed

shall serve him." 66 Thy people (says the Father to the Son) shall be willing in the day of thy power." God here engages to Christ not only a seed; but, by implication, the Holy Spirit to regenerate them at Christ's word. Our blessed Lord recognizes this divine promise as follows:-"All that the Father giveth me, shall come unto me and he that cometh unto me shall in no wise be cast out." "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any pluck them out of my hands. My Father that gave them me, is greater than all; and none can pluck them out of my Father's hands." that is involved in the official glorification of Christ, as "Head over all things to the church;"-all that is implied in the origin, progress, and final glory of Christ's church, must be viewed as the good, stipulated in this covenant by the Father to the Son.

All

V. We have many additional testimonies concerning this covenant, in the word of God. The gospel, revealed in the Old and New Testaments, rests on this covenant. It is (in Christ) the grand pillar of man's salvation. Some of the divine testimonies concerning this covenant, have been noted. And a volume of sacred attestations to it, might here be added, to illustrate the promise of the seed to serve Christ; a few must suffice. Illustrating this covenant, in Psalm 89th, God says, My mercy will I keep for him (Christ) forevermore; and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure forever; and his throne as the days of heaven.

66

Com

If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes: nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him; nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break; nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Solomon, with his eye upon this covenant, says, "The just man falleth seven times; and riseth up again." God will chastise his erring children; and will recover them. To Moses God says, (concerning this seed given to Christ,) "I will be gracious unto whom I will be gracious; and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." Our blessed Lord says of them, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." "That of all that thou hast given me I should lose nothing." "I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen." "Ye have not chosen me, (your choice was not first,) but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit; and that your fruit should remain." ment on such divine decisions, is needless; and objection is impious! We will gratefully hear, and believe! We will rejoice, and adore! Here rests "the good hope through grace." Our heavenly teacher adds, "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life." To the Father, concerning himself, Jesus says, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” "I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were; and thou gavest them me."-"I pray for them. I pray not for the world; but for them that thou hast given me.' Again: "That the saying might be fulfilled ;-Of them that thou hast given me, I have lost none." Let these full assertions be remembered, in construing the following passage: "Those that thou gavest me, I have kept; and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled." This may seem, at first view, as an admission that one who had been given to Christ, was lost. But Christ does not say, none of them is lost except the son of perdition. The text is elliptical; and supplying the ellipsis reads thus :--none of them is lost but the son of perdition is lost; that the