of Peace and Reconciliation with God, 2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20. And in this fenfe Chrift is called the inasher and the inaouds, our Propitiation, Rom. iii. 25. John ii. 2, 4, 10. Not that he has purchas'd for us the actual Pardon of all our Sins, but that by his Death he hath reconcil'd God to us upon the Terms of the Gofpel Covenant. For this reafon he is call'd our Peace, and faid to preach Peace, Ephef. ii. 14, 17. and the Gofpel is the Gofpel of Peace, Ephef. vi. 15.

The plain Account of all is this. Chrift the Eternal Son of God, in obedience to his Father's Will became Man, and fuffer'd an infamous and accurfed Death upon the Crofs, to redeem Mankind from Death, and to make them capable of Grace and Mercy. This was fo meritorious and acceptable a Service to his Father, that he feal'd a Covenant of Grace and Immortal Life with his Blood, made him our Great High Priest, and the Mediater of a better Covenant, eftablish'd upon bet-. ter Promifes, Heb. viii. 6. Exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of Sins, Acts v. 21. This account St. Paul gives us of it, That Chrift being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon bim the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of Men: And being found in fashion as a Man, be bumbled himself, and became obedient to Death, even the Death of the Crofs. Wherefore God alfo bath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name: that at the name of Jefus every knee fould bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth: And that every tongue fhall confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father, Philip. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. So that Chrift by his Death has abolish'd Death, and abfolutely redeemed us from that Curfe of the Law, and made Mankind capable

capable of Grace and Mercy: And his Obedience to his Father's Will, in dying to redeem Sinners from Death, was fo meritorious and acceptable a Service, that God feals a Covenant of Grace and Pardon with his Blood, and makes him the Great High Priest and Mediator of this New Covenant; puts all Mankind into his hands to fave all those who fhall believe in him and obey his Gofpél. The right understanding of this will very much confirm our Faith, and give us a truer Notion of this new Covenant, which is properly a Covenant between the Father and the Son Jefus Chrift for the Redemption of Sinners.

St. Paul gives us a plain and full Account of this, 2 Tim. ii. 19. Nevertheless the Foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this Seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his; and let every one that nameth the Name of Chrift depart from Iniquity.

Learned Men tell us, that the Word Sui☺, which we translate Foundation, is us'd, in this and fe veral other Places of the New Teftament, for a Contract or Covenant, as appears from the mention of the Seal, which is affixed to this Foundation. And there is no doubt at all, but Foundation here does fignify the fundamental Articles of this divine Covenant; and there needs no Criticifin to juftify this ufe of the Word. For if the Church be God's House, and God's Building, as 'tis frequently call'd in Scripture; that Covenant whereon this spiritual Building is founded, may very properly be called à Foundation. This Metaphor of Building and Foundation St. Paul infifteth on at large, 1 Cor. iii. 10, 11, ver. &c. where he tells us, that he as a wife Mafter Builder laid the Foundation, and warns all others how they build upon it, for other Foundation can no Man lay than is laid, which is Jefus Chrift. The like we may fee Eph. ii. 20. where the Church is faid to be built upon the Foundation A a

of

of the Apoftles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himself being the chief corner Stone. And when the Apostle tells us, that the Foundation of God ftandeth fure, it fignifies, that this is an everlasting Covenant, which fhall never be changed and altered; for God hath fet his Seal to it, which gives it a lafting and irreverfible Confirmation, and contains and expreffes the fundamental Articles of this Covenant, whereon all our Hopes of Salvation depend, and which we may fafely and fecurely rely on. This he compares to an Infcription on a Seal, which contains both Parts of the Covenant; what refpects God, and what refpects our felves. As for God's part, the Lord knoweth who are his; on our part, let every one that nameth the Name of Chrift depart from Iniquity; which I fhall briefly explain.

1. The Lord knoweth who are his. By the Lord here I understand the Lord Jefus Chrift, with whom this Covenant of Redemption was made. For Lord is the peculiar Title of Chrift in the New Testament, and he is the Foundation and chief Cornerftone in this fpiritual Building, his Church. Who are his, fignifies who are his true and fincere Difciples, the Members of his Body, whom he hath redeem'd and purchased with his own Blood. And to know who are his, fignifies to own them, and to bestow all the Bleffings of the Covenant upon them; even Heaven and eternal Life: As not to know them, fignifies to reject and disown them, as having no part and portion in him, as our Saviour himself tells us in Matth. vii. 22, 23. Many will fay to me in that Day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy Name, and in thy Name have caft out Devils, and in thy Name have done many wonderful Works? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work Iniquity. This is elsewhere expreffed by confelfing and denying, in Matth. x. 32, 33. Whosoever therefore

therefore fhall confefs me before Men, him will I confefs also before my Father which is in Heaven: But whofoever fhall deny me before Men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven. The Ef fect of which is this, that thofe whom Chrift confeffeth at the laft Judgment before his Father and his holy Angels, as 'tis elsewhere expreffed, that is, whom Chrift fhall then own for his Difciples and redeemed ones, they fhall be owned and rewarded by God, and enter into their Mafter's Joy: But thofe whom he fhall then deny, difown, and reject, fhall be denied by God, as Veffels of Wrath, fitted for Deftruction. This is God's part of the Covenant, he has made his Son Jesus Christ the Saviour of the World, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting Life. He has made him the Author of everlasting Salvation, the Fountain of Grace, of Mercy, and Life. We receive all fpiritual Bleffings in him, and from him; we are accepted in the beloved. In him we receive the Adoption of Sons, the Forgiveness of our Sins, and a gracious Answer to all our Prayers. God has given us eternal Life, but this Life is in bis Son; fo that as Chrift alone has purchased Pardon, and Grace, and eternal Life for us, fo 'tis only our Relation to him, which entitles us to all thefe Bleffings. Chrift knows, he owns all that are his, in the Presence of his Father, and of his holy Angels. But he owns none but those who are his, and none else have any Right to the Bleffings of that Covenant, which is fealed with his own Blood. He is made the Judge both of the Quick and of the Dead; feparates between his Sheep and the Goats, and faves all those who belong to him, who are the Members of his Body, and the Subjects of his Kingdom; who fhall always be where he is, behold his Glory, and reign for ever with him in the Kingdom of his Father.

A a 2

But

But the reft of the World he rejects as none of his, with a Depart from me, I know you not. A terrible Sentence, which dooms them to all the Miseries of an Eternal Death,

If then our Eternal Salvation depends wholly on Christ's owning us for his, it is of mighty Concernment to us to know, who thofe are whom Christ will own for his at the Day of Judgment. And that is contained in the Second Part of this Covenant; Let every one that nameth the Name of Chrift depart from Iniquity. Which may be confider'd either as God's Covenant with Chrift, or as Chrift's Covenant with us.

1. As God's Covenant with Chrift, when he gave him this Power and Authority to fave Sinners, that he fhould not only make an Atonement and Expiation for Sin, to deliver them from the Curfe of the Law, but that he fhould redeem them. from all Iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works, Tit. ii. 14. For which End, St. Paul tells us, Chrift gave himself for us; which he expreffes in other Words to the fame Purpofe: That Chrift loved the Church, and gave bimfelf for it; that he might fanctify and cleanfe it with the washing of Water, by the Word; that he might prefent it to himself, a glorious Church, not having Spot or Wrinkle, or any fuch thing; but that it should be holy, and without Blemish; Eph. v. 25, 26, 27. Chrift is God's King, whom he hath fet on his holy Hill of Sion, Pfal. ii. 6. And the great End and Defign of this Spiritual Kingdom, is to deftroy the Works, the Power, the Dominion of the Devil; to turn Men from Darkness unto Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God; in a word, to fet up the Kingdom of God in the World, to reduce Sinners to the Worship and Obedience of the One Supreme God, as well as to reftore them to their forfeited Happinefs. This is the true Gospel-No