made to him as head of the covenant, the second Adam, the representative of his spiritual seed. Secondly, The promises of the second sort, viz. those that have their direct and immediate effect on Christ's spiritual seed, the elect, are made to Christ primarily, and to the seed secondarily. They are made to both, but first to the head, then to the members through him. 1. They are primarily and chiefly made to Christ. Though they have their immediate effect on the elect, they are made immediately and chiefly to him. This appears by several documents from the word of God. 1st. The express testimony of the apostle, Gal. iii. 16. 'Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made,→→ and to thy seed, which is Christ.' 2dly, Christ is by the covenant constituted heir of all things, Psal. lxxxix. 27. Heb. i. 2. And that must needs be in virtue of the promise of the covenant, which he purchased by his fulfilling of the covenant. 3dly, As God promised life in the covenant of works to Adam's children, upon condition of his perfect obedience, which is evident from death coming on them by his disobedience; so he hath promised life in the covenant of grace to Christ's spiritual seed, upon condition of his obedience. 4thly, All the promises that have their direct and immediate effect on the elect, are a part of the reward made over to Jesus Christ in the covenant, Heb. xii. 2. compared with Isa. liii. 10. They are all the price of blood to him, the purchase of his obedience and death, and therefore called the new testament in his blood. This is a point of great weight, and serves both to inform our minds and direct our practice. For hence may fairly be inferred, (1.) That the promises are not made to the believer's good works, but to Christ's works, and to the working believer in and through him, Rom. iv. 4. They are absolutely free to the believer, and not of debt to him, and therefore are not made to his works. (2.) That the first grace whereby the dead elect are quickened, and made to believe, and unite with Christ, is conveyed to them in the way and sure tenor of a promise, as well as the grace that follows faith, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. (3.) The way to be personally and savingly interested in the promises of the covenant for time and eternity is to em: brace Christ by faith, and thereby unite with him, 2 Cor. i. 20: (4.) When through deadness and 'darkness of Spirit, or some conscience wasting guilt, the faith of the promise is failed in you, and ye cannot fasten your hold upon it again, because you see no good in yourselves, embrace Christ again, and the promise in him, notwithstanding of all your first unworthiness and guilt, and stand not off from the promise till you be in better case, Psal. lxv. 3. (5.) The true way to plead the promise is, to plead them through Jesus Christ, to plead the accomplishment of them to ourselves for his sake, to come to God in the name of Christ, and to crave the fulfilling of the promises, John xvi: 23, 24: (6.) Lastly, This may confirm and strengthen the faith of believers as to the accomplishment of the promises to them: 2. These promises are made to the elect, Christ's seed, secondarily, in and through Christ, 2 Tim. i. 9. As he has the chief and fundamental interest in them, so they have a derived interest in them through him, in respect of their legal and mystical union with him*. Let us therefore take heed to ourselves, lest standing off from the free promise of life in Christ, we go about to seek our salvation another way. Let us be denied to all confidence in our own works, as we would not thrust ourselves into the room of Christ, and so he become of no effect to us. [The author next proceeds to take a particular view of the promises of the covenant of grace, which he treats of as peculiar to Christ, and as common to his spiritual seed; for all which we must refer the reader to his View of the Cove: nant of Grace, under the titles, Of the promises peculiar to Christ, and, Of the promise of eternal life to the elect, consi dered in three periods; where they are handled more largely than in this work.]. III. The next general head is, to consider the administration of the covenant of grace. Since this covenant is that which the salvation of the whole spiritual seed depends on, and according to it all the dispensations of God towards them, for carrying on and completing that love design, are to. * See all the foregoing particulars amplified, ubi supro, under the title last referred regulated; and since it was withal a compact entered into betwixt the Father and the Son before the world began, and so in itself a great secret, Psal. xxv. 14.; it is necessary that there be an administration of it, whereby it may be rendered effectual, for the behoof of those in whose favour it was entered into. Wherefore the administration of it was devolved on Christ, the second Adam: and he hath it as one of his prerogatives, by the covenant itself, made over to him in the promissory part of the covenant, particularly by the promise of a glorious reward of his work in fulfilling the condition, John v. 27. It was for this cause the last Adam was made a quickening spirit, as saith our second text. And so he is given for a covenant of the people,' Isa. xlix. 8.; which imports the constituting him Administrator of the covenant, whereby the people, any people, Jews or Gentiles, may become God's people, and receive all the benefits of that cove nant-relation to God. : Now, that Christ is, by the authority of heaven, constituted or made the covenant, imports these two things. 1. He is constituted and settled, by the authority of his Father, Administrator of the covenant. As he had the burden of purchasing the promised benefits, so he has the honour of distributing them, according to the measures laid down in the eternal purpose of God, with respect to the conferring of these benefits. None of the benefits of the covenant are to be had, but out of his hand: he received them from his Fa ther, and sinners must receive them from him. That this is the meaning of this phrase, is evident from the following words, declaring the end of his being given for a covenant of the people: To establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages,' ver. 9. compare chap. xlii. 6, 7. That thou mayst say to the prisoners, Go forth.' 2. The whole of the covenant is in him. An administrator of one's goods must have them in his custody; he must have a power over them, as Joseph, who was to furnish the people corn, had all the granaries of Egypt at his command. Our Lord Jesus is such an Administrator of the covenant, as has the whole of the covenant in himself: so that he who has Christ has the covenant; and he that has not Christ has no saving part or lot in it. For opening of the administration of the covenant devolv. VOL. I. 3 D. ed on Christ, we shall consider these three things, the objects, the ends, and the nature of this administration. FIRST, who are the objects of this his administration, the parties to whom he is impowered, by commission from his Father, to administer the covenant. The elect only were the parties represented by the second Adam; and to them only is the administration of the covenant effectual to their salvation. But mankind-sinners indefinitely are the objects of the administration. The extent of it is not founded on election, but on the sufficiency of Christ's obedience and death for the salvation of all; nor is it regulated by election, but by the fulness of power in heaven and earth given to Christ as the reward of his work, his obedience even unto death. To confirm this truth, which is glad tidings for all sin ners of Adam's race, hearing that Christ is empowered by commission to give them, and every one of them the cove nant, and all the benefits of it, to their eternal salvation, the following things may be considered. 1. The grant made of Christ by the Father, as the ordinance of God for the salvation of lost sinners of mankind. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, many of them were bitten by fiery serpents: in that case God instituted an ordinance for their cure, viz. a brazen serpent lifted up on a pole. And he made a grant of it to whosoever would use it for that purpose of healing, for which it was appointed of him, by looking to it, without accepting any that needed healing, Numb. xxi. 28. So all mankind being bitten by the old serpent the devil, and sin as his deadly poison left in them; God has appointed Jesus Christ the ordinance of Heaven for their salvation, and has made a grant of him as such, to whosoever of Adam's lost posterity will make use of him for that purpose, by looking to him in the way of believing, without accepting in this grant any, if they are but of the world of mankind, John iii. 14, 15, 16. 2. The Mediator's commission for the administration is conceived in most ample terms, Luke iv. 18, 19. Isa. Ixi. 1, 2. He is to administer the covenant, not only to the meek, poor, broken-hearted, but to the captives, the blind, bruised, prisoners, slaves, and broken men who have sold their inheritance. What sort of sinners can one imagine to be excepted here? These terms are too general to admit of exception as to sinners of mankind. any 3. The ample powers given him as Administrator of the covenant. All power in heaven and in earth is granted to him, Matth. xxviii. 18. So there is none on earth accepted from his administering the covenant to them; the indemnity which the Father has put in the hands of his own Son to dispense, hath no accepted persons of mankind in it, but he is to dispense it to any of them all whom he will, John v. 21, 22. And it is remarkable, that upon this fulness of power committed to the Administrator of the covenant, the general offer of the gospel is founded, Mat. xi. 27, 28, and xxviii. 18, 19. All without exception are declared welcome to come and suck of these full breasts of the divine consolations contained in the covenant. 4. His executing of his commission in an unhampered manner, administering the covenant indifferently to any sinners of mankind; not this or that party of them, under this or the other denomination, but mankind in general, Prov. viii. 4. So the gospel in which the covenant is administered, is good tidings to all people, Luke ii. 10; and the gospelfeast is made unto all people, Isa. xxv. 6. Accordingly he gives his apostles commission in most ample terms, than which one cannot imagine more extensive, Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,' 5. Consider to whom Christ stands related as a Saviour by office. He is the Saviour of the body only, Eph. v. 23. being considered as actually saving from sin and wrath. But considered as an official Saviour, he is the Saviour of the world, as he is expressly called, 1 John iv, 14. John iv. 42. And his salvation is called the common salvation,' Jude 3. 6. Lastly, If it were not so, then there would be some of mankind-sinners excepted, for whom there would be no manner of warrant to believe in Christ, or take hold of the covenant, more than there is for devils: which is contrary to the scriptures, John iii. 16. Mark xvi. 15.* USE. Know ye then that our Lord Jesus is empowered to administer the covenant of grace to you, and each one of you. There is a Saviour provided for you, to whom you • The above particulars are more largely illustrated, ubi supra, under the title, Sine mers of mankind the object of the administration of the covenant. |