Quest. 20. Did God leave all Mankind to perish in the Estate of Sin and Mifery?

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Ans. God having out of his mere good Pleafure, from all Eternity, elected Tome to everlasting Life, did enter into a Covenant of Grace, to deliver them out of the Estate of Sin and Misery, and to bring them into an Estate of Salvation by a Redeemer.

EXPLICATION.

The State of Sin and Misery, is a State wherein all must perish, who are left of God in it, Eph. 11. 12. At that time ye were without Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world;' because it is beyond the Reach of all created Help, f. lxiii. 5. 'And I looked, and there was ' none to help; and I wondered that there was ' none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought * falvation unto me, and my fury, it upheld me." But God doth not leave all Mankind to perish in it. Those whom he doth not leave to perish in it, are the Elect: Rom. viii. 30. Moreover, whom em he also called: and he did predestinate, them whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.'

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The Elect are some contain Persons of Mankind, whom God hath chosen to everlasting Life, passing by others: Acts xiii. 48. And as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." Jude verf. 4. For there are certain men crepta unawares, 'who were before of old ordained to this condem nation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lafciviousness, and denying the only 'Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Chrift.' This Election or Choice was made from Eternity: Eph. i. 4. ' According as he hath chosen us in him, be'fore the foundation of the world, that we should 'be holy, and without blame before him in love." And it infallibly secures their eternal Salvation, with all the Means leading thereto: Rom. viii. 30. forecited. Nothing foreseen in the Creature, neither Faith nor good Works, was the Caufe of Election; but only God's mere good Pleasure was the Caule of it: Eph i. 6. To the praise of "the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved? Now, the Way that God provided the Relief, was, that he entered into a second Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. The Design of the Covenant of Grace, was, to deliver the Eleft out of the EState of Sin and Misery, and to bring them into an Estate of Salvation by a Redeemer

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The Covenant of Grace, then, was made with Jefus Chrift, as the Second Adam, Party-contractor: Pfal. Ixxxix. 3. I have made a covenant with my chosen. Compared with 1 Cor.45; The last Adam was made Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed were a quickening spirit." the promises made. He faith not, And to feeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy feed,

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* which is Christ. Rom. v. 15. to the End. And Christ in this Covenant represented all the Elect, as his spiritual Seed, the Parties contracted for: Gal. iii. 16. forecited. If. liii. 10. 11. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him ' to grief: when thou shalt make his foul an of'fering for fin, he shall fee his feed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall profper in his hand. He shall fee of the travail of his foul, and shall be fatisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous fervant juftify many: 'for he shall bear their iniquities. Then the Covenant of Redemption, and the Covenant of Grace, are not two distinct Covenants, but two Names of one Covenant, under different Confiderations. That appears, in that the Number of the Covenants in Scripture is but two, whereof the Covenant of Works is one: Gal. iv. 24. For these are 'the two Covenants; the one from the mount Si

nai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.' By a Covenant of Redemption is meant a Bargain of Buying and Selling; and the second Covenant was such a Covenant to Christ only: 1 Pet. i. 18. 19. Forafmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and 'gold, from your vain conversation received by 'tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb without ble' mish and without spot. By a Covenant of Grace is meant a Bargain, whereby all is to be had freely; and it is such a Covenant to poor Sinners only: I. Iv. 1. 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yca, come, buy wine "and milk without money, and without price." The

The Covenant of Grace was made from Eternity:..
Tit. 1. 2. In hope of eternal life, which God that
cannot lye,
promised before the world began.'
Yet is it the second Covenant, in respect of Order
and Manifestation to the World, though it was first
in Being.

The Condition of the Covenant of Grace is Chrift's fulfilling all Righteousness: Matth. iii. 15. And Jesus said, Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. That Righteousness was stated from the broken Covenant of Works: Rom. iii. 31. Do we then make void the law through faith? 'God forbid : yea, Righteousness that the broken Covenant of Works we establish the law. The infifts on as the neceffary Condition of eternal Life to a Sinner, is perfect Holiness of Nature, Righteoufness of Life, and Satisfaction for Sin: Rev. xxi. ult. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatfoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye.' Matth. xix. 17. And Jesus said unto the young man, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the com mandments. Heb. ix. 22. Without shedding of blood is no remiffion. It justly so infifts for Holiness of Nature, because that was given to Man at first, and by the Condition of the Covenant he was obliged to keep it: Eccl. vii. 29. God hath made man upright. It justly so infifts for Righteousness of Life, for that was the express Con dition of it: Gal. iii. 12. And the law is not of but, The man that doth them, shall live in them. And it justly so insists for Satisfaction in virtue of the Penalty incurred by the breaking of it: Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in

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faith:

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✔ the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt furely 'die.' But neither Adam, nor any of his fallen Offspring, was able to perform that Condition of Life: Rom. v. 6. We were without strength.' Therefore, there is no Salvation by the Covenant of Works: Rom. iii. 20. Therefore by the deeds

of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in 'his fight: for by the law is the knowledge of ' fin.' Chap. viii. 3. 'For what the law could not * do, in that it was weak through the flesh,' &c. But Jesus Christ did accept of that Condition, as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace: Pfal. xl. 7. Then faid I, Lo, I come: in the volume of

the book it is written of me. And it was made the Condition of the Covenant of Grace, that his spiritual Seed might be saved, and the Covenant of Works fully fatisfied for them: Rom. viii. 3. 4. God fent his own Son, in the likeness of finful flesh, and for fin condemned fin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' And Jesus Christ did fully perform it, in that, as a public Person, he was born perfectly holy, lived perfectly holy, and made compleat Satisfaction by his Death: Luke. i. 35. ' And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore alfo * that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall

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be called the Son of God.' I Cor. xv. 45. The • last Adam was made a quickening spirit.' Phil. ii. 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' The Promife of the Covenant of Grace, is a Promife