⚫ believe are justified from all things, from which they 'could not be juftified by the law of Mofes,' Acts xiii. 39. For God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life;' Joha iii. 16. And this is that covenant of grace, which, as I told you, was made with the fathers by way of promife, and fo but darkly; but now the fulness of time being come,it was more fully opened and promulgated. Ant Well, Sir, you have made it evident and plain, that Chrift hath delivered all believers from the law, as it is the covenant of works; and that therefore they have nothing at all to do with it. Evan. No indeed, none of Chrift's are to have any thing to do with the covenant of works, but Chrift only. For although in the making of the covenant of works, at first, God was one party, and man another; yet, in making it the second time (r), God was on both fides; God fimply confidered in his effence, was the party oppofite to man; and God the fecond perfon, having taken upon him to be incarnate, and per condemnation, but is paf• fed from death unto life,' Chap. vi, 47. He that believeth on me hath everlafting life. Ver. 54. Whofo eateth my flesh. and drinketh my blood, 'hath eternal life.' 1 John V. 12. 13. "He that hath the 'Son, hath life: and he that "hath not the Son, of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you, 'that be lieve on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.' See Rom. viii. I. John iii. 16, 18. and xvii. 3. ' (r) See note (g), Chap. II. Sect. I. 455 to work man's redemption, was on man's fide, and takes part with man, that he may reconcile him to God, by bearing man's fins, and fatisfying God's juftice for them (and Christ paid God (/) till he faid he 'had enough, he was fully fatisfied, fully contented,' Matth. iii. 17 • This is my beloved Son, in whom I *am well pleased: yea, God the Father was well pleafed, and fully fatisfied from all eternity, by virtue of that covenant that was made betwixt them.) And thereupon all Chrift's people were given to him in their election, Eph i. 4. (t). Thine they were, faith (f) All the demands of the covenant of works, on the elect world. (f) That he, taking on their nature, might anfwer the demands of the covenant of works for them, Eph. i. 5. According as he hath chofen us in him.' We are faid to be chofen in Chrift, not that Chrift is the caufe of election; but that electing love, flowing immediately from God to all the objects of it, the Father did, in one and the fame decree of election, chufe the head and members of the happy body; yet Chrift the head firft (in the order of nature), then all these who make up his body, who were thereby given to him, to be redeemed and faved, by his obedience and death the which, being by him accepted, he, as elect-mediator and head of elect men, had full power, and furniture for the work, made over to him. And thus may we conceive the fecond covenant to have been concluded; agreeable to the fcripture-account of that mystery. This, the author fays, was done thereupon: not upon the Father's being well pleafed and fully fatiffied, by virtue of the covenant made; the which is the effect of the covenant, whereas this is one of the tranfactions or parts of the covenant, as all the following words brought to illuftrate it do plainly carry it; but upon God the Son his being on the other fide in making of the fecond covenant; the which is the principal purpose in this paragraph, the explication whereof was interrupted by the adding of a fentence concerning the execution and effectof the glorious contrivance. In making of the fecond covenant, the fecond perfon of the ever bleffed Trinity, confidered fimply as fuch,is one of the parties. Thereupon, in the decree of election, defigning, as is faid, both head and members, he is chofen mediator and head of the election to be their incarnate redeemer: the which headship accep ted Chap. II. faith Christ, and thou gavest them me,' John xvii. 6. And again, faith, he, the Father loveth the Son, " and hath given all things into his hands,' John iii. 35. that is, he hath intrusted him with the oeconomic and actual administration of that power in the church, which originally belonged unto himself. And hence it is that Christ also faith, the Father judgeth 'no man, but hath committed all judgment to his Son,' John v. 22. So that all the covenant that believers are to have regard unto, for life and falvation, is the free' and gracious covenant that is betwixt Chrift, or God in Christ, and them (u). And in this covenant there is not any condition or law to be performed on man's part, by himself (x): no, there is no more for him to do, Reynolds on Pfalm cx. page 7. ted, he, as mediator and head of the election, took upon him to be incarnate, and in their nature to fatisfy the demands of the covenant of works for them. Ifa. xlii. 1. Eph. i. 4. Pfal. xl. 6, 7, 8. Westminster confeffion, chap. viii. art. 1. "It pleaf"ed God, in his eternal purpose, to chufe and or"dain the Lord Jefus, his only begotten Son, to be "the mediator betweenGod "and man,---the head and "faviour of his church :--"unto whom he did, from "all eternity, give a people "to be his feed, and to be by him in time redeemed, "&c. chap. iii. art. 5. "Thofe of mankind that writes on this fubject, p. 26,---29. (u) i. e. The covenant of grace only, not the covenant of works. (x) To wit, for life and falvation; the fame being already performed by Jefus Chrift; he, having in the fecond covenant, undertaken to fatisfy all the demands of the covenant of works, did do all that was to be done or wrought for our life and falvation. And if it had not been fo, life and falvation had remained eternallywithout our reach; for how is it poffible we fhould perform,do,or work, until we get life and falvation? what condition or law are we fit for performing, while we are dead, and not faved from, but lying under fin, the wrath and curfe of God? See the following note. do, but only to know and believe that Chrift hath done all for him (y.) (y) Namely, all that was to be done for life and falvation. And neither repentance, nor fincere (imperfect) obedience, nay, nor yet believing itfelf, is of that fort; tho' all of thefe are indifpenfibly neceffaryin fubjects capable of them. This expreffion bears a kind of mimefis or imitation, ufual in converfation, and ufed by our bleffed Saviour on this fubject, John vi. 28, 29. Then faid they unto him, 'what fhall we do, that we might WORK the works of God? Jefus anfwered ⚫ and faid unto them, This is THE WORK of God, that ye believe.' The defign of it plainly is, to confront the humour that is naturally in all men, for doing and working for life and falvation, when once they begin to lay thefe things to heart; there is no more fays the author, for him to do, but only to know and believe that Chrift hath DONE all for him and therefore the expreffion is not to be ftrained be fides its fcope. However this is true faith, according to the fcripture, whether all faving faith, be fuch a knowledge and believing or not; and that knowledge and be lieving are capable of degrees of certainty, and may be mixt with doubting, without overturning of the reality of them. Ifă, liii. 11. Where By his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant juftify many.' John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent.' Gal. ii. 20. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.' Rom. x. 9. If thou---fhalt 'believe in thine heart, that 'God hath raised him from 'the dead, thou fhalt be faved,'To believe that God hath raifed him from the dead, is to believe that he has perfected the work, and done all that was to be done for life and falvation to finners: but is this enough to conftitute favingfaith? furely it is not; for devils may believe that: therefore it must be believed with particular application to one's felf, intimated in the phrafe, believing in thine heart; and this is what devils and reprobates never reach unto, howbeit thefe laft may pretend to know and believe, that Chrift is raifed from the dead for them, and fo hath done all for them,even as they alfo may pretend to receive and reft on him alone for falvation. But in all this, one who truly believes may yet have ground to fay with tears,Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief,' Mark ix. 24. Nevertheless under this Wherefore, my dear neighbour Neophytus,to turn my fpeech particularly to you, because I fee you are in heaviness; I befeech you be perfuaded that here you are to work nothing, here you are to do nothing,here you are to render nothing unto God, but only to receive the treasure which is Jefus Chrift, and ap prehend him in your heart by faith, although you be never fo great a finner (z). And fo fhall you obtain forgiveness of fins, righteofunefs and eternal happiness; * Luther on Galat. page 69, 194. covenant there is much to dò, a law to be performed and obeyed, though not for life and falvation, but from life and falvation received; even the law of the ten commandments in the full extent thereof, as the author doth at large exprefly teach, in its proper place, in this and the fecond volume. This is the good old way (accordingto the fcriptures, Acts xvi. 30, 31. Matth. xi. 28, 29. Tit. ii. 11, 12.) if the famous Mr.Davidfon underftood the Proteftant doctrine. Q. Then the falvation of man, faith he, is fo fully ચંદ wrought and perfectly accomplished by Chrift in "his awin perfon, that nothing is left to be done or wrought by us in our perfons, to be onie caufe of "the leaft part thereof?" A. "That is moft cer"tain." Mr. John Davidfon's catechifm. edit. Edin. 1708. p. 15. Sa we are perfitely faved by the 56 warks whilkChrift did for us in his awin perfon,and "nawayes by the gude not "warkes whilk he works int "us with and after faith. Marg. Here is the main point and ground of out "difagreement with the Papifts. ibid. pag. 46. "Refts then any thing for c us to do after that we are perfitely juftified in God's "fight by faith in Chrift? Difcip. Yes,very meikle, "albeit nawaves to merite "falvation; but only to witnefs, by the effects of "thankfulness, that we ARE truly SAVED." Ibid. pag. 48, 49. (z) See the two foregoing notes. And hear another paffage from the fame book whence this is taken, namely, the Englifh tranflation of Luther's commentary on the epiftle to the Galatians, fol. 75. Good works ought to be done---the example of Chrift is to be "followed:---well,all thefe "things will I gladly do. "What then followeth? "Thou shalt then be faved "and obtain everlasting "life. Nay, not fo. I grant "indeed, that I ought to "do good works, patiently to |