eth wrath; for where no law is there is no transgression."

If the law worketh wrath, as it certainly does, because it reveals God's wrath against sin, and stirs up sin against God; therefore the everlasting inheritance cannot be obtained by works, nor can it be secured by the revelation of wrath: so far from it, that the stiffest legalist is the greatest enemy to God, and the farthest from the kingdom of God. The inheritance therefore is of faith, which is God's gift, that it might be bestowed by grace, not earned by works, to the end the promise might not miscarry, but be sure to all the seed, Rom. iv. 16.

Thus you see it is a blessing given us in Christ; promised to faith; secured by grace; and insured to all the chosen seed. Those persons that you speak of, trust altogether in their own works, and bring in the word, grace, as a trap to entangle others in the works of the law: and when their fleshly works deceive and throw them down, as they did Peter, then they cry out, such an one is fallen from grace: whereas such always fight against grace. Thus the painted sepulchre wears the garland, while he is permitted to deceive, and grace bears the scandal; when God fulfils his promise, the prating fool shall fall, Prov. x. 8.

Ahimaaz. But there are many of these people who talk much of legal convictions and law terrors; and you know that Paul says, it is experience that worketh hope.

Cushi. The experience of pardon, peace, and reconciliation through Christ, and of regeneration by the Holy Ghost, worketh hope, but no other: the devils have experienced as many legal convictions, law terrors, motions of pride, workings of error, and as much desperate rebellion, as all the human race together, and yet are as far from hope as enmity and eternity can set them. But the elect are predestinated: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." Hence they are said to have their names inrolled in the book of life; and the book is signed by three immutable witnesses, and each witness has his name recorded in it, as appears by the Bible; and the Bible is a copy of the eternal council. "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." This book is sealed with seven seals, Rev. v. 1; and delivered to the dear Redeemer, as God the Father's will; which will was to be obeyed by the Saviour, and made known to the chosen heirs. The conditions of it, such as, magnifying the law, and satisfying divine justice, were to be punctually performed, and the Father's plan fully executed by the Lord Christ; and so the inheritance was to be handed down to us by the Father's will, and the Son's testament; of which will Christ is the testator, the executor, and the mediator. "And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new testament,

that by means of [his] death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were [committed] under the first testament [or law], they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance : for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator," Heb. ix. 15, 16. Our blessed Lord shewed this when he instituted the Lord's supper; which prefigured the death of himself as the Testator, and the benefits of the testament, flowing to the innumerable multitude of chosen heirs. "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Ahimaaz. If this be the case, pray what became of the elect that went out of the world before the death of Christ? How could the eternal inheritance be conveyed to them? For the apostle 66 testament is of force after men are says, that a dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."

Cushi. When the Saviour revealed the Father's will and his own testament to Adam, saying, The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head, and the serpent shall bruise the Saviour's heel, his death was implied in the promise, and clearly shewn by the sacrifice: and when Abel embraced the same promise by faith, his lamb prefigured the Lord's death: hence Christ is said to die in the type; and is therefore called " the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." So that the testament was of strength as soon as the first promise

was confirmed by a sacrifice. And by those legal sacrifices was the gospel preached to the children of Israel, Heb. iv. 1, 2, 3; and those that rejected it, and trusted in the moral law, died in unbelief, and came short of the inheritance; but those who mixed faith with the word, received the benefits of the testament; they eat the spiritual meat, and drank the spiritual drink; they drank of the rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ, 1 Cor. x. 3, 4.

Moses was very particular in pointing the Israelites to this blessed Testator and testament; for the tabernacle, which prefigured the church, the books likewise, and the people, were all sprinkled, to shew that the church must be washed in the blood of the antitype; and that the testament must be confirmed by the blood of Christ, was shewn by sprinkling the books; and that sinners' hearts must be sprinkled from an evil conscience, was shewn by sprinkling the people. "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according to the law [he then pointed them to the blood of Christ], he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and [all this to let the sinner know, that] without shedding of blood is no

remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these; and what sacrifices could they be but the body, blood, and soul of the Son of God? Heb. ix. 19-23.

Ahimaaz. I am fully satisfied with the account, and have a most comfortable view of the eternal inheritance; and, blessed be God, I have had many sweet foretastes of it: but Satan and my own unbelieving heart have often robbed me of my peace and comfort; and indeed at times I have been sorely tempted to believe that I had neither part or lot in the matter. I see the testament is well confirmed, and the inheritance richly secured, being witnessed by the eternal Three; ratified by the sevenfold seal of heaven; and enjoined to us, with all its saving benefits, by the blood of the Son of God. And I am fully persuaded, that, as the covenant is confirmed, "no man disannulleth or addeth thereto." But I have often doubted of my right and title, and whether my evidences are real or not.

Cushi. The eternal inheritance is handed down to us in an unconditional promise; and as God is called a believer's portion, so a believer is called an heir of God; and as the portion is held forth to us in a promise, so a believer is called an heir of promise, to whom the inheritance is confirmed by oath, Heb. vi. 17. And the testament also is called the covenant of promise, Eph. ii. 12.