ty; after which Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all.

To this account of the offices of our Savior, may be subjoined the name Christ, which is used as the proper name of our Lord, the signification of which is, the annointed; which does not signify any particular office, but has a general reference to all his offices, and denotes his being invested with them by the Father.

Thus have I endeavored to give a brief represent→ ation of the character, offices and work of the Son of God, who by the execution of these offices, has introduced the glorious dispensation of redeeming grace for mankind in their fallen state; which by common consent has obtained the name of the covenant of grace, among christian writers.* By this title they

* How it has come to pass that christian writers have so generally styled the dispensation of redeeming grace, which is brought in by the mediation of Jesus Christ, by this title, The covenant of grace, is not easily determined. 'Tis a pity it has ever obtained that name in common use; not only because it is never so called in the sacred scripture, but also because it has been the occasion of great mistakes, and much perplexity and confusion among christian Divines, both in their systematic, casuistic, polemic, experimental, and practical writings. This distinguishing title has led mankind to expect to find nothing in this second covenant but the displays of divine grace and good will, without any declarations of wrath, or executions of vengeance. Hence have arisen those grave perplexities of distinguishing between the moral law and the covenant of grace-between the duties of natural, and of revealed religion-which texts in the bible belong to the covenant of grace, and which to the covenant of works-whether the covenant of grace contains only promises of mercy, or also commands and threatenings, &c. To style the second covenant a covenant of grace, doth not at all distinguish it from the first covenant made with Adam. For the one is as much a covenant of grace as the other. For every covenant that God makes with his creatures, must necessarily be a covenant of grace; they can in the nature of things be nothing else, There is not a sentence or word in the bible, except the two first chapters of Genesis, and part of the third, but what belongs

mean to distinguish it from that covenant which God made with our first parents, which has commonly obtained the name of the covenant of works. This dispensation which is brought in by the Son of God, is a glorious scheme which God, in his eternal counsel, has contrived for the display of the glory of his great name, in the salvation and happiness of fallen man. Hereby the glory of God is displayed before principalities and powers the glorious angels of light take pleasure in looking into it; much more then ought it to engage the attention of mankind, who are so greatly interested in it : To a brief view of which I shall now proceed.

II. A general view of this dispensation, which is brought in by the Son of God is next to be offered.

As this dispensation was brought in by our Lord Jesus Christ, in the execution of the several offices which he was clothed with, we must form our sentiments of it by attending to his character exhibited in the gospel, which has been pointed out under the preceding head of this discourse. And the light in which some of his offices will lead us to conceive of him, is, as being under covenant engagements to the

to the promulgation of the second covenant. Nor has God, since the giving of the promise of the seed of the woman, taken one step in his dealings with fallen man, nor ever will to all eternity, but what is to be considered as his procedure with them in this second covenant, which is brought in by the mediation of his son. The executions of divine vengeance upon the wicked in hell is as truly God's adminis tration in the covenant of grace, as is the salvation and fu ture glorification of believers.

Such as have confined the covenant of grace, in their view of it, to the uniting of the soul with Christ, upon the gospel offer, bewilder themselves with a wrong notion of it. And setting out upon this wrong view of it, as the foundation on which they form their arguments, their conclusions seem well established when there is really no truth in them; as will readily appear by a just view of the covenant, in its true light and full latitude.

Father, and fulfilling covenanted obedience to him. But when we view him in some of his other offices, we shall be led to conceive of him, as mediating between God and sinful men, and bringing about a covenant of reconciliation between them. This dispensation brought in by our divine Mediator, which is commonly styled the covenant of grace, may be properly divided into two parts, and considered as being, in some respects, two covenants, in close connexion with each other; and has accordingly been so distinguished by christian writers. The one they have styled the covenant of redemption, and the other, the covenant of reconciliation. And as there seems to be sufficient reason in the several offices of Christ, for this distinction, I shall accordingly consider them as distinct covenants, or at least distinguishable the one from the other.

1. The covenant of redemption is a covenant between the Father and the Son, as the two contracting par ies of the covenant. In this covenant the Father ap points his Son to take the several offices which he is represented in the gospel as being clothed with; and to perform the work by which he might become the author of eternal salvation to perishing sinners. And God the Son accepts this designation, and freely undertakes to perform this work. To this covenant are to be referred those various promises made to our Savior, respecting divine support and acceptance in his undertaking and accomplishing this work, which we find dispersed in various parts of the bible. This covenant of redemption is the foundation of several of those titles by which he is described in the gospel Hereby it is that he is appointed to be our Savior and Redeemer; and on this account he is represented as our covenant-head, and is styled the second Adam ; and Adam is called a figure of him that was to come. As the first covenant was made with Adam, constituting him a covenant-head to his seed, so this second covenant is made with Christ, constituting him a new covenant-head.

It is he with whom the covenant of

redemption is made, who is to act in it, and perform the whole work of it. The behavior of Adam under the first covenant, was that on which the life or death of mankind then depended; and the behavior of Christ under the second covenant, is that on which the recovery and salvation of mankind, as to the meritorious cause thereof, do now depend. Rom. v, 18, 19. "Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

In these respects there was a plain and manifest similitude between Adam and Christ, as the heads of the two covenants: yet in some respects there is a great difference between them. The covenants were two distinct covenants; and those to whom respect was had in them were in very different circum

stances.

I. The covenant made with Christ, is quite distinct from that which was made with Adam. When God made the first covenant with Adam, although the moral law remained as the rule of righteousness; yet the test of his obedience was contracted to a single point; and was confined to the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil: but in this second covenant made with Christ, I know of no particular test of obedience prescribed to him; but the whole law lay before him, and perfect obedience to it made the condition of life. In the first covenant, the obedience of Adam was brought to a trial only in a single point but in this second covenant, the obedience of the man Christ Jesus was put to the trial in all points of duty. Indeed, there are some special branches of duty enjoined by the moral law, in some certain cases and circumstances, in which the obedience of our new covenant-head was not put to the trial. The various stations in life have particular duties connected with them; which are incumbent only on such per

sons as arc in such circumstances. And as Christ never sustained such circumstances and relations, his obedience in such points was not brought to a trial. But as he was intended to be a common blessing to mankind; so he stood a probationer in the second covenant, in such circumstances as are common to all men. And in this respect it may be said, He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet with

out sin.

The man Christ Jesus was in a state of trial under this second covenant, as really as Adam was under the first; and his own life or death was depending, whilst that trial lasted. For when he was made man, he was made under the law, and took upon him the form of a servant; and if it might be supposed that he had failed in his obedience; he would have forfeited life, and fallen under condemnation; but as he persevered in his obedience to the end of his trial; his title to life was confirmed by the covenant which he had fulfilled. Indeed, there was a great personal difference between Adam and Christ. Adam was a mere creature, of a limited mutable nature but the man Christ Jesus was a partaker of the divine and unchangeable nature; which difference in their persons, made a great difference in their state of probation, with respect to the certainty of the issue. A liableness to sin, or a possibility of sinning seems to be an idea inseparably connected with a state of probation. This is certainly the case, when the probationer is a mere creature, of a limited, dependent, mutable nature. When Adam was made a probationer under the first covenant, his own strength, or that natural ability for the service of God with which he was created, was the fund by virtue of which he was to go through his trial. In his case therefore, a liableness to sin was essential to his state of probation. And when the Son

of God in our nature was put into a state of trial under the second covenant, there was a liableness that he should sin, so far as one who is a partaker of divine immutability may be said to be liable to it.

He was