68 Book IIJ. 1Lool.ting unto jjefu.s>. Chap. 1 .Seer. 3 . ¥1. 'i· '3· ~<niefs I had believed. So that it is a lively motion ofthe hearr, affem,ing umo, and trulling m God, and m the Word of God as firm and conGam. Thts was the very condition of the covenant wluch God requtred of AbYaham; q. d. Abraham, doll thou believe that fuch a Meffiah D1all be fent mro the world? an thou able to believe? yes,_ 1believe Lord, fa1d Abraham; well, faith God, I will put thee to the tnal; I wdl g1ve thee a fon, though thou art as a dead man, aodSarah as a dead woman; yet I will promife thee a fon, art thou abl_e to believe .I aga~n, thou feefr the land ofCanaar1, thou hall not one foot in it, yet I will g._ve thee this l~nd m the length and bredth of it for thy poffdlion, an thou able to beh:ve this? you will fay what_are thefe to the condition of the rovenam, which is only to believe In God, a~d to believe In Jefus Chri[l? 0 yes , 1. Tilefe were D1addows of the great prom1f~, Chnll; and therefore that act offaith, whereby AbraharA belie>ed that he D10uld have a fon, and that h1s children fhould poffef< the land of Canaan, was likewife a branch, a fl1addow, a pledge of that main act of faith wbereby he believed the promifed feed ,in whom himfelfand all the Nations of theearrh fhould be bkffed. But 2.Let this be remembred that Abrah:zmdid not <1l'lly believe the temporal promifes, bur every prot~ufe; as I will be thyjhield, and thy exceedinggreat mvard; nowwho is our fhidd but Chnrl? andwhotsour reward butChrirl? burefpeciallyhe believod the promife of the feed, and who is the head of the feed but Chrill? yea, he believed inthat promifed feed in whomall the nations of the earth jhould be blef!ed; and who was that but Chrift? )'our ]oh. 8. )6. father Abraham (fallh Chnll) rejoyced to fee my dt'J, andhe Jaw it, and\\'& <(lad. He faw It? how could he fee 1t? thou art notyet fifty)'tan old (fa id rhe Jews) and h.'.ft thou fem Abraham? orcotlld Abraham fee thee, or thy day? yes, even then he faw it when he believed in Chrifr; he coald fee it no other ways but by an eye offaitb; and therefore no quefrion he believed in Chrifl, and that was counted to him for righteoufnefs. But (may fome fay) if faith alone be the condition ofthe covenant, then whar need is there of any obedience, or works of holinefs? - this was the old plea of loofe Libertines Jam.'· 20• in the Apollles times, to whom {a<nes gave anfwer, But wilt thcucyoJV, 0 vain man, that faith without work,r u dead: a good tree '(faith Chrill) ;, k._nown by its fruits; and fo.is right and found flith; let a man believe in truth, and he cannot but love; and if he love, he cannot i.>m be full of good works ; thus Abralcamwas juflilied by faith , Abraham be– lieved God (faith the Aponle) andit was imputed to himfor righteou(i1rfs; bm was not this faith accompanied with works? obferve but (faith the ApoG!e) when God bade him offer his fon, did he not do it? and was not that an exceeding great work? fure!y hu faith wrought with his work,r , and by faith was hu 1rork! mtrde perfe[j:. 7· Who is the head both as undertaker, and purchafer, and treafurer upon whom this Covenant is e!tablifhed? I anfwer, Chrill, and none but Chrifr. All the promifes ofGod • Cor. ~· 2 0• in him are Yea, and Amen, unto theglory ofGod by m. This was very darkly held forth in the firll manifef!ation of the covenant to Adam, but now in ibis fecond breaking forth Gen. "· 3· of it, it is very fully exprefTed, and often repeated; thus Gen. 12. 3. in thee jhall all the <?en. ' 8 • ' 8 • familiesofthe earth be biejfed, and Gen. 18. 18. allthe nations ofthe earth jh.rll be b!ejfid in ~e:\~;·;:~e Ab~aham, and Gen. 22. dl. inthyfeedjhali allthe natiomof the earth beb!effid. ln corn• in Gen. 26. 4. panngl thefe texts we have a clear underllandmg thereof; in thee, mAbraham /hall all end •8· 14. the f~milies, and nations of the earth be bleffed ; bur Jell Abrab,,m himfelf D1.ould be jam.:, :3. cOmpared u·ith2I.:U. thought author of tbis univerfal bleffing, therefore is the explication, in thee , (t.) in thy G•l. 3.16. feed; and thisfced,faiththe Apofl!everyexpreffe!y, isJefus Chrill; no1vro Abraham and hi& (eed were the promifesmade; hefaithnot, andtofeeds, asofmany_, but a<ofone, and to thyfeed which i4 Chrift. So then herds the fenfe; our ofthy poflemy D1all fpnng the Meffiah, liy whom not only thy po!terity, but all the nations of the canh D1all be bleffed. You may remember in the firfr promife C brill was called the feed ofthe woman; but now thefeed ofAbraham; Chril!was the Son of Eve, or (ifyou will) the Son of Mary, and fo the fe:ed of the woman ; and Mary was a daughter of Abraham, and fo Clmfl, ~nd .ltfary, and ~ll upwards were of the feed of Abraham. Bur where /hall we find memton of the paffion of Chrifr in this expreffure of his Covenant to Abraham? .m the firft manifefhtion it was induded in that phrafe of bruijing hu her/, and furely tlus Jselfenttal to the covenant of grace in any overture of it : [ome anfwer that this is .thrice put on in the palfage of this covenant withAbraham: lirll, m the federal confirmation by t~efmoak!n.t Gm. I). 1 7• furnace, andburning lamp, that pajfed between tho[e f""s of t!:'e (acriftcc : as the fac!l– fice was divided, fo was Chrifls body tom : ~nd as the fmoakmg furnace'. and burmng · lamp paffed b~tween the divided pieces , fo the wrath of s;od run betwiXt (as 1may Gcn 1-.10 1 :. fay) and yet did not confume the rent and torn nature of Chnll. 2. In thar federal con~r- • 1 ' ~ m:mon •
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