Book Ill. Jloohtng unto 'Jjefu.s. theft , fooner jhould heavm and e.mh fail in piats ,, then GodWM!d not uphold one gra– Clotu foul that bath umontwth hu Son lefm Chrift. And if thefe be tby f~yings, why tben Lord I defire the ammp!ijhment ; 0 fulfil what thou h1ft faid ; it trould break__ my heart if ever the covmantjhould be brok;n betw:xt me andthee.- my dejirc 1 1 toward 1 thu a11d the more 1enjoy thee, the more.and mare I defire andp'mt after thee ; my dejires are lik_; thyfelf, infinite, eternal, everlaftmg defires. 4· De!ire after [ef!u, the g!ear bulinefs, or the all in all i.n a covenant of grace : the moll: proper obJect of delire, efpwally ro man fallen, 1s Jefus Chrill : hence it is rhat a poor !inner under rhe fenfe of!in, uyes our wirh that vehemency of delirc Ru•h:rs tryal Chrift, an_d none_but Chrijl; give me Chrijl, or 1 dye, 1 am undm:, I am loft for ever: olla,th. But what 1s Cbrtll or Je(m to a covenant o£ grace? I anfwer, he IS the great bu!inefs he is the all in all. Chrift harh at lea!l: a lix-fold relation to the covenant of grace. I. . A; ~e is more than a creature, he is the covenant it felf. 2. As he deals betwixt parries, he ts _rhe mdfenger of the covenant. 3. As he faw, and heard, and teflifier h all , he is the Wltnefs of the covenant. 4· As he underraketh for the parties at variance, he is rhe fumy of the covenant. 5. As he llandeth between the contrary parti~s, he is the Mediator ofthe covenant. 6. As he !ignerh rhe covenant, and clofech all the Articles, he is the Teftator of the covenant. Oh hereis abundance of fewel for thy defire to work upon. r.Confider the fewel, and then fer on the flame thy de!ire. ' If,. 4 ,_ 6 _ I. Ghrillisthecovenantitfelf. I gave theefora Covenantcfthepcople,foralight Ira, 41• 9 • ofthe Gentiles. And I will preferv: thee , and give thee for a covenant of the people. Chrifr, God and man is all tbe covenant : r. Fundamentally, he is the original of the covenant ; rhe covenant of grace takes its being and beginning from Clu·ifr; he is thecovenanr-maker, undertaker, manager, difpatcher, he <loth every thing in the covenant. 2. Materially, the very fubftance of the covenant /lands in this, I will be their God, "nd they jhAfl be my people; now Chrifl: he i> borh rhefe in himfelf; he is God unto his people, and he is die people reprefenratively unto God , and before God. 3. Equivalently ; many branches or fruits of the covenant are to be fulfilled to be– lievers in tlleir feafon, but as foon as ever they are jultified , Chril1: is faid to be the covenant, as a prefent pawn or earne!l: delivered into the hands of a man at the very inllant of his ju!l:ification; and this pawn !s of equal value and wonh with the whole covenant when it is fulfilled to the urtermoll. Thm Chrill in every of thefe refpects is the covenant it felf; he is very peace, anl reconciliation it fdf, and this Micah.$. 5 • man jha/1 be the pea<e when the Affyrian jhall come into our land. As fire is hot for it felf, and all other things hot for it, as rhey participate of it; fo Chrill: is the covenant it fdf, and all we are fo far in covenant to Chrill, as we have any thing of Chrill ; want C!Jrill, .and want peace, and want the covenant ofgrace. Mal; 3 , 1 • 2~ Chrill is the metfenger of the covenant. The Lord whomye feek..jha/1 fudde~!ycome to hu Temple , evcu the mejfenger of the covenant whom ye del:ght m. Chrtft tra– vels with rydings berween the parries of rhe covenant. I. He repons of God to us, Joh. J$. r.' he commends his Father to us, my Father ;. the husband-m,m; and thiJ i; the Fa– Joh 6 19. tbers will which h~th fcnt me, that of all which he hath given me, 1 fbo,.ld lofe no– Joh.6.48 thing· and he commends himfelf to us it became the Lord Jrfus to commend him– J~~:,8~.'~;u. felf, i am the bre~d of life, I am ~!.;light of th~ wcr/d, 1 am the door, 1 am the Prov. 1. 20 • good {heph~rd. It IS a ~onderful thtng how Chnfr_'s ~broker (as I may fay) for Prov. 9· s. Chri!L wtfdom cryerh wnhout, lhe uttereth her votce m the ftreets ; come , eat of my b;ead, and drink of the wine which I_have mingled : Minillers cannot fpea~ of Chrill, and of his Father, as he can do hnnfelf. 0 my foul to eJ>me thy del!res, come, and hear Ghri!l:, fpeakof Chrifl, andofhisFather, and of heaven, for he faw Job. •7· l$. all. 2 . He reports of us to God; he commends us to his Father; 0 righteomFather the world bath not kzlown thee, but I have k._nown thee, andthefe have k.izoJM that thOH h.<jl fentmc. Chriftgives a good reporr_of the Saints in heaven; the Fathe~ and Son_ are fpeaking ofrhem (as I may fay) behmd back. Andfurely a good report tn heaven tsof high e!l:eem ; Chrifl tells over Ephraim's prayers behind his back, Ihave Jimly heard Jer. 3J,t8,fo• Ephraim bemoaning htmfelf thm, thou haft chafl-ifed me, and I WM chajlifed, M a IJu/lock... >maccujlomedtotheyo~; turn thoH '!'eand ljha/1 bewrned, thou a"t theLord my God: an~ thereupon God refolves, i; Ephratmmy dea;· fon? u he a plea[111tt ch.Jd? for fince Ifpak:. agai11jl him I do earnejlly remember him f/ill, thmfore my bowels are troubledfor hm;, I wdl Jurcly have mercy upon him, f~ith the Lord. Happy fouls ofwhom Chrift is tellwg go~d tidings in heaven ? he is rhe Angel of the Covenant. ;t . He
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