' 214 7\_utbers tryal offaith, ·IC•.41,6 ;lfa.41·9 Boo"k III. Looking untc 1eft14, Chap.~Se'f.j woul& bre4k.,e my heart if·ever the c~venAnt jhould be brok.!n betwi.-~t me and thee: my defire is towardJ thu , 11nd the more 1 enjoy rhee, the more ~~~d m_ore I defire and pAnt af~er thee; mJ deftres are likf th] [elf, mfimte, eternal, everlaftmg dejires, 4. Dc!ire after ref us , the great bufineffe, or the all in a/lin a covenant of gra~e : the m?ft proper ~bje~ of defire, efpecially to man fallen, 1s J efus Chnft : hence 1t 1s that a poore Gnner un. der the fenfe of fin , cries out with that vehemency of defire, Chrift, andmne b11t Chrift; give me Chrifl: or I d}e, I am undone I am loft for ever. But what is Chrift or 'fefus to a covenant o.f grace? 1 anfwer he is the great bufinefs, he is the all in all. Chrift hath at leaft a fix-fold relation to the covenant of grace, 1. As he is more then a creature,he is the covenant it felf. 2. As he deales betwixt parties,he is the metfenger ofthe covenant. 3. A9 he faw' , and heard.. and teftifieth all , he is the witncfs of the covenant. 4· As he undertaketh for the parties at variancc,he is the iurety of the covenant. 5. As he ftandeth betweene the contrary parties,he is the Mediator of the covenant. 6. As he figneth the covenant,and dofeth all the Articles, he is the Te· ftator ofthecovenant . Oh here is abundance offewel for thy de!ire to work ·upon. I. Confider the fewel , and then ~~.on flame thy defire. f> ·. I. Chrift is the covenant it felf. It; ave thee for a c~veniWJ af the people, for a light of the Gentiles. And I will preferve:ihee-, andgive thee for a covenant of the people. Chrift,God and man is aU the covenant; I; Fundamentally, he is the original of the covenant; the covenant of .grace takes it's being and beginning from Chrift; he is the covenant-maker, undertaker, manager, difpatchcr, he doth every thing in rhe covenant. 2. Materially, the very fubfiance of the covenant ftartds in this, I will be their God,and they foalt be my pr?ple; now Chrift _he is both thefe in him!elf; .he is God unto h1> people, and he 1s the people reprefentatively unto God , and before God. 3. Equivalently; many branches or fru irs of the covenant are to be fulfilled to beleevers in their fe<lfon , · b1,1t as foone as ever they are jullified , Chrift is faid to be the covenant, as a prefent pawne or earnefl: delivered into the hands of a man at the very inftant of his jufiification; and this pawne is ofequal va!rie and worth with the wholecovenant when it is fulfilled to the uttermoft. Thus Chrifr ill
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