Blake - Houston-Packer Collection BT155 .B53 1653

Chap. 4. and the Covenant of Grace 17 this new Lord gives him no entertainment, he muff be content to come out of bondage, or elfe he can enjoy no freedorne. z. The nextwork of Chrift is to bring man within the bound of the Covenant profeffedly to accept it, for which there is yet a double work. Firft, to make tender of it, this hash been Chrifts work as the Prophet of his Church in all ages. In what latitude it was carried in the dayes of the fathers before the flould, it ra- ther obfcurely pointed at, then plainly {hewed ; yet fure there was a diftinTron between the pofterity of Seth and that of Cain,and fo continued till the dayes of Noah, when the fans of God jaw the daughters of men, children of the Covenant, faw thofe out of the Covenant, men within the vifible Church faw women without the Pale, and joyried themfelves in marriage with them, From Abrahams dayes it was confined to his pofterity, and held within his libe, and thofe few that as Profelytes joyned themfelves unto them. In Gofpel-times it is enlarged, the tender is made not to Jews only, but alfo to every Nation under hea- ven, the Commion being to preach the Gofpel to every crea- ture, none by Nation fo contemptible, that is to be excluded. In Chriff ?efts there is neither Barbarian, nor Scythian, f ere or ,gentile. Col. 3. i r, And as there is to be a tender, fo alfo it is his work to fhape the heart for acceptation of it to embrace the termes and enter into it. God ¡hall perfwade Japhet, and he ¡hall dwell in the tents of Shem. Gen.9.27. The inhabitants of the Ifles peo- pled by 7aphets pofterity {hall become the lfrael of' God {hall fucceed the Jewes in a Church - ftate, and vifible profeffion of the name of God , The hand of the Lord was with them, namely thofe that preacht at Antioch, and a g }eat number beleeved, Afts r r. zr. where beleeving (afce the manner of the Hiftory in the i1 s) is no other then embr ï the Dotrine of Faith , they were made Difciples,many of which after fell off,even from their p ro fe ìon. A third work is to enable thofe whom he brings to glory (thofe among them in Covenant that are called according, to his purpofe) to performe the duties of the Covenant, to be ftedfaít and upright in it, and this is by Circnmci,ràng their heart , giving them a new heart, writing bu Law in their hearty putting it into their inward parts. keeping them by hI mighty power through faith unto falvation ; of which more hereafter. D The Chrifl brings man within the verge of the Covenant, r. By his ten- der of it. z. By fhap;ng the heart for it C brings up to the terms ofthe Cove- nant,

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