Of the Promijes in general. 119 tells ug, that ' God willing more abundantly to lhew unto the heirsofpromife the imrnuta~iliry of his coun– fel, confirmed by an oath, Heb. vi. J 7. A tender man . \vill not fwear a promife, but in a matter of weight. Of what unfpeakable w-eight and importance then, mufi the promife of the. covenant be, w~ich the God . of truth hath confirmed with his oath ? .. Now, for cle<1ring of this part of the covenant; we iball, (I.) Confider of the promifes in general; and, (2.) Take,a more particular_vi'ew of them. .I Of the Pr,omifes in general. ·AS to the promifes ingeneral, two things are to be enqt)ired into : Firfl, What are the general hinds of them; and Secondly, To whom they are made. I. As to the general kinds of the promifes ; confi– dering the ·parties,on whom the promifes of the cove– nant of grace h~ve their direct and immediate effectj they appear to be of two general kinds. Firft, Soi-ne of them have their direct and immedi· _ate effect on .Chrill: himfelf, the head of the cove– nant; foch as the promife of affifiance in his ~ork., and the promife of a name above every name. So in the firfi covenant, there were promifes, which were to · have their direct and immediate effect on Adam him– felf, and look'd not, but me~iately ~nd indirectly to his pofierity, fuch of them, at leafi, , as ihould have lived after the compleat fu]filling. of the condition of . that covenant : namely, the promifes of natural life continued in vigour and comfort, and of fpiritual life continued in favour .and fell<;>wfhip with God, during the courfe ofhis prooationary obedience. , . Secondly, Others of them have their direct and im– mediate effect on Chrifi's fpiritual feed, comprehended with .him in the covenant; fuch as the promifes ofrege– neration, of the ntw heart ,and c.leanfing from tb~ defile– mentoffin. So in the firfi Adam'scovenant, the promife · of Hfe contained a promife of the holy conception and birth
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