. , peculiar to Chrift. ~33 unto, this one, to wit, The promije of Eternal Life: For which the two .following texts may be view'd. Tit. i. 2. ' In hope of eternal life, which God that can.not lie, promifed before the world began.' I John ii. 25,' And this is ,the promife that he hath promifed us, even life eternal.' In which words, Three things for our purpofe offer th{1mfelves to be obferved. 1. The great and com– prehenfive promife of the covenant of grace, the ftim of all the .promifes therein, to finner·s ; namely, The promife of Life Eternal: that's the order .of the words in the original : the covenant is a covenant of life, defign'd for re!l:oring dead finners to life : and fo the ·promife of it, is a promife of Life. And this life is ·Et.ernal. 2. The date · of this promife, before ·the world began. Whil~ as yet time was not, and the foundation of the world was not laid, it was made, and eternal life thereby fecured to the elea. 3· The parties concern'd in it. · The maker of the promife, was God that cannot lie'; whofe promife therefore mufi needs take effecr. And by fpecial approbation, 'twas the Father: It was He that made it, Ver. 24. ' Ye alfo lhall continue in the Son, and in the Father. Ver. 25. And this is thepromife that he bath promif– eq us,' &c. The party it was made to, is, (I.) And chiefly, Jefus Chrifi, the fecond Adarrz, head of the covenant ; for there's no neceifity, to recede from the proper £ignification· of the word here ufed, which is promifing: to a catachrefiical one, to wit, purpofi'ng: .fince the promifes were made to Chri!l:, Gal. iii. 16. And he really wa~ before the world began, and con· fequently then capable ofhaving a promife made to him. (2.) The elect in him. He hath promifed us, namely, uJ legally in him before the world began ; that is, the eleCt who apply and plead .the promife . then, when they believe. · · And hence arifeth this truth, viz. ' The great' and ~om~re};lenfive promife to ChriH's fpiritual feed, in the · I 4 cove"
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