·~~ The Pdrties in the , iince the feed are but of ye.fierday, the covenant of _grace behov'd to be like the covenant of works, a ye– fierday's covenant, a time-covenant; if it was not made '\Vith ChriH as their reprefentative, it could not other– wife have been an eternal covenant. The promife of eternal life, which is undoubtedly a promife of the covenant of grace, could not etherwife have been of {o ancient a date, a~ ' before the world began,' as the ApoHle fays it is, Tit. i. 2· How could an eternal covenant be originally made with creatures of time, but in their eternal head and reprefen tative ? Or, how could an eternal covenant be perfonally made with -them, by way of perfonal application to them; had it not been from eternity made with another as their head and reprefentative ?But in the method of infinite wifdom, free love took an early vent; not waiting the flow motion ,uf its objects creeping out of the womb of time, in which many of them lay wrapt, even to this day: but as pr'inces,fometimes do, by proxy, mar– ry young princeffes, before they are marriageable or capable to give their conf€nt ; fo God in "his infinite love, married to himfelf all the fpiritual feed, in and by ']e_(us Chrifl as their reprefentative, · not only be– fore they were capable of confenting, but before they were at all : the which they do afterwards in their ef.. feetual calling, approve, of by faith, and give the~.r · confent perfonally to ; ~ andfo they enjoy God as their God, and God hath them as his people, John xx. 17. ' I .afcend mito my Father,,and your Father> and to my God, anq your God.' Secr;ndly, Otherwife it could not have been made at - all a conditional covenant anfwering the defign of it .. This covenant taking place only upon the breach of the fi.i-fl: covenant, the great d~fign of it was, T~at dea9 /inners might have life, as was before obferved. Now, in order to this, a holy jufi God flood upon (::onditions, without ·performing of which, that life was 1~0,t to qe given : and they were high condition,$, - · · · · ffalm
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