· 3& The Partier in the .that end, ufed_towards you, do fiand as fair for it as any : This may encourage you to come to Chrifi,and take hold of the covenant. BeHir yourfeJves therefore, 0 ft nners, to take hold of, the covenant of grace:;, which is offered to you in the gofpel; and cotnf1 ye to Chr ifl: _ by faith, thereby _winding yourfelves perfonalJy into • the bond of this covenant, and the communion there– of. · Objection. ' But 1 fear, I'm rione' of thefe whom Chri£1: reprefented in the covenant of gi·ace: how then can I. take hold of it, _by believing?' Anjwer. Tho' ' yo_ur name were the firfi name, that 'the Lamb wrote down in his book of life; yet you nor no man can know, . t~at it is there at all ; until tl)at you h~ve, by believ– ,ing, taken hold of the covenant, 2 .Pet. L ro. ' Make your calling and election fiJre; but,-firfi your calling, and then ·your election. And, on the other hand, tho' you were a monfier of all manner of wickednefs, ~and had all the defperate marks of a cafi-away about,you, . except that one only, the fin again'fi the holy Ghofl, you nor no man can know, that you were not repre– fented in the covenant, Mat. 12. 3r. ' All manner of fin and ·bafphemy fhall be forgiven unto men : but the bi'a lphemy againfi the holy Ghofi fhatl not be for– given unto men.' Wherefore, that matter is an ab– folute fecret to you, w0ich, in this cafe, you are not to meddle to determine in -: For, . the fecret things belong unto the Lord our God : but thofe things ;which are revealed belong unto us, Dent. xxix. _ 29 . Neither does you w::rrrant to beli;:ve, and to -Jay hold on the coven:mt~ ati.y, manner ·of way depend on it : for the reprobate have as good and f:1ir a re– v ealed warrailt, to believe and take hold of the cove· nant of grace, as.the elect have; el(e they could .not be condemned fo r t:: nbelief, and not taking hold of the covenant. Be what you will, . fince. you are cer– ra1 nly a finner of mankind; your warrant is, uncon– tdlabJc, according to the word : ' For God fo loved the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=