CA P. I V.4:z;;,4 Of the Covenant ofGrace.Gen. 17.7 .Opened. 96 tant Truthfrom thefirft wayofDeclaration, whereby God hath affured them thatit {hall be to them according to the Tenorofthe Purpofes infifted on; and that is his Covenant ofGrace. ThePrincipium effendi ofthis Truth Off may fo fay) is in theDecrees and Paypofes of God:the PrincipiumCognofcendi in his Covenant, Promife, andOath, which alto adde much to the reali Stabi - lityofit, theTruthand FaithfultneffeofGod in them, being thereby pecu- liarly engaged therein. 4. z, It is not inmy Purpofe to handle the Nature ofthe Covenant of Grace, but only breifely to looke into it, fo farre as it bath Influence into the Truth in hand: TheCovenant of Grace then, as it enwraps the Unchangeable Love and Favour ofGod, towards thofe, who are taken into the bond'thereof,' is that which lyethunder our prefent Confideration. The other great branch ofit, (upon theaccount ofthe fame Faithiiiallneffe ofGod) communicating permanency ofPerfeverance in it felfe, unto the Saints, fecuring their Con- tinuancewith God, (hall (the Lord ;flitting) more peculiarly be explained, when wearrive to the head ofour Difcourfe: unleffe enoughto that pur'pofe may fall in occafionally in the progreffeofthis bufineffe. 4.3 For oufprefent purpofe, the producing and vindicating ofone or two Texts ofScripture, being unavoidably expreffive towards the end aimed at, {hall fuffice. The firft of thofe is Gen. 17. 7. Iwill ofab1ifh my Covenant between me and thee, and thyfeedafter thee, in their generations,for an EverlafingCovenant, to be aGodunto thee and thyfeed after thee. This isthat, which God engageth himfelfeunto in this Covenant ofGrace, that he will for everlafling bea God tohim, andhis Faithfull Seed. Though the external! Adminifiration of the Covenant wasgiven toAbraham, and his Carnal). Seed, yet the effeauall difpenfationofthe Graceofthe Covenant is peculiar to them only, who are theChildren ofthePromife, the Remnant ofAbraham according toEle&ion, with all, that in all Nationswere tobeBleffed inhim, and in his. Seed Chrift Ga1,4,22,23, Jefus: ifbniaelthough Circumeifedwas to beput out, andnot tobehere with so. Ifaak nor to abide in the Houfe for ever, as theSonne ofthe Promife was: Now the Apoftletells you, looke what BleffingsFaithfull Abraham received by vertueofthis Promife, the fame doeall Believers receive. Gal. 3.9. We which are oftheFaith, are Bleffed with Faithfull Abraham: which heprooves (in thewords foregoing)from Gen.r 2.3. becaufe all Nations were tobeBlef- fed in him. What Bleffing then was it, that was heremade over to Abraham? All the Bleffings,that fromGod are conveighed in &by his Seed JefusChrift, (inwhom both he andwe are Bleffed) are enwrapped therein. What they are the Apoftle tells you Ephefi.3. They are all spirituallBle ngs: IfPerfeverance, ifthe Continuanceofthe Love andFavour of God towards us, beaSpiritual! Bleffing, bothAbraham and all his seed, all Faithfull ones throughout the world, areBleffedwith it in Jefus Chrift: and ifGods continuing to be a God, to themfor ever, will inforce this Bleffing, (being but thefame thing inano- ther exprefíion) it is here likewife afferted. 4; It is importunately excepted, that though God undertake to be our God in an EverlafiingCovenant,andupon that account to Bleffe us with the whole Bleffing,that iscònvayed by thePromifed Seed,.yet ifwe abide notwith hind, ifwe forfake him, he will alto ceafe to be our God, and ceafe to Bleffe us with theBleffing, whichon othersin Jefus Chrift hewill bellow. An(: If there be a neceffity to (mite this Evafion fo often as wefhall meet with it, it muff be cut into anhundredpieces. For the prefent t fhall only obferve two evills it is attended withall. Firft, it takes no notice that God, whobathundertaken tobe a God unto us, bathwith the likeTruth, Powers and
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