AEI 174 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. Inquire diligently into all the obedience and thankful- ness, all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he justly expects from those who are made par- takers of it; so shall you observe the worship of God to his glory and your own advantage. VIII. Another evidence of forgiveness with God may be taken from the making, establishing and ratifying of THE NEW COVENANT. That God would make a new cov- enant with his people, is often promised. See, among other places, Jer. 31 : 31, 32; and that he has done so the apostle shows at large, Heb. 8 : 9-12. Now, herein sundry things to our present purpose may be considered. 1. It is supposed that God had before made another covenant with mankind. With reference to that which was before it, and which in comparison is called old, this is said to be new, as the apostle speaks expressly in the place cited. Now, a covenant between God and man is a thing great and marvellous, whether we con- sider the nature of it, or the ends of it : in its own nature, it is a convention, compact and agreement, for some certain ends and purposes, between the holy Creator and his poor creatures. How infinite, how un- speakable must be the grace and condescension of God in this matter ! For what is poor miserable man, that God should set his heart upon him, that he should, as it were, give bounds to his sovereignty over him, and enter into terms of agreement with him ! For, whereas be- fore, he was a mere object of his absolute dominion, made at his will, and for his pleasure, and for the same reasons to be crushed at any time into nothing ; now he has a foundation and ground givenhim to standupon, expecting good things from God on account of his faith- fulness and righteousness. God, in a covenant, gives those holy properties of his nature to his creatures, as his hand or arm, for them to lay hold of and by
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