el TOE SttBSTANCE OF TOE OO PEE. as the seal of a gracious covenant betwixt Godand matr: ror the very promise of thecontinuance of thecomfortable seasons of the year, being given to man in a way of mercy, do imply that God would not be irreconcileable to his fallen creatures. Nor can we reasonably suppose but that Adam and Noah, and all those most ancient patriarchs, had larger explications and com- ments of the first promise given them than Moses has recorded. This gospel was renewed by revelations made to Abraham, when the Messiah, the Saviour, was promised 'to spring out of his family ; i >a thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed; Gen. xxii. 18. Which promise is expressly called the gospel; Gal. iii. 8. 'There was also a type or pattern of bur justification. by faith in the way of the gospel, when Abraham believedGod in his promises, acid it was imputed to him for righteousness ; Rom. iv., 3. Moses hada much larger discovery of the grace and mercy of God toward sinful man made tohim, and to theJews by him, than all the patriarchs put together : And this was not only done in the types, and figures, and ceremonies, not only in altars, sacrifices, washings, sprinklings, purifications, and in their re- demption fromEgypt, their miraculous salvations in the wilder- ness, and their safe conduct to Canaan, the land of promised rest ; but he had many literal and express revelations of pardon- ing and sanctifying grace, which are scattered up and down in the five books which he wrote, andwhich he gave to the children of Israel to direct their religion. This is also called the. gospel ; Heb. iv. 2. To themwas the gospelpreached as well as unto us, as those words ought to be translated. This same gos- pel was afterwards confirmed, illustrated and enlarged by suc- ceeding prophets, in the several ages ofthe Jewish church. But God, who at sundry tintes, and in divers manners, spoke this gospel to ourfathers by theprophets, has in these later days published the same to us in a brighter manner, by his sou Jesus, the promisedSaviour,'Heb. i. 1. And, since the death and re- surrectibn of Christ, the apostles being sentby their exaltedLord, have given yet plainer and fuller declarations of this gospel to the children of men. And, upon this account, it is several times called the gospel of Christ, not only because the offices and grace of Christ run through the whole of it, but also because the clearest discoveries of it are made to the world by Christ, and by his messengers the apostles. ow, from this last and fullest revelation of it, in the New Testament, we may derive a fuller and more perfect, knowledge of the gospel, than all the former ages could attain. Herebywe learn, that the gospel is a promise of salvation fromsin and hell, by the death, righteousness and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to every one that is sincerely willing to accept of it by coining to
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