thy hand, as a charter for eternal life, and commanded thee to read it, search it, trust to it, for a happy eternity; and yet wilt thou fay thou haft no claim to the covenant, no right to take hold of it? And therefore, I say, be perfuaded that you have a good claim to the covenant of grace and promife; the promife is to you and your feed. You may readily fay to me, that by this means God's promife is made to the reprobate, as well as to the elect in the visible church. I answer with the learned and pious RuTHERFORD, that the reprobate hath as good a revealed warrant for believing as the elect have. If God's covenant and promise were not to all in common within the vifible church, and if his faithfulnefs were not engaged in the promife tendered to them, how is it poffible that unbelievers could be faid to make God a lyar by not believing his promise, or the record in which he has given to us eternal life in his Son Jefus Chrift. You may again object and fay, if God's promifes were made to the reprobate, then it would follow that his faithfulness would fail if he did not fulfil his promise to them. I answer we are to diftinguish between the promise in the exhibition of it in the word, and in the effectual application' of it by the fpirit; in the first of thefe refpects it is made to all without exception of elect or reprobate; and that the promise is not made effectual to the reprobate, will no more infer the want of faithfulness in God, than a man's not marrying of a woman after he has past his promife to her, when yet the refufeth to confent to the bargain.

4. Be perfuaded that this covenant of grace and promife is a good and noble security, and that it

is able to bear thy weight. You heard in the doctrinal part, how much the faithfulness of God is engaged in the covenant. Pray do not forget it, he has fubfcribed it, attefted it, fealed it, regiftred it: In a word, he has given all imaginable advantage for believing, and takes off all imaginable pleas for unbelief.

5. Be much in viewing these great and glorious bleffings that lie within the covenant, within the verge of the bow that is about the throne: Of which I gave you an account upon the third head propofed, in profecuting of this exhortation. What thinkeft thou of having JEHOVAH, Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, for thy God, and portion for ever? What thinkeft thou of a fealed pardon and indemnity for all thy fins? What thinkeft thou of being an heir of God, and a joint-heir with "Chrift?" What thinkeft thou of the "inheritance, "that is incorruptible and undefiled, which fadeth

not away?" Yet all thefe lie within the circle of the bow of the covenant. Now, I fay, keep your eye upon thefe, that you may be encouraged, or ftirred up to prefs towards the actual poffeffion of these glorious bleffings by coming within this bleffed bow.

6. Take a view of all thefe great and glorious bleffings, as lying in the hand of him that fits upon the throne, ready to be given out to every one, that believes in him by virtue of the covenant. O hear him that fits on the throne, crying to all finners, to a whole perishing world ; Whosoever believeth in me, fhall not perish, but have everlasting life. Whosoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely. This, I say, be

N 2

per

fuaded

fuaded that all the bleffings of the covenant are ready in his hand to be distributed and communicated to every one that comes to him.

7. Being firmly perfuaded of all these things, ftudy to rest and lay the weight of thy finking foul upon the veracity, and faithfulness of a promifing God in Chrift: You know what it is to lay weight upon an honest man's word, who you are perfuaded will not fail you; fo lay weight and stress upon the promife of God, upon his faithfulness engaged in the covenant, being fully perfuaded that what he has promifed, he is both able and willing to perform. O firs, truft in him, let his truth be your shield and buckler, for he is truth itself: Faithfulness is the girdle of his loins; hang by this girdle, and fay with DAVID, In his word will I hope. Remember the word, on which thou hast caused thy fervant to hope. And if thou do fo, thou fhalt not be difappointed; The fashion of this world pafeth away, but the word of the Lord endureth for

ever.

8. if you have thus entered within the bow of the covenant, go forward to the throne and him that fits on it, whofe appearance is like a Fafper and Sardine ftone for brightnefs and glory; purfue him at his own throne: plead the actual outmaking and accomplishing of his promife, for this is God's ftated and ordinary way appointed in his word, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. compared with ver. 25, 26, 27. There God makes a great many promifes, and after all he adds, for these things will I be enquired of by the houfe of ISRAEL, that I may do it for them: Only when you come to the throne and plead the promife, take care that you do not

expect the accomplishment of the promise for your own pleading: But upon the account of his own faithfulness engaged in his own covenant of grace. But, may you fay, I have neither skill nor confidence to plead the promise. I anfwer, it is very true, you have no fkill to manage at his throne. And therefore I give you

A 9th advice, put the promise of the covenant, which you feek the accomplishment of in the hand of your advocate, that he may plead it for you: We have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and therefore in your approaches to the throne, beware of neglecting him; for be bath made us accepted in the beloved; depend much upon his fkill and his intereft in the court. He has his Father's ear, and his Father's commiffion to make interceffion for the tranfgreffors. The Father fays to him, Afk of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost end of the earth for thy poffeffion. So that however great your fuits at a throne of grace are, you have no reafon to fear, if you imploy this glorious advocate. and days-man; and in doing fo, do not doubt of fuccefs: But afk in faith nothing wavering: Draw near with a true heart, in full affurance of faith.

10. When you have done all this, you must wait for the accomplishment and outmaking of the promise in a fenfible way, For he that believeth does not make hafte. I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my falvation. My God will hear me. Do not limit the Lord to your time ; but wait his time. For the Lord is a God of judgment, and he waits to be gracious, and therefore

Nn 3

fore bleed are all they that wait on him. Sirs, if you have but the promife of a man, or the bond of a man for a fum of money, you will wait many years before you get payment, and yet you will not doubt of payment at the end when the time comes; and will you truft and wait on men, and will you not wait on your God continnally? O the Lord is good to them that wait on him, and to the foul that feeks him. The vifion is for an appointed time, though it tarry, wait for it: For at the end it will speak, and it will not tarry. See to this purpose, Heb. x. 36, 37. Ye have need of patience, after you have done the will of God, that you fhould receive the promife. For he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.

Having thus taken hold of God's covenant, and entered within the rainbow that is about the throne, come to morrow, and, get the feal of the covenant for the confirmation of your faith, that fo you may with the greatest freedom intermeddle with the goods contained in your elder brother's teftament. Although a man have a good right to an eftate, yet perhaps he may be loth to intermeddle till he get infeftment. Well, firs, having taken hold of the good charter, the covenant of grace, I invite you to come, and get infeftment upon the charter to morrow at God's table, where he invites all his friends to eat and drink abundantly of the bread and wine that he has mingled.

I fhall conclude the whole of this discourse by cffering a few marks whereby ye may try whether or no you have really got within the bow of he covenant which furrounds the throne; it is true indeed all the members of the visible church, they

bear