With respect to the effects and consequences of this covenant, as it affects man, we have already seen, how it must needs approve itself unto every one, who seriously considers of it, and therefore binds, by the known principles of the law of nature, unto a compliance with the method of salvation therein prescribed: And thus, all the hearers of the gospel become immediately bound to believe every truth there revealed; but, in a particular manner, to believe in the name of the Son of God for life and salvation, with all things belonging thereunto, as he is held forth unto us for this very end and purpose. And hence it also appears, how there is hereby a door of hope opened unto all; and, however they are not released immediately from the bondage of the former covenant, yet is there no room left hereby for any to despair. And it is unto the manifestation, which God has made of his mercy and grace under the covenant, that the men of the world owe all these easy moments, which they most unworthily throw away upon the gratifications of sense, and which must otherwise have been quite marred by the anguish of these fearful expectations, which must have possessed their souls.

But, whatever change is hereby made in the state of the world in general, and the obligations lying upon them; it is, in a manner, nothing to what these undergo, who are actually brought under this covenant, as they have not only a remote prospect of deliverance, but are actually possessed of the covenant, and all that salvation which is contained in and conveyed by it. I cannot stand to mention particularly the new relations they are hereby brought unto, with the new privileges and enjoyments which belong unto these. And until both these are fully stated, it is impossible one can say what bonds and ties are there laid upon man, and how strong and powerful they are to determine him unto all manner of obedience. Nay, so far is the grace of this covenant from giving any the least encouragement to licentiousness, that holiness itself is one of the most substantial parts of that salvation, which is held forth and conveyed thereby.

From all that has been said of this covenant in these two views, we have taken of it, as it stands between God and Christ the mediator, acting in the believer's name, and between God in Christ holding forth and applying this unto the elect, it will appear how necessary it is, to distinguish between the different views we have of this covenant, in its internal frame and constitution, and the external administration of it. The first of these presents with a state of the covenant itself, as it is laid ready in Christ Jesus, and held forth by him in his testamentary disposition; and thus in its own nature it declares, offers, promises, and accordingly conveys the good things of life and salvation contained therein. But if we consider it in the other view, it is inconceivably larger, and takes in all the moral means made use of, for recommending it unto us, and all the effects and consequences it has upon us. That part of God's word, which presents it unto us in that first view, is that which is strictly and properly called the gospel. And as the whole word of God is employed in setting forth the dispensation of this covenant, so it is in this respect gospel also, but in a quite different, and vastly larger sense than the other; and in such a manner too, as, that if any of these subordinate means are carried out of their relation to the covenant, it will cease to be so.

To conclude, the whole word of God may be conceived under these two great heads, the doctrine of the covenant, and the improvement of it. The doctrine of the covenant holds forth unto us the first of these views just now mentioned. And this, in its own nature, does no more than to alter one's state, circumstances and relations. But as upon these new relations arise new ties to duties, with answerable motives and encouragements; the covenant is and must be improven to draw from it the knowledge and discovery of all these, what these same relations are, with the privileges and duties belonging unto them; to state the obligations, bonds and ties, which arise upon this covenant state, both unto the duties founded in it, and these which we stood previously bound to; to hold forth the encouragements we have, and assistances we may expect from this covenant, for the practice of these duties; to press them with motives and arguments suited unto, and taken from the nature of it, and to direct us unto the true uses, ends and means of practice in all these, in a conformity and agreeableness unto our covenant state.

As there is visibly a very wide difference between, this and that covenant which was given unto our first parents, and all their posterity in them, that we may be preserved from confounding and mixing them together (a vice which our corrupt natures are very subject to) it will be very necessary to keep their distinguishing characters, as they may be gathered from what has been said, always in our view, and thus we find the difference must stand.

In the state of parties before contracting; in the first, God and man, though infinitely distant one from the other, as Creator and creature, yet friends notwithstanding; but in this enemies, and that in such a manner, as that God is an avenging Judge, and man an offending criminal, and so bound over to the stroke of justice; that he can neither relieve himself, nor hope for it from any other hand.

In the parties actually contracting; the friends under the first covenant could deal together immediately, and therefore needed none to negotiate between them: But in this, God and man deal together only by a mediator; and so by him, that it is with him primarily and immediately that God deals, and with man only in and by him, and so likewise man with God.

In the blessings promised; in the former, life only, as that was the only thing which Adam needed: But in this, life and salvation, together with all that was necessary unto the completement of both.

In the manner of conveyance; under the old covenant it was to be given upon man's perfect obedience, as the condition of that covenant, the performance of which gave him a right by virtue of that contract. Under the covenant of grace, all things are given only for Christ's sake, and conveyed by union with him, and the application of him and his benefits unto the soul, begun and carried on by the Spirit of God through faith.

In the nature of the connections between the promise and the precept. In Adam's covenant pactionally, and the one following upon the other by contract and agreement: But in the covenant of grace, all are gratuitous, they found no right, and are all naturally and necessarily reducible to absolute promises.

In their form and tenor: the one bears the face of a law primarily, and has only that of a covenant superinduced unto it. The other bears the resemblance of a free promise, by accepting of which, and its being powerfully made effectual by the Holy Spirit, it becomes a covenant: In the one, God requires all of man, and promises life only consequentially upon his obedience: In the other, he promises all, and binds to doing, only in the virtue of what is there given and conveyed first. The law is the matter of the covenant of works, and has a promise annexed only in subserviency to it, and to promote obedience unto its precepts: The promise is the matter of the covenant of grace; and the law is brought in merely to be subservient unto it, and to promote God's gracious ends and purposes therein revealed and manifested. The former is the scene and theater of justice, where it exercises its absolute dominion: The gospel is the province of mercy, where free grace reigns, but so as justice is inseparable from it.

As there is nothing in the account here given of the covenant of grace, but what we have taught in our Confession of Faith and Catechisms; and therefore, what every true son of the Church of Scotland, will readily fall in with; I think, it will be no great difficulty to show what small occasion there is for the controversies, which have been moved upon this head. We have already said something of the conditionality of the covenant, which yet, I am afraid, is at the bottom of all the rest; and if we consider how all seem to be in a manner agreed in what was there delivered, it is not easy to say, what should be left for men to contend about? Nobody doubts, or at least, all I have seen profess to have none, about the most material things here, that the obedience of Christ is the only title to life, and the only thing that God regards in his gift; that nothing done, either in us, or by us, can any way merit a blessing at God's hand, nor may we claim it upon the performance; that without an actual interest in Christ, one can have no benefit by his obedience, nor can he plead the same before God; that faith in Christ is absolutely necessary for the making up of this union, and which is the great instrumental mean for applying the covenant blessings; and with respect to what remains, as no person pretends, that either faith, or any blessing besides, whether grace or duty, is such a condition in this covenant, as obedience was in Adam's, so as to make any part of the matter of our righteousness before God; so on the other hand, all are ready to own, that there are such connections between one blessing of the covenant and another, resulting from the nature, frame and constitution of the covenant, and the order and method there established, as will answer all the ends and designs of a conditional covenant, every jot as fully, as if that were expressly asserted; unless it is that one, that no handle can be taken from it to found any pretensions to life upon one's own doings; and which I find disclaimed on all sides with much detestation.

If we consider that other question, which is nearly related to this, in the same light, we will find full as little ground to contend upon it; Whether there are any precepts in the gospel, etc.? It is denied by none that I know of, that there are precepts binding upon believers under the gospel, even the whole moral law, with all the precepts which may be any way drawn from, or reduced unto it; and that all these duties are bound upon them, not only by the original authority of that law, but exceedingly strengthened by new ties and obligations from the covenant of grace. Nay further, that some duties there are, such as faith in Jesus Christ, and all that love, honor, and respect which is due to him as mediator, is only founded upon this covenant. And what great matter is it then, whether they be made to belong properly unto the gospel, or to the law subserving the gospel, since both come to the same issue, with respect to obedience? But if one considers the true nature of the gospel, I mean that which is strictly and properly called so, which holds forth unto us the covenant of grace, offered to us in Christ the Mediator, and which is the view all our best Reformed divines have had of it, who unanimously agree against the patrons of free will, in asserting, that Jesus Christ, as mediator, is no proper legislator; and compares this with the now prevailing humor of changing the covenant into a law, and making it operate accordingly: He, I say, who does this seriously, and without prejudice, should not, one would think, be very fond of advancing anything which might countenance that novel corruption of the gospel, unless compelled thereunto by the irresistible force of truth, which, I must ingenuously say, I have not been yet able to discover there.

It is certainly true, what a certain reverend author observes upon this subject, "that it is no fair way of reasoning, to take one or two texts to prove what is the true nature of the gospel";(6) whereas, undoubtedly, the several texts ought to be compared together. But I cannot help thinking at the same time, that the gentleman has been very unhappy in his texts, which he has pitched upon for this purpose, the most part of them being only such as declare the effects of this covenant, where it is revealed and made known, as has been already observed, and the obligations it lays upon these who come under it, unto all manner of holiness and obedience. If this then is the notion which we must frame to ourselves of the gospel, as it represents unto us the covenant of grace, to take in all that belongs unto its dispensation, we must then bid farewell to that ancient distinction between the law and the gospel, as contradistinguished from one another; since I am pretty well satisfied all the views one can have of the law in God's word, may be some way or other reduced into a subserviency unto the covenant of grace. And even the covenant of works itself is taken into the dispensation of the gospel. But, I hope, people will consider better before they throw themselves into such inextricable labyrinths, where, I confess, there is need of a stronger head than mine to avoid confusion, I shall say no more of it here.

From what has been said upon this, I think we may likewise see, how this covenant, as held forth unto us in Christ, may justly enough be called, a "deed of gift and grant," laid out in common unto all the hearers of the gospel, and how it is sufficiently guarded against all imputations of insincerity in God, and abuses from men, without either universal redemption to support the truth of the general offer, or conditional offers to confine the grant to particular persons. However absolute the grant runs, yet it is still only in Christ, and with this assurance too accompanying it, that no man can come unto him, unless the Father draw him; and which assistance he hath reserved in his own hand to bestow where himself pleases; while yet the moral force of this covenant reaches equally to all, and makes it alike reasonable for everyone to believe in an all-sufficient Savior there held forth: And to make use of all the means which God has appointed, and whereby he is wont to convey his Spirit unto his people, for bringing them into the bond of the covenant. But, in the mean time, as this gift, how free soever, can profit none, unless it is received, and can never be received but by faith, no man has any ground to fancy to himself any real advantage by this offer, any further than this, that this general revelation of God's will, makes it lawful for him; yea, and his duty, to look for salvation and eternal life this way; and accordingly, for all who hear the offer, to apply themselves to Christ, and apply him to themselves, and make use of him as a Savior, in all these instances, and for all these purposes, he is held forth and offered for in the gospel.

Notes
(6) Remarks upon the Answers of the Brethren, p. 4.