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to be particularly inventoried by us, fince they are unfearchable. But, agreeable to what hath been faid before, we fhall, for opening thereof, mark the following things.

1. The unfeen guard of the covenant is under his hand. There is given unto him all power over na tural and spiritual things, to manage the fame for the prefervation, protection, and restraint of thofe fometime to be brought into the covenant; while yet they are ftrangers from it, and neither perceive the guard about them, nor the commander thereof: John v. 22. The Father-bath committed all judgment unto the Son. Hof. xi. 3. I taught Ephraim alfo to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed them. Sometimes they are, during their state of blindness, in iminent hazard of their lives, and narrowly escape, before the ftream of ftrong temp. tations threatning to carry them quite away; and yet the force of these is broken one way or other, and they brought back from the very brink of ruin; and they never truely know whofe debtors they are for these things, nor fee the love-defign in them, until converting grace has reached them; and then they hear the Captain of that guard saying to them, as he faid to Cyrus, Ifa. xlv. 5. 1 girded thee, though thou haft not known me. So the mountain was full of horfes and chariots of fire, for the defence of Elifha and his fervant: while yet the fervant faw none for them, but against them, until the Lord opened his eyes, 2 Kings vi. 17.

2. The quickening Spirit of the covenant is in him, whereby to quicken dead finners, and caufe them to live. The Spirit of life behoved to be purchased for finners, otherways there was no life for them. Now, the fulness thereof is purchased, and actually lodged in the Mediator, according to the covenant. Hence Christ propofeth himself to dead Sardis, as having the feven Spirits of God, Rev. iii. 1.; and faith to the

Jews,

Jews, John v. 25. The dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God; that is, dead fouls fhall be quickened, and being quickened, fhall believe. The firft Adam being made a living foul, was capable to communicate natural life, but not being made a quickening fpirit, he could not restore life once loft: but the Laft Adam was made a quickening fpirit, to reftore fpiritual life to finners dead in trefpaffes and fins. So, in Christ as the Trustee of the covenant, as the foun tain of life. Adam's fin put out the lights of the whole world; and his natural offspring were all left by him as fo many blind candles: but the fecond Adam is made, and fet up, a flaming lamp to lighten them again; and as many of them as it toucheth, do inftantly flame too: and could they all but touch it, and none are forbidden, they should all be lighted again, and faine with the light of fpiritual life, partaking of the spirit of life in Chrift Jefus.

3. The righteoufnefs of the covenant is in him, whereby to juftify the ungodly that have no righteousness of their own. Hence his name is, The Lord our righteousness. Jer. xxiii. 6. Righteousness of man before the Lord was quite worn out; there was nothing of that kind left upon any of Adam's children, as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one, Rom. iii. 10. But Jefus Christ having, in his birth, life, and death, wrought out the righteousness of the new covenant, brought it in, and presented it unto his Father, Dan. ix. 24. with Lev. xvi. 15. And it was fuftained and accepted as the new covenant righteousness, for juftfying all that believe; and was lodged with the worker thereof, intrufted with it as adminiftrator of the covenant, Hence he is faid to be made unto us righteousness, 1 Cor. i. 30. namely, by a divine conftitution, even as he was made the covenant. And intimation hereof is made unto finners in the gofpel, for a ground of faith, Ifa. xlv. 24. Surely fhall one fay, in the Lord P 3 have

have I righteoufnefs. Heb. Only in the Lord (concern ing me he hath faid) is righteousness. They are the words of the Lord Jefus Christ, narrating the divine conftitution concerning himself. Compare ver. 23. with Rom. xiv. 10 11. Wherefore the gospel is called the miniftration of righteousness, 2 Cor. iii. 1.9.; and his ministers; minifters of righteousness, chap. xi. 15.; he being intrusted with the new covenant righteousness, for to administer it to finners unto justification of life, as the phrafe is, Rom. v. 18.

4. The new covenant right to God is in his perfon as Mediator: and he is actually poffeffed of the fulness of the Godhead, as he is adminiftrator of the covenant, to communicate of that fulness to all that fhall believe, Col. ii. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Verfe 10. And ye are complete in him, which is the head. Our Lord Jefus, as the eternal Son of God, had a natural indefeafible right to the fulness of the Godhead: but as the fecond Adam, he took out a new right thereto, purchafing the fame by his obedience and death: and as fuch, it is now lodged with him, to be communicated by him. And thus the peace of the covenant, peace with God is in him, Eph, ii. 14.; the fonfhip of the covenant, the adoption into the family of God is in him as the firft-born among many brethren, Pfal. lxxxix. 27. with John i. 12.; the covenant-intereft in God as one's own God, is in him, John xx. 17. And to obtain all thefe in one, let the finner but receive Chrift by faith, and he hath them; for they are all under his hand as trustee of the co venant yea in him as the ftorehouse of the cove

nant.

5. The covenant-fulnefs of the Spirit of fanctification is in him, whereby to make finners holy: Col. i. 19. It pleafed the Father, that in him fhould all fulnefs dwell. John i. 16. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. Having purchas

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ed the fame with his own blood, it is lodged in him as Administrator of the covenant, in refpect of which he is faid to be made unto us fanctification, I Cor. i. 30. Therefore out of his pierced fide came there forth blood and water; blood to remove the guilt of fin, water to wash away the defilement thereof. So he is the fountain opened for fin and for uncleanness : not a vessel of that water of purification, which, how full foever, would lack as much as it fhould communicate; but a fountain, a living fpring of it, to fupply the needs of the unclean, without any lack in itfelf: For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him, John iii. 34. wherefore there is in him fuch a fulness of the Spirit of holiness, as is, by the infinite efficacy thereof, fufficient to fanctify the whole family of Adam, and even the worft of them. There is a fulness of all grace in him, to be communicated for the repairing of the loft image of God in us. There is grace enough in him to melt the hardest heart to evangelical repentance, Acts v. 31. to mortify the strongest luft, Gal. v. 23. and to quicken, and to strengthen unto holy obedience, 2 Tim.

ii. 1.

6. The establishing grace of the covenant is in him, whereby to cause the most fickle and inconftant, once in him, to perfevere unto the end: Jude ver. 1. Them that are fanctified by God the Father, and preferved in Jefus Chrift. He is conftituted the head of influences for all his myftical members, which are to have their nourishment ministred from him, Col. ii. 19. The giving out of continued pardons,, necessary for them in this their ftate of imperfection, is alfo in his hand, as the Trustee of the covenant, exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael and forgiveness of fins, Acts v. 31. Thus he is fully furnished for preferving of them in a state of grace, having a fulness of grace in himself to communicate unto them, fuitable to all their exigencies,

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gencies, whether in respect of the power, or of the guilt of their fin..

7. The temporal things of the covenant are all in his hand, whereby to provide for, and afford protection to his people, during their continuance in this world. In the covenant there was made to him a promife of his inheriting all things, as the firstborn of the family of Heaven; and in his person as the laft Adam, the ancient dominion over the crea tures was restored, as we heard before. Now, as he is the Trustee of the covenant, the heritage of the world, and all things therein, is actually delivered over into his hand: fo that he is not only Lord of the world in point of right, but in fact; having the power of all therein, from the fmalleft rag for cover. ing of nakedness, even to the crowns and fceptres. This he himself, witneffeth, Matth. xxviii. 18. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Chap. xi. 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father. Hence to encourage his impoverished people in their building of the fecond temple, he faith, Hag. ii. 8. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, namely, to give them to whom I will. And that these are Chrift's words, appears from verfe 6. compared with Heb. xii. 26. Accordingly, from Pfalm xxiv. 1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the Apoftle clears believers right to the creatures, 1 Cor. x. 25, 26. And thus he is fully furnished for affording all manner of provifion to his people, in temporal things; and all protection from whatever dangers they can be in while here. The fun, moon and ftars, the earth, fea, and air, with all that in them is, are under his hand as the Truflee of the covenant; and he can dispose of them all for the ends of the covenant, as the glory of God and the welfare of his people do require.

8. The covenant-fulness of power over death and the grave is in his hand, whereby to disarm death

of

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