A covenant, in the common acceptation of the word, is a mutual contract between parties, as the indenture of an apprentice, a deed of a piece of land, or a charter of a province, by a prince, granting privileges to his subjects. A covenant also, in the common acceptation of the word, supposes not only parties, but conditions obligatory on each of the parties. In the covenant of grace, however, God himself is the only contracting party. He alone proposes the conditions, bestows the blessings, and, in a word, grants a charter of privileges. All that man has to do in the case, is to accept and perform the conditions required on his part; and even this, God, by his grace, enables him to perform. This also God engages. Again: The promulgation of the covenant of grace, is accompanied with great, special and precious promises, and is exhibited to us in the nature both of a free promise, and of a positive law. Hence it is, by way of emphasis, so often called The Promise. When this covenant, this charter of privileges, was first established with Abraham, it was, as we may say, all promise. Rom. 4, 13: "For the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not made to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Gal. 3, 18. "For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise."

To this covenant, this charter of privileges, this exhibition of grace freely promised, God is pleased to affix symbols, signs, tokens, or seals. A covenant seal is a sign, token, or witness, that the covenant thus sealed is ratified, confirmed, and shall most assuredly be fulfilled. A seal, says Mr. Cruden, in his concordance of the bible, is an instrument wherewith letters and other writings are sealed and ratified. Johnson says it is a stamp engraved with a particular impression fixed upon the wax that closes letters, or is affixed as a testimony. And according to Shakspeare, Milton, and others, any act of confirmation, attestation, or ratification, is called a seal. When covenants are made among men, and written on parchment or paper, the wax is placed opposite the sig nature, and the impression is made on it. The covenant is then sealed and ratified. The impression, as well as the instrument, is called a seal. When the wax which closed the letter is broken, we say the seal is broken, otherwise we say

the seal is whole. So the operation of the divine spirit on the hearts of men is called a seal. 2d Cor. 1, 22: “Who hath sealed us, and given us the earnest of the spirit." Eph. 4, 30: "And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye were sealed unto the day of redemption." So the apostle calls circumcision a seal. Rom. 4, 11: "Abraham received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, being yet uncircumcised." Circumcision was a seal, and assurance on God's part, that he would assuredly fulfil to Abraham, and to all his faithful covenant people, all that he had promised in the covenant.

Again: The apostle says to the Corinthians, 1st Epistle, 9, 2: "The seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord." Ye are the certain evidence of my divine call. Whatever it is, then, which signifies to witness, confirm, or ratify, may with propriety be called a seal, as the sacrifices, which were symbols of the blood of Christ, being instituted by God himself, were signs, tokens and ratifications of his covenant faithfulness, and have ever been considered seals of his gracious covenant. So also ordinances, as circumcision and the passover under the former dispensation, and baptism and the Lord's supper under the latter, are on God's part tokens of his covenant faithfulness, and ratifications of gracious priviliges, decreed, granted, or chartered to his visible church.

Again: As we have before observed, this covenant is also a law positively binding on us. The learned Dr. Dwight, speaking of the covenant established with Abraham, says: "The covenant under discussion is proposed to us as a law, and our obligations to conform to its terms, arise solely from the command of God, and are binding on us, absolutely, whether we consent to them or not. We are in no sense at liberty to consent, or not consent; but our compliance is requir ed by infinite authority. The seal of this covenant, therefore, is not set by us, but by God upon us; and that, whether we comply voluntarily with its terms or not; and is to be set upon such persons, as he hath thought proper to direct.' Again, he says: "It will be seen that a seal, when annexed to the covenant by God, himself the author of it, is a solemn sign, and proof that it is his covenant, and contains the terms en which he has chosen to act towards those whom he has involved in it, and whom he has required to become parties to

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it. It is his seal, annexed authoritatively, by himself. It is a seal to be put upon mankind. It is, therefore, to be put or placed upon all those whom he has included in the covenant, so far as he has directed them to be sealed. Every one of those is a proper subject of the seal. No question can be asked, concerning the fitness of such persons, to receive the seat; because, that point has been already settled by God himself, in the directions which he has given to seal them."-DWIGHT'S SERMONS.

God says I will, and ye shall. "I will be your God, and ye shall be my people." His promise proceeds from himself-is free and gracious. His command is imperative. We must obey. Consent was not asked, even of Abraham himself.

SECTION III.

THE FIRST EXHIBITION OR DISPENSATION OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE.

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The history of nearly two thousand years, is briefly com. prehended, in a few of the first chapters in the bible; and though but little is recorded, yet it is of such a nature, that, together with other scriptures which allude to primitive transactions, much more may safely be inferred. From the allel which the apostle draws between Adam and Christ, (Rom. 5, 12,) it is evident, that God did make with Adam, while in a state of innocence, a covenant of works, and did constitute him a covenant head for all his posterity. The condition of that covenant, was pure obedience; and on this condition, that covenent was suspended; and when the performance of that condition ceased, the covenant itself ceased to exist.

But the covenant of grace, as we have before seen, is God's everlasting covenant, suspended on the perfect and unfailable obedience of Christ the mediator. An exhibition of this covenant, was made to our first parents, and their seed, as a free gift, a promise, a grant, a charter of privileges, or be

stowment of morey and was administered through several

dispensations, by the use of types and symbols, until Christ the antitype was himself offered.

From eternity, as we have seen, God decreed grace for lost man, and immediately upon the fall of our first parents, he made to them an exhibition of it. He beheld them guilty, wretched, and ruined, attempting to cover themselves with garments of figleaves. He pronounced the curse due to sin, but revealed the Saviour, who, in time, by his own obedience and suffering, should atone for sin, satisfy the law, and redeem repenting man from its curse. Here was the first exhibition of the covenant of grace: yes, covenant of grace, for it could be no other. The covenant of works being broken, God could now treat with sinners only in a way of grace-free and sovereign grace.

In pronouncing the curse upon the serpent, God plainly and fully revealed, to our first mother, her recovery and glo. rious triumph over her arch deceiver, and eventually his defeat and ruin. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This was a wonder. ful promulgation of mercy. Here Christ was revealed, stronger than the strong man, armed. Here in very deed Christ was promised, and in him all other blessings, spiritual and temporal. Compare Gen. 3, 15-17, 7. Gal. 3, 16. So the passage, as far as I have known, has been understood by all commentators.

Very soon it is recorded that God made coats of skins, to cover their nakedness; and very soon also sacrifices were offered, which, as we learn from St. Paul, were offered by faith in Jesus Christ. Heb. 11. 4: "By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness, that his own works were righteous, God testifying of his gifts." Hence we may certainly infer that much concerning religion, both in doctrine and practice, was revealed and taught, which Moses has not recorded, and that our first parents were instructed into the same system of morals, and doctrines of faith in Christ, which has ever been the foundation of the church of Christ in the world. We say instructed, because we can not conceive that sinners, under the condemnation of the law, except they were taught, could ever think of worshipping God, and appeasing his just indignation

and wrath, by killing innocent animals, and offering them in sacrifice. This would be the most unnatural thought which could ever enter a man's mind. But when we understand, that it was by faith in Christ, and that God testified of Abel's sacrifice, that is, gave some visible token of his acceptance of the offering, then the mystery ceases. It is no longer a matter of doubt. All difficulties are solved. These sacri. fices were instituted, by God himself, who was well pleased with them, testified his acceptance of them, and taught those who offered them, to look to Christ, who, in a figure, was ex. hibited in these offerings.

It is evident also, that there were under that dispensation, many pious and good people, though but few are distinctly named. One was a Prophet, and probably others. It seems also, that there were revivals of religion at particular times. Gen. 4, 26: "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." This does not suppose that they had never done it before; we know to the contrary. But now, pious men distinguished themselves, by uncommon zeal and fervor in their devotions, and probably there was a great ingathering of souls into the kingdom of Christ. God's holy spirit was copiously poured out. But in process of time, religion again declined, wickedness prevailed, and God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man; his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." During this period, pious people were by death removed to a better world, and the wicked were left to hardness of heart, to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath; and except they had sinned against great light, from the instructions of godly men, and also against strong convictions from the strivings of God's spirit upon their hearts, they could not have been prepared for so aggravated an overthrow and destruction.

The various passages of scripture, which allude to these primitive transactions, do much to explain them. The prophet Isaiah, enjoying the reality of what those coats of skins signified or were symbols of, says, 61, 14: "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness." Rom. 13, 14: "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." So Christ himself, Rev. 3, 18, evidently alludes to this transaction of clothing our first parents, and considers those robes symbolical of his righteous