of Christ's crucifixion.

the cross were very elegantly and exactly prefigured by the manner of slaying the paschal lamb, as described in the Talmud on the passover, chap. v. in Mishna, in these words: "How did they hang up and excoriate (or flay off) the skin of the lamb to be slain? Iron hooks, or nails, were fixed in the walls and pillars; on which nails they hanged up and excoriated (or flayed) the lamb. If, on account of the number of the slayers, there was not room enough on the nails, they had recourse to slender smooth sticks, upon one of these person took up the lamb and laid it on his own and his neighbour's shoulders, thus they hung up and excoriated the lamb." And much to the same purpose is what Bochart has remarked in his Hierozoicon, lib. ii. c. v, from Maimonides in his book de Paschate, chap. viii. §. 13: "When they roast the paschal lamb, they transfix it from the middle of the mouth to the pudenda, with a wooden spit or broach, and, placing fire underneath, suspend it in the middle of the oven." In order therefore to roast it, they did not turn it on an iron spit, in the manner used by us, but suspended it transfixed with one made of wood, which, in some measure, represented Christ hanging on the cross. Especially, if what Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, mentions is true: "The roasted lamb was made into the figure of a cross, by impaling or spitting it from head to tail, and then from one shoulder to the other, with a skewer, on which last were extended the fore feet, and thus it was roasted." And why may we not give credit to this relation of a man not only pious, but also well skilled in the Jewish customs, having been born at Sichem, and the son of a Samaritan? Since, then, the passover presented such a clear resemblance of the crucifixion; Christ, when he partook of it, promised an obedience even unto the

cross.

The signifi

supper.

XXVII. The signification of the Holy Supper is cation of the much the same: by it was sealed to Christ, 1st, That he should be to the elect the sweetest food, meat, and drink, for their spiritual and eternal life. 2dly, That the virtue of his merits should be celebrated by believers, till his return again to judgment. 3dly, That, together with believers, he should enjoy a heavenly feast, never to have an end. But then, again, Christ promised the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood. And thus in all and each of the Sacraments which Christ made use of, there was a solemn repetition and a sealing of the covenant entered into between him and the Father.

THE ECONOMY

OF THE

DIVINE COVENANTS.

BOOK III.

CHAPTER I.

Of the Covenant of God with the Elect.

subject.

I. THE plan of this work, formerly laid down, has The order of now brought us to treat of God's COVENANT WITH treating this THE ELECT, founded on the compact between the Father and the Son. The nature of which we shall first unfold in general, and then more particularly explain it in the following order, as first to speak of the Contracting Parties; then inquire into the Promises of the Covenant, and moreover examine whether, and what, and how far, any thing may be required of the Elect, by way of a condition in the Covenant: in fine, to debate whether this covenant has its peculiar threatenings.

fers the cove

II. The Contracting Parties are, on the one part, God, as allGOD; on the other, the ELECT. And God is to be sufficient, ofconsidered, 1st, As truly all-sufficient for all manner nant of grace of happiness, not only to himself, nay, nor only to the to the elect. innocent creature, but also to guilty and sinful man. He himself impressed this upon Abraham at the renewal of the covenant, when God emphatically called himself the Almighty God, or God all-sufficient, Gen. xvii. 1, * denotes powerful, and sometimes too, in the abstract, power, as Prov. iii. 27, ππ ↳×, power of thine hand. It therefore denotes him who is endowed with such power, as that "he is able to do exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask, or think," Eph. iii. 20; without whom we can do nothing, and in whom we can do all things. " signifies sufficient, whether we suppose it compounded of the relative w and, so as to denote one who is sufficient; or whether derived

from T, signifying both a pap or breast, and desolation or ravage. We may join each of these together, and say, that God is so powerful and so sufficient, as that himself is in want of nothing, and from his plentiful breast all things derive their being, their life, and their motion; which breast being once withdrawn, all things relapse into desolation. This is what he declares himself to be to his chosen people, in the covenant of grace, for whose benefit he is possessed of this most powerful all-sufficiency. That name, therefore, is often repeated to the Patriarchs, as the fountain of every blessing, Gen. xxviii. 3, xxxv. 11, and xlii. 14. 2dly, As most merciful and gracious, rejoicing to communicate himself to the sinful creature, Exod. xxxiv.

Most merci

ful, just, 6, 7. 3dly, And at the same time as most just, not entering into a state of friendship with the sinner, but in a way consistent with his holiness, and after having obtained full satisfaction to his justice; for " he will by no means clear the guilty." 4thly and lastly, As most wise, having found out an and wise. admirable mixture of his mercy and justice, without infringing the rights of either. For by this means, "unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, is made known by the church ή πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, the manifold wisdom of God," Eph. iii. 10.

Men consi

III. But here men are considered, 1st, As sinners, dered here as miserable and lost in themselves, who could not be sinners. restored by their own, or by any other created power; in a word, possessed of nothing on account of which they could please God, Ezek. xvi. 1—6, Tit. iii. 3, 4. 2dly, as chosen by God to grace and glory, according to his most absolute But chosen. good pleasure, and so appointed heirs of eternal life, and are that little flock, to whom it is the Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom, Luke xii. 32. 3dly, As those for whom Christ engaged, or made satisfaction; for this ought to be considered as necessary, before ever it could be worthy of God to make mention of his grace to sinful man.

The economy

nant of grace.

IV. The economy of the persons of the Trinity in of the Trinity the covenant of grace, claims also our attention. The in the cove- Father is held forth as the principal author of it, "who was in Christ reconciling the world to himself," 2 Cor. v. 19, and appointed the Elect to be heirs of himself, and jointheirs with his Son, Rom. viii. 17. The Son is not only Mediator and executor of the covenant, but is himself also the testator, who, by his death, ratified the testament of grace, Luke xxii. 29, Heb. ix. 16, and the distributor of all the blessings of it. "I give unto them eternal life," John x. 28. The Spirit brings the Elect to Christ, and, in Christ, to the possession of the benefits of the covenant, and intimates to their consciences rà öσia тov Aaßid Ta mora, the holy pledges, the sure mercies of David, and is the

seal and earnest of their complete happiness, 1 Cor. xii. 3, 11, 12, Eph. i. 13, 14.

covenant ei

or external.

V. Moreover, as we restrict this covenant to the The commuElect, it is evident we are speaking of the internal nion of the mystical and spiritual communion of the covenant. For ther internal salvation itself, and every thing belonging to it, or inseparably connected with it, are promised in this covenant, all which none but the Elect can attain to. If, in other respects, we consider the external economy of the covenant, in the communion of the word and sacraments, in the profession of the true faith, in the participation of many gifts which, though excellent and illustrious, are yet none of the effects of the sanctifying Spirit, nor any earnest of future happiness; it cannot be denied that, in this respect, many are in covenant, whose names, notwithstanding, are not in the testament of God.

nant are

VI. And thus we come to mention some things con- The promises cerning the promises of the covenant, which, in general, of this cove. may be included under the terms of grace and glory, grace and as is done by the Psalmist, Ps. xlviii. 9, 11: "The Lord glory. will give grace and glory." Which are commonly so distinguished by divines as to refer grace to this life, and glory to that which is to come; though the grace of this life be glorious, and the glory of the future life gracious. We may likewise not improperly say, that in the covenant of grace are promised both salvation itself, and all the means leading to it, which the Lord hath briefly comprised, Jer. xxxi. 33, "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." And again, chap. xxxii. 38, 39, 40, "And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."

:

them in this

otherwise

VII. Here we are to observe a remarkable difference which are between the promises of the covenant of works, and promised those of the covenant of grace. The same eternal life covenant, is promised in both, which can be but one, consisting than in that in the communion and enjoyment of God; but it is of works. promised in a manner quite different in the one from what it is in the other. In the covenant of works God promised life to man, on condition of perfect obedience; but he did not promise to produce or effect this obedience in man. In the covenant of grace, he not only promises life eternal, but also at the same time faith and repentance, and perseverance in holiness, without

which life cannot be attained, and which being granted, life cannot but be obtained. And even in this sense it may be said, that the covenant of which Christ is the Mediator is " more excellent, and established on better promises," Heb. viii. 6; because it does not depend on any uncertain condition, but is founded on the suretiship and actual satisfaction of Christ, does infallibly secure salvation to the believer, and as certainly promise faith to the Elect.

The covenant of grace, with properly

VIII. Divines explain themselves differently as to the conditions of the covenant of grace. We, for our respect to us, part, agree with those who think that the covenant without con- of grace, to speak accurately, with respect to us has ditions. no conditions, properly so called; which sentiment we shall explain and establish in the following manner.

an action

formed, gives

reward.

IX. A condition of a covenant, properly so called, A condition is is that action which, being performed, gives a man a which per right to the reward. But that such a condition cannot a right to the be required of us in the covenant of grace, is self-evident because a right to life neither is nor indeed can be founded on any action of ours, but on the righteousness of our Lord alone; who having perfectly fulfilled the righteousness of the law for us, nothing can, in justice, be required of us to perform, in order to acquire a right already fully purchased for us. And, indeed, in this all the orthodox readily agree.

The covenant

tament.

:

X. Further, the apostle more than once sets forth of grace a tes- the covenant of grace under the appellation of a testament, which is God's immutable purpose, not suspended on any one condition and as it is founded on the unchangeable counsel of God, and ratified by the death of the testator, so it is not possible it should be made void by any unbelief of the elect, nor acquire its stability from any faith of man; for in this very testament God has immutably determined concerning faith, as salvation. Thus Gal. iii. 15, we see the covenant of God with Abraham is called a testament; the ratification of which must also be the same with that of a testament. And the covenant to be made with Israel, Jer. xxxi. has the same appellation, Heb. viii. 10; as also that covenant with Israel mentioned by Moses, Exod. xxiv. and the declaration of the manner of enjoying the love of God through faith in Christ, Heb. ix. 15, 20. And likewise, the compact of the Father with the Son, Luke xxii. 39, "In which passage, first, the will of God is published, by which he decreed, that the Son should, by the divine power of the Father, obtain the inheritance of the world, and a kingdom: secondly, the will of Christ, that the apostles and others given him should, through faith, become heirs of righteousness, and of the heavenly kingdom and of that of the world." Compare Gal. iii. 8. "But why should the apostle call the