"They

Even thefe that were not

efleemed Chrift: another is, Rom. ix. 32. fought righteoufnefs and life as it were by the works of the law" and that is explained to be a flumbling at Chrift. Well, thefe that fought life in this manner, loft it; who then found it? feeking it at all, were not defiring it; in confequence to this word, "I am found of them that fought me not." This the apoftle expreffes, with wonder at the free grace of God, Rom. ix. 30, 31. This doctrine is fo wonderful and myfterious, fo oppofite to the legal bias of the children of men, that the world cannot admit of it. The children of promife themselves can hardly believe the promife, it is fo free. What! will God fave me, upon no confideration in me, but that of fin and mifery, and upon no other terms but as I am a finner, and he a Saviour? Indeed, one of the great things that makes believing to be difficult, is, because we cannot admit it into our thoughts, that falvation is to be had at fuch an easy rate: the old conditional covenant of works is fo ingrained in our nature; Do and live, is fo ftamped on our hearts, that Ged will give us heaven, while yet we do nothing for it: yet fo it is, that if we feek life, even, as it were, by the works of the law, we stumble at the grace of God. O how wonderfully is this grace of God in Chrift difplayed in the promife!

6. God will have his children to be children of promife, that their falvation may be in a way exclusive of boafting; Rom. iii. 27. "Where is boafting then? It is excluded: By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law of faith." He will have them faved in a way that is moft for his exaltation, and their humiliation; "That he that glories, may glory in the Lord; and that no flesh may glory in his prefence: that the haughtiness of man may be humbled, and the Lord exalted," Ifa. ii. The works of the law, and the faith of the promise, differ extremely; in that the former encourages boasting, and the latter excludes it. The promife of life, by the law, is to him that works for his life; this fofters pride and boafting, therefore it is out of doors: but the promise

II.

of

of life, by the gofpel, is to him that works not, but believės on him that juftifies the ungodly, Rom. iv. 5. This excludes boafting: it brings down the pride of man, and exalts the grace of God: therefore it is God's way. Man's way is quite contrary to God's; thro' their natural pride, they cannot fubmit to the righteousness of God, without their own legal righteoufnefs mixt with it, Rom. x. 3.; even when, by the gofpel, the righteoufnefs of God, without the law, is manifefted, Rom. iii. 21. Now, it is the property of faith to come empty-handed, without the law, or any expectation by the works thereof; and being empty-handed of its own works and righteoufnefs, it is fit for taking in the righteoufnefs of another whereas the fall handed legalift hath no room, cannot take Chrift and a promife in his hand; the law fills both his hands: or, if he takes the promife in one hand, and the law in another; Chrift's righteousness in one hand, and his own righteoufnefs in another, and think to make up a perfect righteoufnefs of both together; how does he thus bewray his proud boating of a perfonal righteoufnefs, to the reproach of the perfonal righteoufnefs of Chrift, as if it were not perfect? Faith excludes boafting, because it lives on a promife of free grace; and whatever we have, or feem to have of our own, whether it be work or worthinefs, faith cafts it wholly to the ground, and itself alfo, that Chrift may be All in all, for wifdom, righteoufnefs, fan&ification, and redemption.--Thus you fee fome of the reasons why God will have his children to be the children of promife.

3dly, The Third queftion was, Why will he have them, and them only, to be the actual children of promife? Why will he have his children thus diftinguifh ed from the reft of the world?

1. Because they are the children of his purpofe, they are the fruit of his eternal predeftination: "Having predeftinate us into the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, according to the good pleafure of his will," Eph. i. 4, 5. He had a purpofe of grace concerning them; therefore they are effectually called according to his purpose. See Rom. viii. 28, 29, 30. R 3

2. They

2. They are the children of promife, because they are the children of his donation. How many times does Chrift fpeak of the bleffed number that was given him of the Father? John xvii. and thereupon he gives this as a reafon why he made known his word of grace to them, ver. 8. 14. "I have given them thy word." And again, Sanctify them thro' thy truth, thy word is truth.' Hence alfo the connection betwixt their being given to him from eternity, and coming to him in time, is declared, John vi. 37. "All that the Father hath given

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me, fhall come to me."

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3. They are the children of promife, because they are the children of his affection, and of his everlasting lovingkindness: this follows upon the former; and this is given as a reafon why the Lord draws them by his grace in time; "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindnefs will I draw thee," Jer. xiii. 3. His love of complacence must be manifefted in time, to thefe whom he hath loved with a love of deftination from eternity; "His delights were with the fons of men."

4. They are the children of promife, because they are the children of his purchafe.-They are dearly bought; and therefore fhall not be eafily loft: redeemed by the price of his blood upon the crofs; and therefore fhall be redeemed by the power of the Spirit, in the application of the premife, which is Yea and Amen in Chrift, ratified by his blood. The promise fhall take hold of them, and bring them forth: hence, Ifa. liii. 10, II. upon his making his foul an offering for fin, it is faid, "He fhall fee his feed; the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand he fhall fee the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied: by his knowledge fhall my righteous Servant juftify many; for he fhall bear their iniquities.

5. They are the children of promife, because they are the children of his prayers, Ifa. liii. 12. "He made interceffion for the tranfgreffors." John xvii. 8. "I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou haft given me, for they are thine." And what Chrift prays for, you fee, John xiv. 16, 17. 26. Even the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of promife, to teach them

all

all things, and make application of the promife in its prolific virtue.

5. They are the children of promife, because they are the children of his praife; Ifa. xliii. 21. "This people have I formed for myfelf, they fhall fhew forth my praife" upon which follows that free promife, ver. 25. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thine iniquities, for mine own name's fake, and will not remember thy fins." They are the children of promife, that they may fhew forth the praife of a promifing God, 1 Pet. ii. 9. God fays of one and all his children, that are fo by the promife, as it is, Ifa. Ixix. 3. "Thou art my fervant, Ó Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified." I will have all my perfections glorified in thee, by virtue of thy being a child of promife in Chrift, in whom, as the centre of all the promifes, Glory to God in the highest does accrue : I will glorify my mercy, in making the promife: I will glorify my truth, in fulfilling the promife; as it is said, Micah vii. 20. "Thou wilt perform the truth unto Jacob, and the mercy unto Abraham." It is MERCY to Abraham, because to him it was made; and TRUTH to Jacob, becaufe to him it was fulfilled: even fo, God is upon a defign of glorifying his mercy in promifing, his truth in performing the promife. -How does he glorify his wif dom? In ordering it to run through fo many intricacies; and his power, in guarding it againft fo many dif ficulties and oppofitions. -How does he glorify his holiness and justice? Herein alfo, and that both in refpect of the Surety, by whom it is fealed; and the finner, to whom it is applied.In refpect of the Surety by whom it is fealed, how does he glorify his holiness? Seeing Chrift's perfect obedience makes it ftand good, without prejudice to the precept of the law. And then, with refpect to the finner, to whom it is applied, how does he glorify his holinefs? In making the promise the very means of fanctification, 2 Pet. For thereby the foul is made a partaker of the divine nature. And, how does he glorify his juftice? In fprinkling the promife of mercy with the juftice-fatisfying blood of Chrift, that fo the foul to whom it is applied, may not doubt of his mercy for fear of his juf

i. 4.

R 4

tice

tice, and that the promife in Chrift may appear white and ruddy like himfelf; white, with the marvellous mercy that it brings; and ruddy, with the juftice-fatiffying blood in which it is conveyed. And hence the child of promife may fee, to his unfpeakable joy, that God is not only merciful, but juft alfo, in giving the promife of grace and glory to him, however vile and unworthy in himfelf: that he is not only merciful, but juft, in forgiving of fin; Rom. iii. 24, 25. "He hath fet forth Chrift to be the propitiation thro' faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fin,—that he may be juft, and the juftifier of them that believe in Jefus" not only to declare his mercy, but to declare his juftice. O Sirs, his great defign is to glorify himfelf in this matter; and indeed his glorifying himself thus, in faving us by the new.covenant promife, is ground of everlasting praife; Ifa. xliv. 23. "Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it; fhout, ye lower parts of the earth break forth into finging, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Ifrael." Here will be the fwecteft part of the fong of heaven to eternity, that God had fo redeemed and faved his people, as to glorify himfelf in all his glorious perfections; mercy and juftice, and all his other attributes, glorioufly and harmonioufly embracing each other. Oh! what poor, bafe, legal, felfish, mean, pitiful, and unworthy notions and dreams. have we about the gofpel, if our thoughts concerning it be not funk into this ocean of divine glory! A fove, reign God, who fhews mercy on whom he will, hath this as his main view in creating any the children of his promife, even that they may be children of his praise. So much for the grounds of the doctrine, with reference to the virtue of the promife, and the children thereof. I now proceed,

V. To the Fifth general head of the was to make application of the whole. may be made of this doctrine: I fhall

method, which Manifold ufes comprife what

I have to fay in these four, viz. an ufe of information, examination, caution, and exhortation. I begin,

Ift, With