of those things, which either were not due before, or were not thought to be due, which are made firme, stable and due by the very Covenant, so that by the Covenant new right is acquired or caused, either to one or both, who Covenant betwixt themselves of any matter. Therefore the Covenant of God doth contain new things, great, and in no wise due, which of his meere pleasure God offers unto us. Now where there is huge and infinite disparity, there can be no assurance of this so great a gift, but the certaine Word of God, and the assured Promise of him who doth never lie, nor change. That therefore Man should enter into Covenant with God, it was necessary that men should first give credit to the Word of God, and then that they should hope for those things which exceed their capacity, and so at last trusting in God and obeying, they should obtaine the good things promised:Exod. 24.6,7,8. and therefore the words of the Covenant may well be put for the Covenant. Neverthelesse in making Covenant with the creature God is not tied to verball expressions, but often he contracts the Covenant in reall impressions in the heart and frame of the Creature, which is apparent in the Covenant so often mentioned with the unreasonable creature, and this was the manner of covenanting with our first parents in the state of Innocency: but is most observable in the restored reasonable creature, when God shall put his Lawes into their hearts, and write them in their inward parts, Jer. 31. 33. and the more perfect the creature growes, the more reall shall the impression be: But yet in all ages of the Church past, and so to the end of the world, God hath ever, and ever will make expressions outward of this his Covenant with mankinde. The Covenant is one thing, the name of the Covenant another. For the Covenant includes the whole reason of the Covenant with the circumstances: but the name sometimes is attributed to some circumstances. So the Covenant may be said to be the same and not the same, that which is the same in substance, varieth in manner and circumstances. Deut. 5. 2, 3. and 29. 1. and 4. 31. Nor is it a thing unusuall in Scripture, that this should be affirmed of one, and denyed of another, which is more illustrious in one then in another, though it be common to both, as Matth. 15. 24. Interpreters of Scripture give this rule, when it seemes to deny the very essence of the thing, it doth deny only some circumstance or respect, Mark 9. 37. He that receiveth me, doth not re-ceive
