to wax old. Heb. 8. 13. and it was established after a new manner, by the bloud of the Mediatour. It is called a Covenant of peace, an everlasting Covenant, which shall not be removed: the Covenant of my peace, Ezek. 36 27. and 34. 25. Isai. 54. 10. and 55. 3. Heb. 13. 20. Isai. 61. 8. It is called a Covenant and a Testament. A Covenant in respect of the manner of agreement; a Testament in respect of the manner of confirming.Heb. 9.16. A Covenant in respect of God; a Testament in respect of Christ, who being appointed of the Father Lord and Prince, with full possession of all things necessary to Salvation, died as Testatour, and confirmed by his death the testamentary promise before made, of obtaining the eternall inheritance by the remission of sinnes. John the Baptist by the light of preaching was greater then the Prophets, that had gone before him: but properly he was not a Minister of the new Testament, as it differed from the old: wherefore a middle place is rightly assigned to him,Matth. 11.11. being the forerunner of Christ to prepare the way before him. From the birth of Christ, the things foretold in the old Testament pertaining to the constitution of the new, began to be fulfilled; and that first by his comming in the flesh, afterwards by his administration, and then by his death: by whose death the old Testament was abolished, and the new did succeed in the roome thereof. The old Testament was abolished by the death of Christ in right, but not in act. For before the promulgation of that innovation by the sound of the Gospell, they amongst the Jewes that did beleeve in Christ were true beleevers, though they were zealous for the Law:Act. 20.21. but after the doctrine of grace was sufficiently published, they that obstinately did cleave to the shadowes and Ceremonies of the Law, did reject the promise and Covenant in Christ.Heb. 13.10. So that properly the beginning of the new Covenant is to be fetched from that time, wherein Christ hath fulfilled all things, which were shadowed of him in the Law, or foretold in the Prophets, that is, after that Christ was corporally ascended into Heaven, and had sent downe the holy Spirit in the visible shape of fiery tonguesAct. 2.3,4. upon his Apostles, at the solemne feast of Pentecost; For the summe of the Gospell or new Testament is this, that the Ceremoniall Law is ceased, and the use of the Law (whereby we were kept in bondage untill faith was revealed) abolished: and that Christ being already crucified, dead, buried, and received into Heaven, remissionof
