mercy, as he spake to our Fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Josh. 24.2.Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, your Fathers dwelt on the other side of the floud in old time, even Terah the Father of Abraham, and the Father of Nahor, and they served other gods. And I took your Father Abraham from the other side of the floud, and led him throughout all the Land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
The condition required in this contract, is the obedience of faith. Remission of sinnes, gratious adoption in Christ, and the Inheritance of eternall life is promised to beleevers: and eternall condemnation peremptorily threatned against unbeleevers.
Christ, whom God hath exhibited in the Gospell, as he was promised to the Fathers in the Scriptures of the Prophets, is the object of this Covenant.
The end thereof is the praise of the glorious grace and mercy of God in Christ to come.
In this Covenant there is a mutuall compact betwixt God and man: God in mercy promising, and man in duty binding himself unto the Lord.
It was made with man a sinner, and reacheth to the faithfull and their seed, as God hath promised to accept the children of beleeving parents, upon due and religious tender of them made unto his Highnesse according as he hath prescribed: but saving effectually it was made with them only, who beleeve in him that justifieth the ungodly, be the heires of salvation, and walke in the steps of our Father Abraham.
This Covenant doth beget children to liberty, doth administer the righteousnesse of faith, and the inheritance by faith: hope, peace of conscience, life in Christ, and spirituall joy is the effect thereof.
2 Cor. 4 13.
Rom. 9.4,5.
Gal. 3.18.
Rom. 8.15.
Gal. 3.14.
Gen 22.16.
Luk. 1.73.Internally the Spirit doth seale up the truth of this Covenant in the hearts of the faithfull. For when the adoption and the inheritance pertained to the Fathers under the Covenant of promise, the spirit of adoption and earnest of the inheritance pertained unto them likewise. Externally it was delivered and confirmed by word and oath, and sealed by the Sacraments.
For substance also this Covenant was everlasting and unchangeable: The New Testament did not abolish the former, but the former was fulfilled by the latter.Psal. 105.10. And in all these things it doth agree with the new Covenant: which here only are but brieflynamed,
