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al ftrokes, fuch as difertion, God's hiding his face from them, withdrawing the light of his countenance, their lofing fome measure of their graces and comforts, woundings of fpirit, horrors of confcience, whereby they may be brought to the very brink of defpair: fo that, howbeit the cafting them into hell is not within the compafs of the difcipline of the covenant, yet the cafting a kind of hell into them, making them to roar by reafon of difqueitness of heart, Pfal. xxxviii. 8. is within the compass of it. And, what is worse than any of all thefe, it compre hends their being harraffed with horrid temptations, and fet up as marks for Satan's fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16. the hardening of their hearts, Ifa. Ixiii. 17. and their being, fuffered to fall into one fin, and that a grofs fin too, for the punishment of another, as in the cafe of David and Peter. All these things are within the compafs of the difcipline of the covenant; and believers are particularly and directly threatened with them, in the cafe of their difobedience to move them to beware of it: yea, and they are often inflicted by Zion's King on his beloved fubjects, that, by these marks of his difpleasure against their fin, he may correct them, make fin bitter to them, and ftir them up to repentance and watchfulness. And the worst of them all, even the very hardening of their hearts, and the punishing of one fin with another, are, by the fovereign grace of the covenant, made effectual for thefe holy ends: the which grace opening the heart in renewed repentance, godly forrow for fin breaks forth the more forcibly, as waters do which have been long dammed up. Thus these bitter waters, running in the channel of the covenant, become healing waters: these sharp fwords are, by the covenant, beaten into plough-fhares ; and thefe piercing fpears, into pruning-hooks. Of this difcipline of the covenant, all the fubjects of Chrift in this world do partake; and they must be

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under it, till they arrive at perfection in the other, world, Heb. xii. 6, 7, 8.

4thly, He gives them the pardons of the covenant; the pardoning of crimes committed against the laws of God, being one of the royal prerogatives of Zion's King, whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael and forgiveness of fins, Acts v. 31. He gives them the first pardon, removing the guilt of revenging wrath, in their justification: and he gives them alfo the fubfequent pardons, removing the guilt of fatherly anger, upon their renewing the actings of faith and repentance, as was obferved before. The Father having committed all judgment unto the Son, he hath the difpenfing of Heaven's favours, according to the method and order of the covenant; and they are not only conferred for his fake, but by his hand.

5thly, He affords them the defence of the covenant, while in this life they are amongst their enemies, Pfalm lxxxix. 18. For the Lord is our defence: and the holy One of Ifrael is our King. Satan is their enemy, a malicious, fubtil, and powerful enemy: but Chrift is their friend, and takes them under his protection. He loves them dearly, as the purchase of his own blood, the members of his own myftical body, and bearing his Father's image: he is infinitely wife, and can outfhoot the devil in his own bow: and he is the stronger man, who can bind the strong man. The world joins iffue with Satan in oppofing them; but shall not prevail to ruin them, neither by force nor fraud: for greater is he, than the god of this world and all his dominion, 1 John iv. 4. Te are of God, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Their worst enemies are within them, namely, the remains of corruption, which, in the depth of fovereign wif dom are not expelled during this life; but left for their exercise and trial, and for the discovery of the

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power of the grace of their King. And he manifefts his power, in keeping alive in them the spunk of holy fire, in the midst of an ocean of corruption; and caufing it to make head against the fame, until it quite dry it up: Rom. vii. 14. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! Verse 25. I thank God, through Jefus Christ our Lord. He has all their enemies in chains, that they can act no further against him than he fees meet to permit : and at his pleasure he restrains them, bounding them by his power, as to the kind, degree, and continu. ance of their attacks, Pfalm lxxvi. 10. The remaind er of wrath fhalt thou restrain.

Lastly, He authoritatively completes the happiness of the covenant in them. He purchased it for them as a Priest; he reveals it to them as a Prophet: but as a King, he doth, in the way of authority, put them in full poffeffion thereof, Matth. xxv. 34. Then shall the King fay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye bleed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And by the fame authority he will pass fentence against his and their enemies, having fully conquered them, ver. 41. And fo he will complete for ever the peace of his covenant-fubjects.

Thus far of Chrift's administration of the cove. nant, as he is King thereof.

V. Chrift the Interceffor of the Covenant.

As for performing the condition of the covenant, Jefus Chrift became the Priest, namely, the facrificing priest of it, as hath been faid in the due place : fo, for the administration of the covenant, he became the interceffor, namely, the interceeding priest of it. Chrift's interceffion did not take its place in the making of the covenant. The love and grace of God made the motion for a new covenant freely: and the breach betwixt God and finners was of another na

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ture, than to be made up by a fimple interceffion : the which might have moved mercy, but could not have fatisfied juftice, that requiring a facrifice for fin, could not be fatisfied by pleading, but by paying a ranfom: Heb. ix. 22. Without hedding of blood is no remiffion. Neither doth Chrift's facrificing take its place in the administration of the covenant: there is no need of any new facrificing there; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified, chap. x. 14. But his faerificing natively took its place in the making of the covenant, and, fulfilling the condition thereof; and his interceffion, in the adminiftration of the covenant, and fulfilling the promises of it. Accordingly, for the adminiftration of the covenant, he is the Interceffor thereof: Rom. viii. 34. It is Chrift that died, yea rather, that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion for us.

And indeed there was need of an interceffor for that effect; fince an infinitely holy God, and finful creatures, could neither come together into a state of peace, nor continue in it, with the fafety of God's honour, without an interceffor. Wherefore Jefus Christ being appointed thereto, is, in that character, entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24. to manage the busi. nefs of the covenant for our behoof; willing the merit of his facrifice to be applied to all those in whose room and stead he died, and that for all the intents and purposes of the covenant in their favours, according to the method laid down and ftated therein. And this his interceffion is always effectual, as he himself teftifieth, faying unto his father, John xi. 42. I knew that thou hearest me always. Whence it ap pears, that the object of it is not of equal latitude with the object of the administration of the covenant, and of his acting in the other relations belonging to that administration; but that it is reftricted unto

those

those whom he, as fecond Adam, reprefented in the eternal tranfaction. And this is very agreeable to the nature of the divine contrivance for the falvation of finners; in which the eternal purpofe hath made a difference of perfons, according to fovereign will and pleafure: this being, as it were, one claufe in the conftitution of the administration, peculiarly in favour of the objects of electing love. So the Inter, ceffor himself teacheth us, John xvii. 9. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. Verse 20. For them which shall believe on me. Verse 24. Father, I will that they also whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am.

Now, Chrift administers the covenant as Interceffor thereof, these following ways chiefly.

1. Effectually procuring, by his interest in heaven, the actual inbringing of his elect, at the time appoint ed, into a covenant ftate of union, communion, peace, and favour with God: John xvii. 29. Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo which fhall believe on me through their word: verfe 21. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us. They are by nature in a state of enmity with God, even as others but through Chrift's interceffion the peace is made between Heaven and them. He purchased it for them by the blood of his facrifice; it was promised to him in the covenant on that score; and by his interceffion he actually obtains it unto them. His interceffion is the spring that puts all the wheels in motion, that are fet a going, in the time of loves, for bringing one out of the state of nature, into a state of grace. Providence manageth favourably towards the converfion of the man; the word powerfully affects him, while on others it falls like rain on a rock, running off as falt as it comes on; the business of eternal falvation is closely laid to heart with him; the law doth its office upon him, and fo doth the gospel

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