forgivenefs provided for any fin: It was neceffary then that it thould exhibit a fufficiency of grace to preferve them from every fin, or it could have been of no ufe at all; this the righteoufnefs of God required, and fo it was. To have made a covenant wherein there was no provifion at all of pardon, and not a fufficiency of grace to keep the covenanters from need of pardon, was not anfwerable to the goodnefs and righteousness of God. But he made man upright, who of his own accord fought out many inventions.

It is not fo in the covenant of grace; there is in it pardon provided in the blood of Chrift; it is not therefore of indifpenfible neceffity, that there fhould be ad ministered in it, grace effectually preferving from every fin: Yet it is on all accounts to be preferred before the other; for befides the relief by pardon, which the other knew nothing of, there is in it also much provision againft fin, which was not in the other."

First, There is provision made in it, against all and every fin that would difannul the covenant, and make a final feparation between God and a foul that hath been once taken into the bond thereof. This provifion is abfolute; God hath taken upon himfelf the making of this good, and the establishing this law of the covenant, that it fhall not by any fin be difannulled, Jer. xxxii. 40. I will, faith God, make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear into their hearts, that they Jhall not depart from me. The fecurity hereof depends not on any thing in ourselves. All that is in us is to be ufed as a means of the accomplishment of this promise; but the event or iffue depends abfolutely on the faithfulness of God. And the whole certainty and stability of the covenant depends on the efficacy of the grace adminiftred in it, to preferve men from all fuch fins as would difannul it.

Secondly, There is in this covenant provifion made for conftant peace and confolation, notwithstanding, and against the guilt of fuch fins, as through their infirmities

and

and temptations believers are daily expofed unto. Tho' they fall into fins every day, yet they do not fall into depths every day. In the tenor of this covenant, there is a confiftency between a fenfe of fin unto humiliation and peace, with ftrong confolation. After the apoftle had defcribed the whole conflict that believers have with fin, and the frequent wounds which they receive thereby, which makes them cry out for deliverance, Rom. vii. 24. he yet concludes, chap. viii. 1. that there is no condemnation unto them, which is a fufficient and ftable foundation of peace. So John ii. 1. These things have I written unto you, that you fin not; and if any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous. Our great bufinefs and care ought to be, that we fin rot; but yet, when we have done our utmost, if we say, we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, chap. i. 8. what then fhall poor, finful, guilty creatures do? why, let them go to the Father, by their advocate, and they fhall not fail of pardon and peace. And faith Paul, Heb, vi. 17, 18. God is abundantly willing that we might have strong confolation, who fly for refuge to lay bold on the hope fet before us. What was his condition who fled of old to the city of refuge for fafety, from whence this expreffion is taken? He was guilty of blood, though fhed at unawares; and fo, as that he was to die for it, if he efcaped not to the city of refuge. Though we may have the guilt of fins upon us, that the law pronounceth death unto, yet flying to Chrift for refuge, God hath provided not only fafety, but ftrong confolation for us allo. Forgiveness in the blood of Chrift, doth not only take guilt from the foul, but trouble alfo from the confcience. And in this refpect doth the apoftle at large fet forth the excellency of his facrifice, Heb. x. The facrifices of the old law, he tells us, could not make perfect the worshippers, ver. 1. which he proves, ver. 2. becaufe they did never take away, throughly and really confcience of fin, that is, depths or diftreffes of confcience about fin. But now, faith he, Jefus Chrift in the covenant of grace hath for

ever perfected them that were fanctified, ver. 14. providing for them fuch ftable peace and confolation, as that. they shall not need renewing of facrifices every day, ver. 18. This is the great mystery of the gofpel in the blood of Chrift; that thofe who fin every day, fhould have peace with God all their days, provided their fins fall within the compafs of thefe infirmities, against which this confolation is provided.

Thirdly, There is provifion made of grace to prevent and peferve the foul from great and enormous fins, fuch as in their own nature are apt to wound confcience, and caft the perfon into fuch depths and intanglements as wherein he fhall have neither reft nor peace : Of what fort these fins are, fhall be afterwards declared. There is in this covenant grace for grace, John i. 16. and abundance of grace, administered from the all-fulness of Chrift; grace reigneth in it, Rom. vi. 6. deftroying and crucifying the body of fin.

But this provifion in the covenant of grace, against peace ruining, foul perplexing fins, is not, as to the adminiftration of it, abfolute. There are covenant com mands and exhortations, on the attendance whereunto, the administration of much covenant-grace doth depend. To watch, pray, improve faith, to ftand on our guard continually, to mortify fin, to fight against temptations, with ftedfaftnefs, diligence, conftancy, are every where prefcribed unto us; and that in order unto the infurance of the grace mentioned. These things are on our part the condition of the adminiftration of that abundant grace, which is to preferve us from foul-intangling fins: So Peter informs us, 2 Epift. i. 3. The divine power of God hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godlinefs. We have from it an habitual furnishment and provifion for obedience at all times: Alfo, faith he, ver. 4. He hath given unto us great and precious promifes, that by them we might be partakers of the divine nature; what then is in this bleffed eftate and condition required of us, that we may make a due improvement of the provision made for us, and enjoy the comforting influence of thofe

promifes

promises, that he prefcribes unto us, vér. 5, 6, 7. Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity; that is, carefully and diligently attend to the exercise of all the graces of the Spirit, and unto a converfation in all things becoming the gofpel. What then fhall be the iffue, if these things are attended unto? ver. 8. If thefe things be in you, and abound, ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful, in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. It is not enough that these things be in you? that you have the feed and root of them from and by the Holy Ghoft; but you are to take care that they flourish and abound; without which, though the root of the matter may be in you, and so you be not wholly devoid of spiritual life, yet you will be poor, barren, faplefs, withering creatures, all your days. But now, fuppofe that these things do abound, and we be made fruitful thereby, why then, faith he, ver. 10. If you do thefe things ye shall never fall. What, never fall into fin? nay, that is not the promife; and he that fays, when he hath done all, that he hath no fin, he is a liar. Or, it is, never fall totally from God? no, the preservation of the elect, of whom he speaks, from total apoftafy, is not fufpended on fuch conditions, especially not any degree of them, fuch as their abounding imports. But it is that they fhall not fall into their old fins from which they were purged, ver. 9. fuch confcience-wafting and defiling fins, as they lived in, in the time and ftate of their unregeneracy. Thus, though there be in the covenant of grace through Jefus Chrift, provifion made of abundant fupplies for the foul's prefervation from entangling fins; yet their administration hath refpect unto our diligent attendance unto the means of receiving them appointed for us to walk in.

And here lies the latitude of the new covenant; here lies the exercise of renewed free-will. This is the field of free voluntary obedience under the adminiftration of

gofpel

gofpel-grace. There are extremes which, in respect of the event, it is not concerned in. To be wholly perfect, to be free from every fin, all failings, all infi mities, that is not provided for, not promifed in this covenant. It is a covenant of mercy and pardon, which fuppofeth a continuance of fin. To fall utterly and. finally from God, that is abfolutely provided against. Between these two extremes of abfolute perfection and total apoftafy, lies the large field of believers obedience and walking with God. Many a fweet heavenly paffage there is, and many a dangerous depth in this field. Some walk near to the one fide, fome to the other; yea, the fame perfon may fometimes prefs hard after perfection, fometimes be caft to the very border of deftruction. Now, between thefe two ly many a foul-plunging fin, against which no abfolute provifion is made, and which for want of giving all diligence to put the means of preservation in practice, believers are oftentimes overtaken withal,

Fourthly, There is not in the covenant of grace, provifion made of ordinary and abiding confolation, for any under the guilt of great fins, or fins greatly aggravated, which they fall into by a neglect of using and abiding in the fore-mentioned conditions of abounding actual grace. Sins there are, which either because in their own nature they wound and waste confcience, or in their effects break forth into fcandal, caufing the name of God and the gofpel to be evil fpoken of, or in fome of their circumftances, are full of unkindness against God, do deprive the foul of its wonted confolation. How, by what means, on what account fuch fins come to terrify the confcience, to break the bones, to darken the foul, and to caft it into inextricable depths, notwithstanding the relief that is provided of pardon in the blood of Chrift, I fhall not now declare; that they will do fo, and that confolation is not of equal extent with fafety, we know. Hence God affumes it to himfelf as an act of mere fovereign grace, to speak peace and refreshment unto the fouls of his faints, in their