In taking possession of us for his own, in his making of us his house and habitation; so that, though the Father and the Son have both gloriously put forth gracious acts in order to our salvation, yet the Spirit is the first that makes seizure of us. Christ, there fore, when he went away, said not, that he would send the Father, but the Spirit, and that he should be in us for ever. "If I depart, (said Christ) I will send him, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter." John xiv. 14.

The Holy Spirit coming into us, and dwelling in us, worketh out many salvations for us now, and each of them in order also to our being saved for ever.

He saveth us from our darkness, by illuminating of us; hence he is called the Spirit of revelation, because he openeth the blind eyes, and so consequently delivereth us from that darkness, which else would drown us in the deeps of hell.

He it is that convinceth us of the evil of our unbelief, and that shows us the necessity of our believing in Christ; without the conviction of this, we should perish.

This is he that worketh faith in our hearts, without which neither the of the Father nor the grace of the Son can save us; grace

be that believeth not shall be damned."

for

This is he by whom we are born again, and he that is not so born can neither see nor inherit the kingdom of God.

By this Spirit we come to see the beauty of Christ, without a sight of which we should never desire him.

By this blessed Spirit the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, and our hearts are directed into the love of God.

By this good Spirit we are sealed to the day of redemptiou. And by this good Spirit we are made to wait with patience until the redemption of the purchased possession comes. Gal. v. 5.

Now all these things are so necessary to our salvation, that I know not which of them can be wanting; neither cau any of them be by any means attained, but by the blessed Spirit.

And thus have I in few words showed you the grace of the Spirit, and how it putteth forth itself towards the saving of the soul. And verily, Sirs, it is necessary that you know these things distinctly i

to wit, the grace of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the grace of the Holy Ghost; for it is not the grace of one, but of all these three, that saveth him that shall be saved indeed.

Bunyan-1677.

As the party contractor and undertaker on man's side, in the Covenant of Grace, was a representative; so the party undertaken and contracted for, was represented by him. And that these two, namely, the represented, and those contracted for, are of equal latitude, is plain from the nature of the thing; for those whom one represents in a covenant he contracts for in that covenant; and those whom one contracts for in a covenant made with him as representative, are represented by him in that covenant. Thus it was in the covenant of the first Adam, who was a figure of Christ, the head of the second covenant. In it, those whom Adam contracted for, he represented; and those whom he represented, be contracted for. He represented his natural seed only, and for them alone he contracted; therefore those whom the second Adam contracted for, he represented; and whom he represented, he contracted for.

Now the party represented and contracted for, by our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Covenant of Grace, was the elect of mankind; being a certain number of mankind, chosen from eternity to everlasting life. In their person he stood, making this covenant with bis Father; in their name he acted, striking this bargain with him, as a surety, to obey the law and satisfy justice.

We are now to inquire, how the elect were considered in this covenant and federal representation. And therein they came under a threefold consideration.

1. They were considered as sinners, lost, ruined, and undone in Adam. In the first covenant, the whole flock of mankind was put under the hand of one shepherd, to wit, Adam; but he losing himself, lost all the flock, and was never able to recover so much as one of them again. God had, from all eternity, put a secret mark on some of them, whereby he distinguished them from the rest: "The Lord knoweth them that are his." 2 Tim. ii. 19. And them also he saw among others, gone away from their pasture, wandering as waifs and strays, a prey to every devourer; but in order to their

being sought out, and returned, and kept in safety for ever, the New Covenant was entered into with another Shepherd, even our Lord Jesus Christ; and they are put under his hand, as the Shepherd of Israel. In Adam's representation in the covenant of works, the party represented was considered as an upright seed; but in Christ's representation in the covenant of grace, the party represented was considered as a corrupt sinful mass, laden with guilt, under the wrath of God and curse of the law. And who would have represented such a company, putting himself in their room and stead? But free love engaged our Lord Jesus to it. So the Holy One of God represented wretched sinners: the Beloved of the Father represented the cursed company.

2. They were considered also as utterly unable to help themselves, in whole or in part; as being "without strength." Rom. v.6. They were debtors; but quite unable to pay off one farthing of the debt: they were criminals; but quite unable to bear their own punishment, to the satisfaction of justice: had it lain on them to have paid the debt, or borne the punishment, they behoved to have sunk under the load for ever. So it was necessary they should have one to represent them, taking the burden on him for them all.

3. They were considered withal as the objects of eternal, sovereign, and free love, given to Christ by his Father. The Father loved them, John xvii. 23. and therefore gave them to Christ, ver.6. The Son loved them, Eph. v. 2. and, accepting of the gift, repre sented them in the covenant, as a father his own children. It was owing to this free love and mere good pleasure, that they, and not others in the same condemnation, by the breach of the first covenant, were represented and contracted for by Jesus Christ, in the second; that their names were put in the eternal contract, while the names of others were left out. They were his Father's choice, and his own choice; so he became their representative.

Boston on the Covenant.

But for our better understanding the distinct nature and notion of the Covenant of Grace in particular, we must take our rise from the very creation, and consider the several dispensations of God, by way of covenant with mankind. And to begin with the covenant

made with Adam, and in him with all mankind; the whole proceeding stands thus: God having made man upright, and given him a great measure of light to direct him, and of strength to enable him to do as he should appoint; proceeded then to make this very reasonable covenant and agreement with him. He agreed to continue and increase that light and strength to him, and to reward his acting according to it with immortal life and happiness, provided he making use of his understanding and power, would persevere to obey his Maker's commands, which if he should not do, in every particular instance of duty, he threatened him with death, and eternal misery. But then leaving him to act according to that freedom of will, wherewith as a reasonable creature he had endowed him, man did, by his own voluntary disobedience, through the cunning of Satan, tempting him thereto, transgress the law given him by his Maker, Gen. ii, 17. and did thereby cast himself into a state of sin and misery, under the bondage of Satan, without any power or possibility to recover himself out of that wretched condition. And thus he broke his covenant with God, sinned against his Creator, and so forfeited all the happiness conveyed to him therein, both for himself and his posterity.

And now was man in a desperate and forlorn condition. His own sin bad made him liable to the severest strokes of God's displeasure; and the divine justice, and wisdom, and holiness would not permit the Almighty (however his goodness inclined him to pity) to let bis sin go unpunished, and to restore him to a capacity of happiness, without a valuable satisfaction made to infinite justice, such as should show the divine hatred of and severity against sin, for the security of his government in the world: and yet no creature in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, was sufficient for so great an undertaking, as to satisfy for him, for "There is no man can redeem his brother, or pay God a ransom for him; for the redemption of his soul is precious." Psal. xliv. 7. And what now shall be done to rescue mankind out of this miserable state? Why, when unhappy man was in this desperate and forlorn condition, past all hopes of remedy or recovery, then did God's unspeakable goodness choose to appear; for, to the wonder of men and angels, he

does himself find out this way, to raise us out of the abyss of mi sery, into a state of happiness again, that he "so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii 16.

Allen on the Two Covenants-1683.

The whole chain of our salvation, from the beginning to the end, arises and proceeds all the way from the free grace of God, through the mediation of his Son, Jesus Christ. God must have the glory, and pride must be hid from man for ever. Are we chosen, are we called, are we justified and sanctified, and at last advanced to hea ven? It is all by the mercy of the Father, by the mediation of the Son, by the power and grace of God and his Spirit exerting themselves in all the stages of our salvation, before time began, and when time shall be no more. Grace and Christ run through all, and triumph through the whole scheme of our happiness, from the very foundation of it; and when the top-stone of this blessed building shall be laid in heaven, the inhabitants of that world shall join all their voices, and shout together to the honour of Christ and grace.

I am persuaded there will be many holy souls there, whose voices shall join in this triumph, and this song of glory to electing love, who had not learned this doctrine till they came to heaven, nor knew the eternal spring of their own salvation, till they were made possessors of the blessing.

Dr. Watts.

Our salvation, from first to last, is altogether of grace. As sin ners and rebels against God, we have all forfeited his favour for ever, and made ourselves justly obnoxious to his eternal wrath and indignation.

If God pardons and restores to his favour such guilty and apostate sinners, his motives must originate from himself, since they never could take their rise from any desert in us.

If we trace up our salvation to its prime source, in the eternal purpose of God, which he purposed in himself, we behold the election of grace. If we fix our eyes upon Christ, the channel through which all the blessings of salvation flow unto us, as given