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because the righteoufnels of the law is beft fulfilled this way; first, by Chrift's giving perfect active obedience in our name unto it in all things: next, by his paying, in our name, the penalty (due to our fins) in his death: and laftly, by his working of fanctification in us, who are true believers, who firive to give new obedience unto the law, and walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'

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FOR

WARRANTS to BELIEVE.

OR building our confidence upon this folid ground, these four warrants and fpecial motives to believe in Chrift may ferve.

The first whereof is God's hearty invitation, holden forth, Isa. lv. I, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Ho, every one that one

thirfteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come and buy without money and without price.' Ver. 2. Wherefore do ye ipend your money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which fatisfieth not? Herken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itself in fatnels.' Ver. 3. Incline your car, and come unto me: hear, and your foul shall live, and I will make an evelasting covenant with you, even the fure mercies of David. Ver. • Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander te the people,' &c.

4.

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Here (after fetting down the precious ransom of our redemption' by the fufferings of Christ, and the rich bleffings purchased to us thereby, in the two former chapters) the Lord, in this chapter,

1. Maketh open offer of Chrift and his grace, by proclamation of a free and gracious market of righteoufnels and falvation, to be had through Chrift to every foul, without exception, that truly defires to be faved from fin and wrath; Ho, every one that thirfteth,' faith

he.

2. He inviteth all finners, that for any reafon ftand at distance with God, to come and take from him riches of grace, running in Chrift as a river, to wash away fin, and to flocken wrath; Come ye to the waters,' faith he.

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3. Left any should ftand aback, in the fenfe of his own finfulness or unworthinels, and inability to do any good, the Lord calleth upon fuch perfoos in fpecial, faying, He that hath no money, come.'

4. He craveth no more of his merchant, but that he be pleafed with the wares offered, which are grace and more grace; and that he heartily confent unto, and embrace this offer of grace, that fo he may

clofe

close a bargain, and a formal covenant with God; Come buy with' out money,' faith he, come, eat;' that is, confent to have, and take unto you all faving graces; make the wares you own, poffets them, and make ufe of all bleffings in Chrift; whatsoever maketh for your fpiritual life and comfort, ufe and enjoy it freely, without paying any thing for it: Come buy wine and milk, without money, and without price,' faith he.

5. Because the Lord knoweth how much we are inclined to seek righteousness and life by our own performances and fatisfaction, to have righteousness and life as it were by the way of works; and how loth we are to embrace Christ Jefus, and to take life by way of free grace through Jefus Chrift, upon the terms whereupon it is offered to us: therefore the Lord lovingly calls us off this our crooked and unhappy way, with a gentle and timeous admonition, giving us to under ftand, that we fhall but lofe our labour in this our way; 'Where 'fore do you spend your money,' faith he, for that which is not • bread? and your labour for that which fatisfieth not?'

6. The Lord promifeth to us folid fatisfaction, in the way of betaking ourfelves unto the grace of Chrift, even true contentment, and fulness of fpiritual pleasure, faying, Hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let your foul delight itself in fatness.'

7. Because faith cometh by hearing, he calleth for audience unto the explication of the offer, and calleth for believing of, and listening to the truth, which is able to beget the application of faving faith, and to draw the foul to trust in God; Incline your ear, and come un'to me,' faith he. To which end, the Lord promifes, that this offer being received, fhall quicken the dead finner; and that, upon the welcoming of this offer, he will clofe the covenant of grace with the man that fhall confent unto it, even an indiffolveable covenant of perpetual reconciliation and peace; Hearken and your foul fhall live, and I will make an everlafting covenant with you.' Which covenant, he declareth, shall be in fubftance the affignation, and the making over, of all the faving graces which David (who is Jefus Chrift, As xiii. 34) hath bought for us in the covenant of redemption; I will make a covenant with you,' faith he, even the fure mercies of David' By fure mercies, he means faving graces, fuch as are righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost, adoption, fanctification, and glorification, and whatfoever belongs to godliness and life eternal.

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8. To confirm and affure us of the real grant of these faving mercies, and to perfuade us of the reality of the covenant betwixt God and the believer of this word, the Father hath made a fourfold gift of his eternal and only begotten Son;

First, to be incarnate and born for our fake, of the feed of David his type; for which caufe, he is called here, and Acts xiii. 35. David, the true and everlafting King of Ifrael. This is the great gift of God

to

to man, John iv. 10. And here, I have given him to be David, or born of David, to the people.

Secondly, He hath made a gift of Chrift to be a witness to the people, both of the fure and faving mercies granted to the redeemed in the covenant of redemption; and alfo of the Father's willingness and purpose to apply them. and to make them fast in the covenant of recon ciliation, made with fuch as embrace the offer: I have given him (faith the Lord here) to be a witness to the people. And truly he is a fufficient witness in this matter, in many respects; 1ft, Because he is one of the bleffed Trinity, and party-contracter for us, in the covenant of re demption, before the world was. 2dly. He is by office, as Mediator, the Meffenger of the covenant, and hath gotten commiffion to reveal it 3dly. He began actually to reveal it in paradife, where he promif ed, that the feed of the woman should bruife the head of the ferpent. 4thly, He fet forth his own death and fufferings, and the great bene fits that should come thereby to us, in the types and figures of facrifices and ceremonies before his coming. 5thly, He gave more and more light about this covenant, fpeaking by his Spirit, from age to age, in the holy prophets. 6thly, He came himfelt in the fulness of time, and did bear witness of all things belonging to this covenant, and of God's willing mind to take believers into it; partly by uniting our nature in one perfon with the divine nature; partly by preaching the good tidings of the covenant with his own mouth; partly by paying the price of redemption on the crofs; and partly by dealing till with the people, from the beginning to this day, to draw in, and to hold in the redeemed in this covenant.

Thirdly, God hath made a gift of Chrift, as a Leader to the people, to bring us through all difficulties, all afflictions and tentations, unto life by this covenant: and he it is, and no other, who doth indeed Jead his own unto the covenant; and, in the covenant all the way on unto falvation, 1. By the direction of his word and Spirit. 2. By the example of his own life, in faith and obedience, even to the death of the crofs. 3. By his powerful working, bearing his redeemed ones in his arms, and cauling them to lean on him, while they go up through

the wilderness.

Fourthly, God hath made a gift of Chrift unto his people, as a Commander which office he faithfully exercifeth, by giving to his kirk and people, laws and ordinances, paftors and governors, and all neceflary officers; by keeping courts and affemblies among them, to fee that his laws be obeyed; fubduing, by his word, Spirit and difcipline, his people's corruptions; and, by his wifdom and power, guarding them against all their enemies whatsoever,

Hence he, who hath clofed bargain with God, may ftrengthen his faith, by reafoning after this manner:

"Wholoever doth heartily receive the offer of free grace, made

"here to finners, thirfting for righteousness and falvation; unto him, "by an everlasting covenant, belongeth Christ, the true David, with "all his fure and faving mercies.

"But I (may the weak believer fay) do heartily receive the offer of "free grace made here to finners, thirsting for righteoufnefs and "falvation.

"Therefore unto me, by an everlasting covenant, belongeth Christ "Jefus, with all his fure and faving mercies."

The fecond warrant and fpecial motive to embrace Chrift, and believe in him, is the earnest request that God maketh to us to be reconciled to him in Christ, holden forth, 2 Cor. v. verfes 14, 19, 20, 21.

GOD was in Chrift reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them, and bath committed unto us the word of reconciliaiion. Ver. 20. Now then we are ambaffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us; we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God. Ver. 21. For he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him.

Wherein the apostle teacheth us thefe nine doctrines;

Firft, That the elect world, or world of redeemed fouls, are by nature in the estate of enmity against God: This is prefuppofed in the word reconciliation; for reconciliation, or renewing of friendship, cannot be, except betwixt those that have been at enmity.

Second, That in all the time by-paft, fince the fall of Adam, Chrift Jefus, the eternal Son of God, as Mediator, and the Father in him, hath been about the making friendship (by his word and Spirit) betwixt himself and the elect world; God,' faith he, was in Chrift ⚫ reconciling the world to himself.'

Third, that the way of reconciliation was in all ages one and the fame in fubstance, viz. by forgiving the fins of them, who do acknowledge their fins and their enmity against God, and do feek reconciliation and remiffion of fins in Chrift; For God,' faith he, was in Chrift reconciling the world to himself, by way of not imputing their tref'paffes unto them.

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Fourth, That the end and scope of the gospel, and whole word of God, is threefold; 1. It ferveth to make people fenfible of their fins, and of their enmity against God, and of their danger, if they should ftand out, and not fear God's difpleasure. 2. The word of God ferveth to make men acquainted with the course, which God hath prepared, for making friendship with him through Chrift, viz. that if men fhall acknowledge the enmity, and fhall be content to enter into

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a covenant of friendship with God, through Chrift, then God will be content to be reconciled with them freely. 3. The word of God fer veth to teach men how to carry themselves towards God, as friends, after they are reconciled to him, viz to be loth to fin against him, and to ftrive heartily to obey his commandments: and therefore the word of God here is called the word of reconciliation, because it teach eth us what need we have of reconciliation, and how to make it, and how to keep the reconciliation or friendship, being made with God through Chrift.

Fifth, That albeit the hearing, believing and obeying of this word, doth belong to all thofe to whom this gospel doth come: yet the office of preaching of it, with authority, belongeth to none, but to fuch only as God doth call to his miniftry, and fendeth out with commif fion for this work. This the apoftle holdeth forth, v. 18. in thefe words, He hath committed to us the word of reconciliation.'

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Sixth, That the minifters of the gofpel fhould behave themselves as Chrift's meffengers, and fhould closely follow their commiffion fet down in the word, Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. and, when they do fo, they should be received by the people as ambaffadors from God; for here the apostle, in all their names, faith, though God did befeech you by us.' We are ambaffadors for Chrift, as Seventh, That minifters, in all earneftnefs of affections, fhould deal with people to acknowledge their fins, and their natural enmity against God, more and more feriously: and to confent to the covenant of grace and embaffage of Chrift more and more heartily; and to evidence more and more clearly their reconciliation, by a holy carriage be fore God. This he holdeth forth, when he faith, We pray you, be reconciled to God.'

Eight, That, in the minifters affectionate dealing with the people the people fhould confider that they have to do with God and Chrift, requesting them by the minifters to be reconciled: now, there cannot be a greater inducement to break a finner's hard heart, than God making request to him for friendship; for when it became us have done to many wrongs to God, to feek friendship of God venteth us: and (O wonder of wonders!) he requesteth ne tent to be reconciled to him; and therefore most fear abide them who do fet light by this requeft, and

they hear minifters with commiffion, faying, W Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us; stead, be ye reconciled to God.'

Ninth, To make it appear, how it com

of reconciliation fhould be fo easily in

bie finner flecing to Chrift, the ar holden forth in the covenant of "It is agreed betwixt God a "God, furety for the redeem

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