dies; and it was purely their own fault, that they were not healed by him. Even so our Lord Jesus Christ hath Heaven's patent, constituting him the Saviour of the world; by the authority of his Father he is invested with that office and wheresoever the gospel comes, his patent for that effect is intimated, 1 John iv. 14, “And we have seen and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." Wherefore, none of us shall perish for want of a Saviour. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world; he is your Saviour, and my Saviour, be our case what it will: and God, in and by him, is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe, 1 Tim. iv. 10. Hence Christ's salvation is the common salvation, Jude 3. and the gospel is the grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men, Tit. ii. 11, marg. Christ then stands related as a Saviour by office to the world of mankind; he is their Saviour: and he is so related to every one of them, as sinners, lost sinners of that society, 1 Tim. i. 15, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Luke xix. 10, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." Let no man say, "Alas! I have nothing to do with Christ, nor he with me; for I am a sinner, a lost sinner." Nay, upon that very ground there is a relation between him and you. Since you are a sinner of mankind, Christ is your Saviour: for he is by office Saviour of the family whereof you are a branch. If you will employ another than him, or pine away in your disease, rather than put yourself in his hand, ye do it upon your peril: but know assuredly, that you have a Saviour of your own, chosen of God for you, whether you employ him or not. He is by his Father's appointment the physician of souls: ye are the sick; and the less sensible ye are, the more dangerously sick; there is a valuable relation then betwixt Christ and you, as such, Matth. ix. 11, 12. He is the great burden-bearer, that gives rest to them that labour and are heavy laden, Matth. xi. 28; Psalm li. 22. Ye labour, spending your labour for that which satisfied not: and are laden with iniquity, even heavy laden; and nothing the less so, that ye are not duly sensible thereof: there is a relation then betwixt Christ and you, on that very score. Now, if Christ stands related to the world of mankind-sinners, as their Saviour, then they are the object of his administration of the covenant.

5. Lastly, If it were not so, then there would be some excepted persons of the world of mankind-sinners, for whom there is no warrant, more than for devils, to take hold of the covenant, by believing in Christ contrary to the constant voice of the gospel, John iii. 16; Mark xvi. 15. For surely they have no warrant to take hold of the covenant, to whom the Administrator is not empowered to give it.

Which of the world of mankind-sinners can these excepted persons be? Not pagans, and other infidels, who hear not the gospel: for howbeit, in the depth of sovereign wisdom, that warrant is not intimated to them; yet it doth really extend to them; as included under that general term, whosoever, John iii. 16. And if it did not extend to them, the covenant could not lawfully be preached and offered to them by ministers of the gospel; more than a crier could lawfully go and proclaim and offer the king's indemnity to those who have no concern in it, but are excepted out of it. The ministerial gospeloffer is undoubtedly null and void, as far as it exceeds the bounds of the object of Christ's administration of the covenant; as being, in so far, from one or more having no power to make it. Neither are any who hear the gospel excepted: for the not taking hold of the covenant by faith in Christ, is the great sin and condemnation of all who, having the gospel, do so entertain it, Prov. viii. 36; John iii. 19; Mark xvi. 16. But it could not be the sin of such persons; because it can never be one's sin, not to do a thing which he hath no warrant from God to do. Much less are the non-elect excepted : for at that rate, not only should their unbelief be none of their sin; but the elect themselves could never believe, till such time as their election were, in the first place, revealed to them, which is contrary to the stated method of grace for none can believe in Christ, till once they see their warrant; forasmuch as that warrant is the ground of faith.

Wherefore we conclude, that sinners of mankind indefinitely are the object of Christ's administration of the covenant; that he is empowered to administer it to you, and every one of you, whatever you are, or have been; and that you must either take hold of the covenant for life and salvation, or perish as despisers of it, since ye have heard the gospel.

III. The ends of the administration of the covenant.

The ends of the administration of the covenant, which make the business of the Administrator as such, are these three: to wit, (1.) the bringing of sinners into the covenant; (2.) the management of them therein, according to it, in this world; and, (3.) the completing of their happiness, according to it, in the other world.

1. The bringing of sinners personally and savingly into the covenant, Isa. xlix. 5, "And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb, to be his servant, to bring Jacob again unto him, though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord." Though the covenant was concluded from eternity, when we could neither consent nor dissent; yet, by the constitution thereof, it is

provided, that, even to the end of time, any sinner of the race of Adam, who shall believe, his receiving and embracing the covenant by faith, shall be as good and valid to enter him into it, as if he had personally subscribed it at the making thereof, John iii. 16. Thus it is left open to mankind-sinners, that they may come into it, taking place therein under Christ the head; and so become personally confederate with Heaven, to their eternal salvation. And there is room enough within the compass of the infinite name of the second Adam, for all of us to subscribe our little names. Wherefore, notwithstanding of all that have already subscribed, in that name, saying, "I am the Lord's," i.e. the Lord Christ's, Isa. xliv. 5, since Eve first set down her name there, by believing the promise first, whereby she then commenced, and actually was the mother of all living, Gen. iii. 20; yet the voice of the gospel still is, and will be even to the end, "And yet there is room," Luke xiv. 22. For typifying which Noah's ark was, by the appointment of Heaven, made all little rooms, Gen. vi. 14, called in the margin there, nests. Now, the Mediator is authorised to treat with sinners, rebels to God, aud subjects of Satan's kingdom, to bring them over to Heaven's side again; and for that effect to administer the covenant unto them, to propose it to them, and gather them into the bond thereof. Wherefore, having gone forth on that errand, he testifies his earnestness in the work, Matth. xxiii. 37, "How often would I have gathered thy children!" and declares himself the door of the sheep, John x. 7,9.

2. The management of them in the covenant, according to it, during their continuance in this world. When sinners are, by the Mediator's administration, brought within the bond of the covenant, they are not thenceforth trusted with the management of themselves and their stock: but their stock being lodged with him, they are put under his hand as their sole manager, the chief Shepherd and Bishop of souls, unto whose oversight the strays once returned are committed, 1 Pet. ii. 25. Whatever they need, they must receive from him he is to dispense all the benefits of the covenant, of whatever kind, unto them. Are they to be justified? he is to pass the sentence, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," Matt. ix. 2, 6. Are they to be brought into a new saving relation to God? he is to give them power to become the sons of God, John i. 12. Are they to be sanctified? he is to wash, sanctify, and cleanse them, John xiii. 8; Eph. v. 26; and to give them repentance, as well as forgiveness of sins, Acts v. 31. Are they to be caused to persevere ? he is to keep them, and to account for each one of them to his Father, John xvii. 12. Are they to be seen to in all their temporal concerns? the

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care of them all lies upon him, 1 Pet. v. 7. He is our Joseph, who hath all the stores of the covenant in his hand and of him God hath said, as Pharaoh said to his famishing people crying unto him for bread, "Go to Joseph," Gen. xli. 55. Moreover, they must receive all their orders from him, touching their duty in all points. They must receive the law at his mouth; since it is by him God speaks unto them, according to the constitution of the covenant : for which cause God hath given a solemn charge to all the covenantpeople, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased hear ye him," Matt. xvii. 5.

3. And lastly, The completing of their happiness, according to the covenant, in the other world: Eph. v. 27, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." It is the comfort of believers, that Jesus Christ administers the covenant in this world; so that whatever part thereof they may be driven to, they can never be driven to any part unto which his administration doth not extend. Howbeit, the most glorious part of his administration takes its place in the other world: for it is in heaven, that the promises of the covenant have their perfect accomplishment: the which makes heaven home to believers. "O! but the passage betwixt the two worlds is a dark, dangerous, and gloomy one! Who can without horror think of the Jordan of death, and the darksome region of the grave!" But withal, God's covenant-people should remember, that their Lord hath business in that passage, as well as on either side of it. The line of the covenant is drawn through it, making a path by which the redeemed safely pass. So there also is the scene of Christ's administration of the covenant; he hath the keys of hell and of death, Rev. i. 18. It is great weakness, to think that he doth only, as it were, stand ou the other side of the river, directing the believer in his passage, and ready to receive him when he comes ashore: nay, it lies on him, as administrator of the covenant, even to go into the water with the passenger, to take him by the arm, and going between him and the stream, to break the force thereof unto him, and to bring him safe ashore Psalm xxiii. 4, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me." In the Israelites passing over to Canaan, the ark went first into Jordan, and was last in coming out, being there till all the people were passed clean over, Josh. chap. iii. iv. The ark being a type of Christ, as Canaan was of heaven, this teacheth us, that our Lord Jesus will have business in the passage between the two worlds, as long as there is one of his people to pass that way; and that his administration there will never be at an end, until the last man

within the bond of the covenant is safely landed on the other side. This done, he is to administer the covenant to them there also, completing their happiness by a perfect accomplishment of all the promises thereof unto them. As Jesus is the author, so he is the finisher of our faith, Heb. xii. 2. In which texts there is an allusion to the races famous among the ancient Greeks, wherein there was one that opened the race, ran it, and went on the head of all the rest; another who was set on a throne at the end of the race, and gave the prize to such as won it. In the spiritual race, Christ acts both these parts. As performer of the condition of the covenant, in the course of his obedience, wherein he endured the cross, despising the shame, he is the author of our faith, or the chief leader, expressly called the forerunner, chap. vi. 20, in bringing many sons unto glory, going on their head as captain or chief leader, chap. ii. 10. Then, as administrator of the covenant, he is the finisher of our faith, or the perfecter that gives the crown to the runners, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. And thus it is his business to put the crown of glory on the heads of those whom by his grace he hath made conquerors. From his hand Paul expected it, 2 Tim. iv. 8, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge," to wit, Christ, the judge of the world, "shall give me at that day." To him it belongs to grant to the overcomers to sit with him in his throne, Rev. iii. 21. And therefore I cannot help thinking, that the text, Matt. xx. 23, may safely be read without the supplement, "To sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but for whom it is prepared of my Father." So the particle but is used exceptively, 2 Cor. ii. 5, for save, Mark ix. 8. The fulness of power given to the Mediator, comprehends all power in heaven, as well as in earth: accordingly he prepares the place for his several people in his Father's house, having the whole at his disposal as administrator of the covenant. And he is to administer the covenant to them, not only at their first entrance into the regions of bliss, but all along through the ages of eternity, being to remain the eternal bond of union and mean of communication betwixt God and the saints for ever, Heb. vii. 25; Rev. vi. 17.

And these are the ends of the administration of the covenant. Follows,

IV. THE NATURE OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COVENANT.

The nature of this administration offers itself to our view, in the relations Christ hath to the covenant as he is administrator thereof.